bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antecedents of discretionary risky-service behavior: an exploratory study
Authors: Sharma Bhaskar Shilpa , N. Khera Shikha 
Published: August 2014

Purpose
– The purposes of this paper is to first explore, and describe positive discretionary risky-service behaviour (DRSB) of customer-contact service providers in relational context and second to model the antecedents of such actions.

Design/methodology/approach
– Employed an exploratory qualitative approach and purposive sampling. The authors gather data from field interview of 35 relationship managers in private and public banks in India. Grounded theory method using analytic induction approach was employed.

Findings
– Existing studies and field interviews are used to forward the notion of “DRS behaviour” denoting employee service behaviour that is discretionary as it is work beyond what could reasonably be expected from an employee's job role and risky in a sense that it is outside the specific rules and processes incorporated in the formal service process document. Data reveal the existence of DRS behaviour in banks. A definition of DRS behaviour is forwarded and a range of antecedents proposed.

Research limitations/implications
– To explore the generalizability of results replications among bank employees (relationship managers) in other countries (with more regulatory banking environments) required. While the exploratory data suggest the general antecedents of DRS, the specific propositions have not been tested.

Practical implications
– The paper includes implications for the management and advancement of employee-customer relationship such as employee's traits, reward structure, and system for monitoring employee-customer relationship strength.

Originality/value
– The main contribution of the study is relationship antecedent, which may be taken as a starting point for relationship advancement research.
Value proposition preferences of credit union members and patronage activity
Authors: Byrne Noreen , McCarthy Olive 
Published: August 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the technical and relational value proposition preferences of credit union members and to examine the relationship between their preference and patronage activity.Design/methodology/approach– A total of 800 members of credit unions were surveyed. Exploratory factor analysis was used and four factors were extracted incorporating technical and relational dimensions of the credit union service. Member value proposition preferences are examined and the relationship to patronage activity of the credit union was explored.Findings– The majority of members express a higher or equal preference for a relational rather than a technical value proposition. Those that express a greater or equal preference for relational value are more likely to have a higher level of patronage activity.Research limitations/implications– Credit unions are member-owned financial institutions and hence the study is context dependent. Credit unions are member-owned financial institutions and hence relational value may be more significant than in the case of non-member owned entities.Practical implications– The research highlights the importance of consideration of relational value in financial services entities whose competitive advantage lies in the relational. In terms of the credit union, the impact on the relational value proposition of the credit union must be considered in the design and implementation of industry restructuring.Originality/value– This paper extends the emotional value and interactive quality construct to incorporate a greater relational focus which the paper suggests is of greater relevance to high-contact financial services. The research in this paper also extends beyond the criticised static focus of consumer perceived scales (consumer perceived value) and the episode focused service quality scales. Hence, it has a more longitudinal and holistic focus. The paper also incorporates a preference between benefits approach rather than an evaluative or trade-off between benefits and costs framework.
Thermal insulations of multilayer clothing systems measured by a bench scale test in low level heat exposures
Authors: Fu Ming , Weng Wenguo , Yuan Hongyong 
Published: August 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to measure the thermal insulation of protective clothing with multilayer gaps in low-level heat exposures.

Design/methodology/approach
– Nine different combinations of protective clothing systems with multiple air gaps are used to measure the thermal insulation by a self-designed bench-scale test apparatus in different levels of an external thermal radiation of 2-10 kW/m2. The outside and inside surface temperatures of each fabric layer are also measured to calculate the local thermal insulation of each fabric layer and each air gap.

Findings
– The results show that the total thermal insulation of protective clothing under thermal radiation is less than that in normal environments, and the exposed thermal radiation will worsen the total thermal insulation of the multilayer fabric systems. Air gap plays a positive role in the total thermal insulation, and thus provides the enhanced thermal protection. It is also suggested that the local resistance of the air gap closer to the external thermal radiation is more easily affected by the thermal radiation, due to the different heat transfer ways in the fabric system and the external thermal radiation.

Originality/value
– Effects of air gap on the thermal insulation of protective clothing, and contribution of the local thermal resistance of each fabric layer and each air gap to the total thermal insulation.
Clothing standards compliance assessment
Authors: Duncan Kariuki Ndwiga , Wu Xiong-Ying , Gao Chang-Chun , Ding Xue-Mei 
Published: August 2014

Purpose
– Clothing quality, performance, safety and health have become important considerations for consumer welfare. Properties of these aspects are encompassed on standards which regulates clothing products reaching consumers. The purpose of this paper is to categorize these aspects in a common platform by suggesting minimum requirements expected on readymade garments from which clothing standards compliance assessment is performed.

Design/methodology/approach
– With the aid of standard compliance assessment model, scored Standard Compliance Rate (SCR) values of the discussed properties of clothing standardization are synthesized from a standard compliance matrix, and the compliance of any clothing standards are assessed and assigned a “Standard Compliance Index/Level (SCI/SCL)” ranging from non compliance to full compliance at six levels.

Findings
– In reference to the standard compliance assessment model, 12 children and infant clothing standards, three from Kenya and nine from China, and eight protective clothing standards from Kenya, China, Britain and USA, two from each country, were assessed and the compliance level of each standard evaluated and results presented. The results of the study reveal the importance of every aspect of clothing standardization properties to fulfil the requirements of standard compliance assessment whereby, though they meet their role in developing Standard Compliance Index (SCI), they may have different impact depending with the context applied and the scope of every standard.

Research limitations/implications
– The selection of standardization parameters and characteristics, and the criteria for scoring some of the Standard Compliance Rating was subjective and may require mutual agreements between relevant bodies. Furthermore, this method can only be applied on clothing standards and not other textile testing standards.

Practical implications
– The proposed method can be applied when evaluating and comparing specific clothing standards between bodies or countries. Clothing SCI would be of primary importance as a guide on required clothing quality specifications to designers, manufacturers, standard regulators and consumer welfare bodies.

Originality/value
– This research reports the development of an original framework to assess compliance level of any clothing standard using standardization parameters and characteristics considered when determining the quality of a garment. It establishes a theoretical framework of clothing standards compliance assessment, which has not been reported in the literature to date.
Competence and capability in quality in the high-tech sector: an international comparison
Authors: J. Power Damien 
Published: August 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to compare Chinese high-tech firms with other international firms in terms of quality capability and competence.

Design/methodology/approach
– This study uses data from the GMRG fourth round survey and provides a method for differentiating and empirically measuring quality competence and capability using a sample of 343 plants in 17 countries in the high-tech manufacturing sector.

Findings
– It is shown that the theory of performance frontiers can be used to explain differences in levels of investment in quality management, as well as competence and capability, in plants across regions with varying levels of economic development. Further, it is shown that plants in China provide an example of a special case in that they do not display the same characteristics as plants in other emerging economies.

Research limitations/implications
– The study is limited to the high-tech sector and is also constrained by the countries in which the GMRG data has been gathered.

Practical implications
– Investment in quality management methods may not always result in discernible variance in quality indicators. In this study this has been shown to be the case in plants in the industrialized world, highlighting the importance of developing a requisite proficiency in innovation. For the plants in China leverage may lie in focussing on how and where resources are being invested, and how quality management is actually valued within a plant.

Social implications
– The study indicates that although some economies in the world may experience rapid growth this also needs to be tempered by a requisite investment in building human capability.

Originality/value
– The evidence indicates that the plants in China in this study do not possess similar levels of quality competence and capability, and struggle to make investment in quality management alter outcomes.
Towards a model of trust
Authors: Martin Dick 
Published: August 2014

Purpose– This article aims to hypothesize a model of trust in both senses of the word – a model, as in something to emulate, and a model as in a structural framework that describes its components. Almost all business people agree that winning and keeping the trust of customers, investors, employees and other stakeholders is critical to business success. There is also broad agreement that trust in business and government has been in serious decline over the past few decades, as documented in a number of studies. Ironically, however, there is little agreement on the nature of trust. Researchers and strategists use the word loosely, without a common definition of its components and with no clear understanding of the process by which it is built, nurtured – and lost.Design/methodology/approach– Based on syndicated research and the more than three-decades experience in public relations, the author suggests that trust has both rational and emotional components that arise from stakeholders’ perception of their own affinity with a brand, company or individual, as well as their judgments of its competencies and purpose. Stakeholder perceptions along these dimensions can be displayed within a three-dimensional matrix, which can explain a range of rational/emotional reactions ranging from simple disappointment and begrudging respect to complete distrust and unquestioned trust.Findings– The model of trust is useful for analyzing a brand, company or individual’s present trust position. It will also enable strategists to design a thoughtful, balanced approach to maintaining or improving stakeholder trust. The model allows strategists to articulate a set of actions and behaviors that will build on strengths, fill voids and correct past errors.Research limitations/implications– This is a theoretical hypothesis that still needs to be tested, but it appears to present a useful approach to considering issues of trust.Originality/value– The new model builds on existing research to address an issue that has become even more critical to organizations and individuals in a world of instant communication and everyman publishing. Applying the model to business decision-making will protect firms from inadvertently losing stakeholder trust and enhance their ability to build even stronger stakeholder relationships.
Scared enough? How terrorism threats affect US-Canadian business ties
Authors: Cimon Yan , Papadopoulos Andrew 
Published: August 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine how security-related issues affect business in an integrated economic space. North America is an interesting case, as Canada and the USA have historically been highly integrated economies.

Design/methodology/approach
– Research that focuses on the relationship between security and business is reviewed. First, the perception of security issues by business leaders is examined. Second, the North American case is discussed.

Findings
– In the decade following 9-11, not all industries felt the aftermath in the same way, and business leaders from Canada and the USA did not necessarily focus on the same priorities. A thickening border is increasingly challenging for firms even though they have historically coped somewhat efficiently.

Research limitations/implications
– This paper has implications for integrated economies. Policymakers need to frame their response to security issues in a way that takes into account their effect on trade and firms.

Practical implications
– Given terrorism’s impact on industries, the differences in priority ascribed to the issue by executives and the varying responses to address the problem, ensuring the ongoing gains from transborder business activity, requires creative solutions.

Originality/value
– The effect of security on business is seldom studied. This paper provides a vivid example of the interplay between these two critical elements. This renewed understanding allows policymakers and business executives to find a common ground so that security issues are not dealt with at the expense of firms and cross-border trade.
Social-cognitive outcomes of teachers’ engagement in learning communities
Authors: Brynjulf Hjertø Kjell , Merok Paulsen Jan , Petteri Tihveräinen Saku 
Published: August 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to seek to investigate Etienne Wenger's theory of social learning in a community of practice by modeling two simultaneous aspects of teachers’ collaborative learning: their engagement in close-knit internal groupings and engagement with colleagues that work externally to the core group. These two learning processes are related to two social-cognitive outcomes: teachers’ organizational commitment and their sense of impact.Design/methodology/approach– The study investigated a field sample of 246 individual teachers from ten Finnish primary schools. Hypotheses were developed and tested by using multiple regression and structural equation modeling.Findings– The results indicate that local engagement supports teachers’ organizational commitment. However, this form of collaborative learning behavior didnotsupport their sense of impact. Moreover, external engagement with trusted colleagues supported sense of impact butnotorganizational commitment.Research limitations/implications– The study reinforces the importance of teachers’ engagement in communities of practice. Specifically, the results suggest two specific social-cognitive outcomes related to two different learning processes situated in teachers’ community of practice. It would be highly valuable to replicate this study in various multi-level settings.Practical implications– The study highlights teachers’ engagement in communities of practice as a source of their motivational basis and their commitment. Findings recommend school leaders to facilitate internal and external learning communities.Originality/value– The study provides empirical evidence regarding the partial relationships between teachers’ local and external learning engagement and the social-cognitive outcomes of these forms of learning behaviors.
Social media marketing and communications strategies for school superintendents
Authors: D. Cox Daniel , McLeod Scott 
Published: August 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to describe, analyze, and interpret the experiences of school superintendents who use multiple social media tools with stakeholders as part of their comprehensive communications practices. Additionally, it examined why superintendents have chosen to communicate with their stakeholders through social media.

Design/methodology/approach
– Qualitative interviews were conducted with a total of 12 school superintendents; three each from the northeast, south, midwest, and west regions of the USA and Canada.

Findings
– Six themes emerged from the 12 qualitative interviews with the superintendents and from the internet data regarding their social media use. The six emergent themes included: (1) more immediate and more frequent interactions between school superintendents and their stakeholders; (2) greater transparency regarding decision-making and budgeting processes; (3) impact on a school superintendent's personal and professional growth; (4) stronger connections to local stakeholders, to fellow educators, and to the world; (5) use is an expectation: it is no longer optional; and (6) accessing information from the superintendent in a multi-modal way.

Research limitations/implications
– This study was limited to the perceptions of superintendents who currently use two or more forms of social media to communicate with their stakeholders. The study did not include the thoughts and perceptions of superintendents who are only experimenting with social media use, those who have not been able to engage their stakeholders in two-way conversations, or those who have not yet implemented social media as part of a comprehensive communications approach.

Practical implications
– Implications are provided for school administrators, boards of education, and educational leadership programs.

Originality/value
– A unique study into the experiences of school superintendents who use multiple social media tools as part of their communications practices with stakeholders.
Nosocomial infection caused by vancomycin‐susceptible multidrug‐resistant Enterococcus faecalis over a long period in a university hospital in Japan
Authors: Kudo Michiaki , Nomura Takahiro , Yomoda Sachie , Tanimoto Koichi , Tomita Haruyoshi 
Published: August 2014

AbstractCompared with other developed countries, vancomycin‐resistant enterococci (VRE) are not widespread in clinical environments in Japan. There have been no VRE outbreaks and only a few VRE strains have sporadically been isolated in our university hospital in Gunma, Japan. To examine the drug susceptibility of Enterococcus faecalis and nosocomial infection caused by non‐VRE strains, a retrospective surveillance was conducted in our university hospital. Molecular epidemiological analyses were performed on 1711 E. faecalis clinical isolates collected in our hospital over a 6‐year period [1998–2003]. Of these isolates, 1241 (72.5%) were antibiotic resistant and 881 (51.5%) were resistant to two or more drugs. The incidence of multidrug resistant E. faecalis (MDR‐Ef) isolates in the intensive care unit increased after enlargement and restructuring of the hospital. The major group of MDR‐Ef strains consisted of 209 isolates (12.2%) resistant to the five drug combination tetracycline/erythromycin/kanamycin/streptomycin/gentamicin. Pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis analysis of the major MDR‐Ef isolates showed that nosocomial infections have been caused by MDR‐Ef over a long period (more than 3 years). Multilocus sequence typing showed that these strains were mainly grouped into ST16 (CC58) or ST64 (CC8). Mating experiments suggested that the drug resistances were encoded on two conjugative transposons (integrative conjugative elements), one encoded tetracycline‐resistance and the other erythromycin/kanamycin/streptomycin/gentamicin‐resistance. To our knowledge, this is the first report of nosocomial infection caused by vancomycin‐susceptible MDR‐Ef strains over a long period in Japan.
Seed perishability determines the caching behaviour of a food‐hoarding bird
Authors: Neuschulz Eike Lena , Mueller Thomas , Bollmann Kurt , Gugerli Felix , Böhning‐Gaese Katrin 
Published: August 2014

Summary

Many animals hoard seeds for later consumption and establish seed caches that are often located at sites with specific environmental characteristics. One explanation for the selection of non‐random caching locations is the avoidance of pilferage by other animals. Another possible hypothesis is that animals choose locations that hamper the perishability of stored food, allowing the consumption of unspoiled food items over long time periods.

We examined seed perishability and pilferage avoidance as potential drivers for caching behaviour of spotted nutcrackers (Nucifraga caryocatactes) in the Swiss Alps where the birds are specialized on caching seeds of Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra).

We used seedling establishment as an inverse measure of seed perishability, as established seedlings cannot longer be consumed by nutcrackers. We recorded the environmental conditions (i.e. canopy openness and soil moisture) of seed caching, seedling establishment and pilferage sites.

Our results show that sites of seed caching and seedling establishment had opposed microenvironmental conditions. Canopy openness and soil moisture were negatively related to seed caching but positively related to seedling establishment, i.e. nutcrackers cached seeds preferentially at sites where seed perishability was low. We found no effects of environmental factors on cache pilferage, i.e. neither canopy openness nor soil moisture had significant effects on pilferage rates. We thus could not relate caching behaviour to pilferage avoidance.

Our study highlights the importance of seed perishability as a mechanism for seed‐caching behaviour, which should be considered in future studies. Our findings could have important implications for the regeneration of plants whose seeds are dispersed by seed‐caching animals, as the potential of seedlings to establish may strongly decrease if animals cache seeds at sites that favour seed perishability rather than seedling establishment.
Rivers of milk and honey ‐ an exploration of nurturing the self in a Russian context
Authors: Bortuleva Elena 
Published: August 2014

AbstractThis paper is an exploration of the relationship between nurturing in all its contexts ‐ among them, the nursing couple and the therapeutic relationship ‐ and the evolution of an individual self. The ideas are illustrated by a case vignette of a Russian patient. An attempt is made to show that when the self as an integral unity of body and soul is addressed in the analytic setting, ‘nutritional dreams’ emerge as expressions of the self‐in‐action. Certain psycholinguistic features of the Russian cultural context are described which suggest a link of meaning between development of the self and secure parenting. This linguistic association may facilitate the process of self‐centering.