bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors of new venture performance in Russia
Authors: Shirokova Galina , Shatalov Alexander 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discover factors of new ventures performance in Russia and to combine them in a model which describes the influence of these factors on the performance of a new venture.Design/methodology/approachA cross‐sectional study of new ventures was conducted by a field survey in six regions in Russia. One‐factor variance analysis and regression analysis were used to identify significant factors.FindingsThree groups of factors were identified as significantly influencing performance of new ventures in Russia: environmental factors, style of management and type of strategic behaviour. For environmental factors the following variables were included: crisis in industry, increase in product demand, predictability of regulatory authorities behaviour, predictability of financial markets, and environmental hostility. For company management style, several variables were statistically significant: level of centralization, concentration of management in the hands of the founder, and role of the middle management. For strategic behaviour, only the strategy of prospector in terms of Miles and Snow was found to have significant influence on the new venture performance (NVP).Research limitations/implicationsThe research ignores industry specifics that may be reflected in different new ventures performance factors.Practical implicationsEntrepreneurs starting new ventures in Russia should take into account the identified factors which can influence their companies’ performance.Originality/valueAlthough there have been many studies on NVP factors, no such research has been performed in Russia.
The effect of product market strategies on the financial and ownership structures of firms
Authors: Arugaslan Onur , Jarrell Sherry L. 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test whether product market strategies have any effect on managerial shareholdings, leverage usage and firm diversification.Design/methodology/approachThe paper focuses on a sample of US manufacturing firms and defines variables to proxy for product quality, ownership, financing and diversification. Regressions were run to test hypotheses.FindingsA positive relation was found between product quality and managerial ownership and a negative relation between product quality and use of leverage. Also, controlling for firm size, it was found that firm focus is concave in managerial shareholdings.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the paper provides a path towards understanding intra‐industry variations in corporate capital structures, it is recognized that additional research on such variations is warranted.Practical implicationsThe paper provides an explanation for the evidence that all‐equity firms are distinguished by large management shareholdings. In fact, one such firm, Microsoft Corporation, provides one of the best examples of the paper's argument on why concentrated managerial shareholdings and financial slack facilitate an aggressive approach to protect a firm's margins.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature, which relates product market competition to corporate capital structure and uses a different regression model than used in prior research. Specifically, the quasi‐likelihood approach for fractional variables was used. Ownership variables are fractional variables that are not censored or logistic normally distributed, as presumed in some prior literature.
Cable‐crawler – robot for the inspection of high‐voltage power lines that can passively roll over mast tops
Authors: Bühringer Maleachi , Berchtold Jan , Büchel Melanie , Dold Claus , Bütikofer Michael , Feuerstein Mevina , Fischer Wolfgang , Bermes Christian , Siegwart Roland 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the design and prototype implementation of the “Cable Crawler”, a mobile teleoperated robot for the inspection of high‐voltage power lines which rides on the topmost ground cable. By not being limited to just moving from mast to mast, it implements an innovative mechanism that allows for crossing a set of mast tops as well as smaller obstacles autonomously.Design/methodology/approachAfter a brief overview of the state‐of‐the‐art for this application, the basic concept of the robot is presented – which basically consists of a chassis and six motorized rubber‐coated rollers, two in a horizontal position to take the weight and four vertical ones. The four vertical rollers are pressed onto the wire by springs, which guarantees slip‐less propulsion in difficult situations. The detailed design of the most challenging components is presented, as well as the successful tests with the prototype.FindingsThe feasibility of the concept is proven with a prototype implementation and successful test results.Practical implicationsWith a mass of 58 kg and only six drives, it consequently follows the industry's wish to have a robust, easy to maintain and rather cheap solution. Regarding the fields examined by the robot, the project concentrated on the detection of trees growing into proximity of the wires. Future work will mainly stress in further reducing the robot's mass and in facilitating its transport to the mast by the workers.Originality/valueThe presented prototype allows for moving on the topmost ground cable of high‐voltage power‐lines and to passively roll over mast tops and smaller obstacles. With these properties, it is able to inspect long distances of cables in an autonomous way and by using a relatively low‐cost and robust robot.
Experiment of maneuverability of flexible mono‐tread mobile track and differential‐type tracked vehicle
Authors: Haji Takafumi , Kinugasa Tetsuya , Yoshida Koji , Amano Hisanori , Osuka Koichi 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare the maneuverability of flexible mono‐tread mobile track (FMT) and usual differential‐type tracked vehicle (DTV) through some experiments. A new mobile mechanism: FMT has been proposed which is employing “flexible chain” and vertebral structure, thereby the body flexes in 3D. As a result of the specific turning mechanism, steering performance of FMT is different from that of DTV. Hence, maneuverability of FMT and DTV would be different.Design/methodology/approachThe vehicles are maneuvered to trace two types of lines: a semi‐circle and right‐angled line segments by four operators. The distance and the displacement of direction of the vehicles from the target line are measured. The maneuverability was discussed based on the experimental results for FMT and DTV.FindingsSome of the characteristic features on maneuverability of FMT and DTV have been made clear.Originality/valueFMT is a new mobile mechanism for tracked‐vehicle and the maneuverability of FMT is discussed.
Fast lane tracking for autonomous urban driving using hidden Markov models and multiresolution Hough transform
Authors: Kaplan Kemal , Kurtul Caner , Levent Akin H. 
Published: May 2010

PurposeLane tracking is one of the most important processes for autonomous vehicles because the navigable region usually stands between the lanes, especially in urban environments. A robust lane tracking method is also required for reducing the effect of the noise and the required processing time. The purpose of this paper is to present a new lane tracking method.Design/methodology/approachA new lane tracking method is presented which uses a partitioning technique for obtaining multiresolution Hough transform of the acquired vision data where Hough transform is one of the most popular algorithms for lane detection. After the detection process, for tracking the detected lanes, a hidden Markov model (HMM) based method is proposed.FindingsThe results of the proposed approach show that the partitioned Hough transformation reduces the effect of noise and provides robust lane tracking. In addition, the acquired lanes are successfully tracked by using the designed HMM.Originality/valueThis paper provides a fast lane tracking system which can be integrated with an autonomous vehicle or a driver assistance system.
Modeling and implementation of a fully autonomous soccer robot based on omni‐directional vision system
Authors: Hamidreza Kasaei S. , Mohammadreza Kasaei S. , Alireza Kasaei S. , Amir Hassan Monadjemi S. , Taheri Mohsen 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to design and implement a team of middle size soccer robots to conform RoboCup middle‐size league.Design/methodology/approachFirst, according to the rules of RoboCup, a middle size soccer robot was designed. The proposed autonomous soccer robot consists of the mechanical platform, motion control module, omni‐directional vision module, front vision module, image processing and recognition module, investigated target object positioning and real coordinate reconstruction, robot path planning, competition strategies, and obstacle avoidance. This soccer robot equips the laptop computer system and interface circuits to make decisions.FindingsIn fact, the omni‐directional vision sensor of the vision system deals with the image processing and positioning for obstacle avoidance and target tracking. The boundary‐following algorithm is applied to find the important features of the field. The sensor data fusion method is utilized in the control system parameters, self‐localization, and world modeling. A vision‐based self‐localization, and the conventional odometry systems are fused for robust self‐localization. The localization algorithm includes filtering, sharing, and integration of the data for different types of objects recognized in the environment.Originality/valueThis paper presents results of research work in the field of autonomous robot‐middle size soccer robot supported by IAU‐Khorasgan Branch (Isfahan).
Design of a climbing robot for cylindro‐conic poles based on rolling self‐locking
Authors: Fauroux Jean‐Christophe , Morillon Joël 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe designing Pobot V2, a robot capable to climb poles with a cylindrical or conical shape.Design/methodology/approachThis paper describes the design of the pole‐climbing robot Pobot V2, based on the innovative principle of rolling self‐locking that uses no energy to maintain itself at a given altitude.FindingsThe robot is also capable of avoiding tangential obstacles, crossing small collars and regulating passively its normal contact force on conical poles with a diameter that evolves from 300 to 100 mm. The work is validated by experiments. The robot can also perform axial rotation, can cross‐tangential obstacles and climb poles with a strong conical shape, due to passive normal force regulation with springs and a force amplifying linkage. The first experiments showed excellent stability during vertical climbing.Research limitations/implicationsMore work will be required to make the robot more rigid, more compact, and lighter. The robot is jointly patented by Thales and IFMA.Originality/valueIt is original because of its rolling self‐locking concept: rolling allows continuous ascension whereas self‐locking guarantees a null energy consumption while staying still on the pole.
Type and dimension synthesis of a portable all‐position welding robot
Authors: Liu Yu , Zhao Jing , Chen Shu‐Jun , Lu Zhen‐Yang 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a portable all‐position welding robot for the welding of intersected pipes.Design/methodology/approachA complete procedure is adopted to conduct the design. The task and motion of the robot are analyzed and a mathematical description of the pose and position of the welding tool is given. Based on that, three representative types of robot are chosen in the type synthesis of mechanism. Two new indices proposed to evaluate required properties of the robot, along with the traditional dexterity index, are chosen to be the criteria in the dimension synthesis of mechanism. Through the optimization by genetic algorithm, the best robot in type and dimension is determined after comparison on their performances. Finally, the prototype is developed.FindingsThe paper finds a new robot for welding intersected pipes.Originality/valueA new robot is introduced for the welding of intersected pipes. A complete design procedure is adopted to conduct the design. Two new indices are constructed for evaluating the required properties of this robot.
A fuzzy strategy for the robotic folding of fabrics with machine vision feedback
Authors: Zoumponos Georgios T. , Aspragathos Nikos A. 
Published: May 2010

PurposeSome areas of the apparel industry, such as folding and sewing, are still labor intensive. The purpose of this paper is to present a new fuzzy visual servoing strategy for the folding of fabric strips by robotic manipulators.Design/methodology/approachThree stages of the folding task are distinguished experimentally, the initial laying, the true folding, and the final laying. An indirect visual servoing fuzzy system, employing two cameras, is developed to guide the robot along each of the stages.FindingsThe proposed scheme manages to successfully fold some of the tested materials. The experimental results are promising and well within the limitations posed by both the employed equipment and the nature of the handled materials.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to rectangular strips of fabrics and does not consider the speed of the process.Practical implicationsThe resulting system provides a stepping stone for the introduction of automation to currently labor‐intensive areas of the apparel industry.Originality/valueThe separate folding stages reduce the complexity of the overall system and the introduced visually extracted features allow a closer monitoring of the process.
Welfare and long‐term care in the East and West
Authors: Lisa Chen Henglien 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an overview of the inequalities between three countries – England, The Netherlands and Taiwan – in relation to the welfare and long‐term care of older people. It compares the positive and negative distinctions between the respective countries and their systems.Design/methodology/approachThis paper discusses and analyses data from public sources and literature and measures the similarities and differences between demographic and social issues, the cultural and political differences shaping policy objectives, economic constraints and long‐term care services.FindingsAll three countries face similar pressure in long‐term care provision of ageing populations, funding limitations and shrinking numbers of carers. None of the countries studied completely conforms to Esping‐Andersen's ideal types; instead they seem to constitute hybrids. The care system in the Dutch social democratic‐conservative welfare regime seems to provide wider support for older people who need care, the English liberal‐social democratic welfare regime comes second and Taiwanese conservative‐liberal welfare regime comes third. Overall, some converse trends of the long‐term care systems indicate a narrowing of the gap in responsibility between state, family and individuals in the East and the West.Practical implicationsThe paper contributes suggestions to further research in the area of elements and structures of care systems support and the failure to provide ongoing quality of long‐term care and reflects on the implications for the global market of care‐workers and the extensive use of migrant workers in the field.Originality/valueThe paper provides a detailed consideration of the wide‐ranging issues that impact on older people's care provision in England, The Netherlands and Taiwan.
Does the welfare state reduce inequalities in people's social capital?
Authors: van Oorschot Wim , Finsveen Ellen 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse whether social capital inequalities are smaller in more extensive welfare states.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyses data from European/World Values Surveys.FindingsNo effect of welfare stateness on social capital inequality is found.Research limitations/implicationsAn extension of the analysis with a broader range of welfare states might show effect.Originality/valueThis is the first time in literature that the relationship between welfare stateness and social capital inequality is empirically studied.
The export competitive advantages of Turkish manufacturing companies
Authors: Haluk Köksal Mehmet , Özgül Engin 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the export competitive advantage differences between high‐ and low‐performing companies in Turkey. The paper specifically and separately analyzes the companies' export resources, export skills, and export competitive advantages in order to identify the discrimination effects of each variable.Design/methodology/approachA structured questionnaire was sent to 98 Turkish exporting companies through the mail. The response rate was 28 percent.FindingsThe brand image, product quality, and cost of goods sold in the export markets are found to be the most important competitive advantage factors leading to success in the export markets, whilst the ability to understand consumers' needs and wants, and developing strong relationships with consumers in the marketplace are found to be important skills associated with success in the export markets. The paper also reveals that the export managers' knowledge is the key resource that differentiates successful export companies from unsuccessful ones.Originality/valueAlthough some of the studies in the literature have focused on the competitive advantages, resources, and skills in general, there is a lack of studies specifically investigating the export competitive advantage differences between high‐ and low‐performing companies.
Hitting the sustainability sweet spot: having it all
Authors: Nguyen Dung K. , Slater Stanley F. 
Published: May 2010

PurposeCorporations and their leaders are coming under increasing pressure to achieve “sustainability.” Sustainable enterprises minimize harmful environmental impacts, are socially responsible, and create shareholder value.Design/methodology/approachUsing secondary data, we compared the financial performance of recognized sustainability leaders to that of a carefully selected matched set of competitors.FindingsThe authors find that, on average, sustainability leaders outperform their competitors. However, this is true and only two out of three cases.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the authors utilized a relatively small sample with data that covers only a three‐year period, the use of secondary data from two different databases reduces concerns about common method bias. The clear implication of this analysis is that a commitment to sustainability does not harm financial performance and may, in fact, enhance performance.Practical implicationsThe authors conclude with a set of recommendations for how top management teams can hit the sustainability sweet spot.Originality/valueThe concept of the sustainable enterprise is relatively new and little rigorous research has been conducted on its performance implications. The authors believe that the literature review, the research undertaken, and the practical implications will be of value to both scholars and to executive teams.
New Look: going private with private equity support
Authors: Achleitner Ann‐Kristin , Lutz Eva , Herman Kerry , Lerner Josh 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a case study of UK fashion retailer New Look and focuses on the impact of private equity on corporate governance, employment and leverage after the public‐to‐private conversion in 2003.Design/methodology/approachThis study follows a case study approach to offer in‐depth insights into the role of different parties in the deal and their perceptions. The case study is based on semi‐structured interviews with key management of New Look, partners of the private equity firms and other members of the New Look board. In addition, complements the analysis with secondary sources (e.g. analyst reports, published articles and financial data of New Look) in order to triangulate our findings.FindingsThe case presents an example of a company that pursued a public‐to‐private transaction with the support of private equity firms. The envisioned transformation process post‐transaction turned out to be highly successful with increasing efficiencies and profits as well as an increase of over 3,500 employees over four years. This paper analyses key success drivers and the role of the private equity firms in achieving this success.Originality/valueThe paper is the first in‐depth case study of a European public‐to‐private transaction with support of private equity that offers rich evidence on the impact of private equity on corporate governance, employment and leverage.
Don't throw it away: the corporate role in product disposition
Authors: Raghavan Srividya 
Published: May 2010

PurposeConsumer behavior comprises acquisition, consumption and disposition behaviors. Businesses have generally been most concerned about producing and distributing goods and have thus focused on consumer acquisition and consumption behaviors. But as companies increasingly emphasize environmental responsibility and ethical values, they must now attend to consumer disposition with equal ardor. This article seeks to understand consumer disposition processes for marketing.Design/methodology/approachThe article reviews the academic literature and general business literature to illustrate how knowledge of the consumer disposition process can help companies project corporate social responsibility and make better marketing decisions.FindingsThis article highlights disposition behavior and explicates the importance of understanding it in a business environment marked by growing production and consumption and little thought of disposition. The contention is that there is very little literature focusing on disposition processes and that it has received inadequate attention among practitioners and academicians. In order to stress the importance of consumer's disposition process, the commentary focuses, first on the environmental issues and the role a company could play in mitigating them when equipped with an understanding of consumer disposition process. Second, the article calls attention to marketing opportunities available to marketers with knowledge of consumer's disposition process.Practical implicationsThis article illustrates the use of understanding consumer's disposition process for companies in helping them project better corporate social responsibility and also make better marketing decisions.Originality/valueThere is very little literature available on consumer's disposition processes and its implications for business. Rather than elaborating on the consumer's disposition process itself, this article aims to articulate the importance and uses of this body of knowledge for businesses and the marketing function. A practical approach combined with theoretical inputs attempts to emphasis on the importance of disposition process for businesses.