bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of ethanol plants on cropland values in the great plains
Authors: Henderson Jason , Gloy Brent A. 
Published: June 2009

PurposeCorn ethanol plants consume large amounts of corn and their location has the potential to alter local crop prices and surrounding agricultural land values. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the local economic impact of ethanol plant locations on farmland values.Design/methodology/approachThe relationship between ethanol plant location and agricultural land prices is examined using data obtained from the Agricultural Credit Survey administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.FindingsThe findings indicate that ethanol plant location has had an impact on land values. The portion of land price changes attributable to location is consistent with previous estimates of basis changes associated with ethanol plant location.Originality/valueThe paper finds that land markets appear to be rationally adjusting to the location of ethanol plants.
Regional differences in agricultural profitability, government payments, and farmland values
Authors: Mishra Ashok K. , Moss Charles B. , Erickson Kenneth W. 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use the DuPont expansion to examine those factors underlying differences in (rates of) return on different crop portfolios over space (ten regions) and time (1960‐2004). The paper also estimates the impact of government payments on farmland values through its impact on farm profitability.Design/methodology/approachBusinesses use the DuPont model to analyze the profitability of a business. This model includes three components: net profit margin, asset turnover, and financial leverage (or assets to equity). It is based on the relationships among these three components and is expressed as a product of ratios. For the purposes of the current study, accrued capital gains from (total) returns are excluded to focus on cash returns “cash flow”. Returns from current income are a “cash flow” available in the short run to pay financial obligations. Furthermore, returns from capital gains are not liquid; they are gains in wealth fully captured as capital gains/losses only in the longer term. Following the DuPont approach, the effect of government payments on farm asset values is equal to the sum of the effect of government payments on profit margins plus the effect of government payments on the asset turnover ratio.FindingsThe analysis focuses on agricultural profitability in the ten Economic Research Service (ERS) regions. By comparing the components of the DuPont expansion, profitability differences over time are analyzed. The results indicate that one cause of low profitability in the Corn Belt and Mountain regions is a perpetually low profit margin while the evidence for other regions supports lower asset efficiency. Results show that government payments impact the profit margin and affect value of farm assets in particular farmland values but not asset turnover ratio.Originality/valueThe use of DuPont expansion factor in agriculture is original and really helps us to understand the factors driving profitability in agriculture. Another innovation (originality) in this paper is the theoretical model that connects the DuPont expansion factor, government payments and its impact on farmland values.
Farm credit member‐borrowers' preferences for patronage payments
Authors: Briggeman Brian , Jorgensen Quatie 
Published: June 2009

PurposeMany associations in the Farm Credit System, which are financial cooperatives, pay their member‐borrowers a cash patronage payment based on the amount of loan volume with the association. In today's competitive lending environment, some Farm Credit associations have offered lower interest rates on new loans but these new member‐borrowers have to forgo their cash patronage payment to receive this new, lower‐interest rate loan. The purpose of this paper is to identify Farm Credit member‐borrowers' preferences for patronage refunds received as a cash payment versus lower fixed real estate interest rates.Design/methodology/approachPreferences for patronage refunds or lower fixed interest rates are elicited from Farm Credit Services of East Central Oklahoma member‐borrowers via conjoint analysis.FindingsResults show that member‐borrowers strongly prefer patronage refunds compared to lower fixed interest rates.Originality/valueThis paper fulfills a need to better understand patronage refund programs within the Farm Credit System.
Design basis and hydrodynamic performance analysis of single‐screw extruders. II – viscous power loss
Authors: Demiryürek Oğuz , Koç Erdem 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the design dimensions in pressure or metering region of a single‐screw extruder by determining viscous power loss. The paper is the second part of a series.Design/methodology/approachViscous power loss formed in the extruder screw channel and the radial clearance is determined and evaluated in terms of non‐dimensional parameters in order to obtain a theoretical model.FindingsThe theoretical model developed is capable of estimating the viscous power loss in the extruder metering region. With the model developed, extruder geometry and viscous power loss under different operating conditions can be predicted.Originality/valueThis paper offers a quick and easy opportunity to examine the viscous power loss in the extruder.
Tribological characteristics at running‐in of repaired tractor engines using friction modifiers
Authors: Nikolov Mitko I. , Gospodinova Nina N. , Pavlov Dimitar J. , Dimitrov Mitko S. 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine and compare the tribological characteristics (weight wear and friction moment) of a friction couple C45/C330 at running‐in with motor oil SAE 30 and different friction modifiers of copper oleate and zinc oleate.Design/methodology/approachFriction couples are tested using the model “roller‐sector” and they are lubricated with oil SAE 30 and two other samples of SAE 30 containing 0.6 per cent copper oleate and 0.6 per cent zinc oleate, respectively. Graphic dependencies are drawn for the weight wear of the sectors, rollers and couples; as well as for the running‐in moment, the friction moments at the end of the loading and at the end of the test.FindingsThe weight wear, running‐in moment and friction moments are evaluated for friction with SAE 30 as reference and oils containing copper oleate and zinc oleate as friction modifiers. The best performing material is the oil with zinc oleate.Originality/valueFrom a practical point of view this paper offers a new idea about a friction modifier – zinc oleate. Data for tribological characteristics and suitable concentration in the oil composition are given in the paper.
An exploratory qualitative and quantitative analysis of Six Sigma in service organizations in Singapore
Authors: Chakrabarty Ayon , Kay Chuan Tan 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to facilitate widening the scope of Six Sigma implementation in service organizations.Design/methodology/approachUsing grounded theory methodology, this study develops theory for Six Sigma implementation in service organizations. The study involves a questionnaire survey and case studies to understand and build a conceptual framework. The survey is conducted in service organizations in Singapore and is exploratory. The case studies involved three service organizations which implement Six Sigma. The objective is to explore and understand the issues highlighted by the survey and the literature.FindingsThe findings confirm the inclusion of critical success factors, critical‐to‐quality characteristics, and set of tools and techniques as observed from the literature. In the case of key performance indicators (KPI), there are different interpretations about it in the literature and also by industry practitioners. Some literature explains KPIs as performance metrics whereas some feel it as key process input or output variables, which is similar to interpretations by practitioners of Six Sigma. The responses of “not relevant” and “unknown to us” as reasons for not implementing Six Sigma show the need for understanding specific requirements of service organizations.Originality/valueThough much theoretical description is available about Six Sigma, there has been limited rigorous academic research on it. This gap is far more pronounced about Six Sigma implementation in service organizations, where the theory is not yet mature. Identifying this need, the paper contributes by going through theory building exercise and developing a conceptual framework to understand the issues involving its implementation in service organizations.
China's social assistance: in need of closer coordination
Authors: Zhang Haomiao 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the three issues about China's social assistance programs and put forward some suggestions separately.Design/methodology/approachQualitative research, mainly using documentary analysis.FindingsThe paper finds that China's urban and rural social assistance, minimum living standard security and special assistance programs, China's social assistance and the other parts of social security such as social insurance and social welfare are in need of closer coordination.Originality/valueThis paper presents a valuable idea about the need for the coordination of China's social assistance programs.
Explaining the continuation of technical college nursing training in Germany
Authors: di Luzio Gaia 
Published: June 2009

PurposeIn Germany, basic nursing training still takes place at technical colleges. This type of training lacks standardisation, leaving considerable freedom to colleges and their providers. The purpose of this paper is to identify the reasons for the continuation of technical college training for nurses in Germany.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts an actor‐based approach which restricts the notion of “actor” to the level of organisations. The interplay between these actors is put in a context in which institutions maintain traditional structures of training. The study employs the method of document analysis. The method of analysis is qualitative content analysis.FindingsThe investigation shows that it is an interplay between key actors involved in a conflict over nurses’ education which, together with institutions, is responsible for the persistence of technical college‐based nursing training as the standard basic qualification. The relevant institutions are those regulating the health professions and institutions to which a model of ancillary nursing work is oriented. These are in turn embedded in the German system of health care provision and the corporatist health care governance. The study exposes several cross‐relationships between actor‐based and institutional explanatory factors.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical study is limited to the extent that it excludes the micro‐level of nursing work. It provides a framework for comparative research on educational standards in health care in that it pins down specific variables.Originality/valueThe paper develops a framework for analysing the reasons for the continuation of national educational standards of health professions despite a general European process of changing these standards.
The exclusion and marginalisation of immigrants in the Danish welfare society
Authors: Andersen John , Elm Larsen Jørgen , Hornemann Møller Iver 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss and theorise the links and possible dilemmas posed by the politics of redistribution and the politics of recognition taking the case of Denmark as the point of departure.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical observations in this paper consist of the political and discursive climate around legislation on ethnic minority matters, information from the Danish Statistical Bureau, the “Danish Level of Living Survey”, and the experiences from Danish urban districts which have a high concentration of immigrants.FindingsSince the 1990s, the political discourse has changed with the emergence of right‐wing, anti‐immigration populism seriously affecting immigrants’ and refugees’ legal rights and their possibilities for socio‐cultural and socio‐economic inclusion. On the one hand, these changes have been driven by a strong “work first” discourse which has led to a reduction of the duration and level of social benefits, and increased poverty. On the other hand, other policy changes have been more inclusive examples being education policy, active labour market policy measures and innovative empowerment programmes in deprived urban districts.Practical implicationsSocial innovation – here defined as the ability to organise bottom linked collective action/empowerment (including efficient political representation) – is a condition for reaching sustainable democratic and social development. But without more far‐reaching changes in the socio‐cultural and socio‐economic opportunity structures based on universal welfare principles and which also clearly address structural ethnic discrimination in all spheres of the social fabric, local empowerment and recognition strategies are likely to fail.Originality/valueThe paper addresses a crucial issue in the Danish and other European societies in relation to the exclusion and marginalisation of immigrants. The value of the paper is that it integrates different theoretical approaches to inclusion and exclusion of immigrants and employs different empirical material (quantitative and qualitative) to both underpin, discuss and challenge these theoretical approaches.
Marginalization and health: children's asthma on the Texas‐Mexico border
Authors: Grineski Sara E. 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate children's vulnerability to asthma and its relationship with marginalized locations. More specifically, the effects of zip code level social predictors on children's asthma and their conditionality on location in the Texas‐Mexico border region are explored. The border region is perhaps the most marginalized in the USA.Design/methodology/approachData for analysis comes from the State of Texas and the US Bureau of the Census. Negative binomial regression models are used to predict asthma hospitalizations using a set of social predictors. Then, interaction effects are used to test if social predictors are conditional on border location.FindingsWithin the state of Texas, location in a metropolitan area, location along the US‐Mexico border, percent Hispanic, percent African American and percent Native American are positive and significant predictors of asthma hospitalizations; social class is negative and significant. The effects of proportion of Hispanics who were foreign born, median year of home construction, and percent of homes with inadequate heating are conditional on a zip code's location relative to the US‐Mexico border, with the slopes being steeper in border locations. Findings in general suggest that locational and social factors intersect in marginalized places (i.e. border regions of Texas) to create vulnerability to asthma hospitalizations.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is conducted solely in the USA.Originality/valueAs sociologists continue to consider space as a factor in health inequalities, this paper demonstrates the utility of considering space as operating at more than one scale.
Initial online trust formation: the role of company location and web assurance
Authors: Fisher Richard , Zoe Chu S. 
Published: June 2009

PurposePrior research suggests that significant impediments to the growth in electronic commerce exist, particularly in relation to international exchanges. This paper aims to investigate the respective roles of vendor location (domestic vs international) and web assurance seals in the development of initial trusting beliefs about a vendor's web site, and to determine whether these beliefs ultimately influence online purchase intentions.Design/methodology/approachA model is developed and tested using a controlled laboratory experiment in which 181 subjects are randomly allocated to one of six web site treatments corresponding to two possible locations of the web site vendor (domestic vs international) and three web assurance states (no Web seal vs TRUSTe seal vs WebTrust seal). Data are analysed using ANCOVA and multiple regression analysis.FindingsAs hypothesised, the results suggest that geographical location does appear to influence the formation of initial trusting beliefs (perceived trustworthiness) about a vendor's websites. In contrast, web assurance seals, in general, were found to have little influence on trusting beliefs; and accountants' seals, in particular, were found to be equally ineffective as those issued by other providers. Overall, trusting beliefs were seen to strongly influence online purchase intentions.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research aimed at evaluating the relative effectiveness of various trust‐building mechanisms applicable to international vendors is warranted, as is research advancing the understanding of why assurance seals appear to be ineffective as trust‐building mechanisms. The implications of using students as surrogates for online consumers and other limitations inherent in experimental analyses ought to be considered in interpreting the study's findings.Practical implicationsThe study's findings indicate that international vendors ought to consider implementing targeted trust‐building mechanisms to compensate for being at a competitive disadvantage to their domestic counterparts. Suggested strategies are discussed in the paper. In relation to assurance seals, results suggest that the accounting profession can no longer assume to successfully leverage off its reputation for trustworthiness and integrity in extending its claims to expertise into new markets.Originality/valueNo previous study has examined the role of vendor location in the development of initial trusting beliefs. In relation to web assurance, previous studies have produced conflicting results and employed a range of research models. This study attempts to address these concerns through the use of a comprehensive and integrated theoretical model.
The comparative role of banking in binary and Islamic economy
Authors: Shakespeare Rodney , Harahap Sofyan 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to set out the role of banking in a binary and Islamic economy.Design/methodology/approachBy comparison, the paper shows that the main requirements for such an economy, although superficially similar, differ from the realities of “free market” finance capitalism. The paper goes on to explain how, in a binary and Islamic economy, commercial banks would be the means by which interest‐free loans, coming from the central bank and ummah and directed at various forms of productive capacity, would be introduced.FindingsThere is no difficulty in using the banking system to introduce the binary and Islamic economy. However, a paradigm issue is involved.Practical implicationsThe central bank‐issued interest‐free loans implemented through the commercial banking system loans serve the ends of both binary and Islamic economics in that they enhance the real economy and forward social and economic justice.Originality/valueThe paper shows how use of these loans is a new concept with a power to change the whole of the economy and society in a beneficial way.
Israeli teachers' perceptions of mentoring effectiveness
Authors: Shapira‐Lishchinsky Orly 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify Israeli teachers' perceptions about the relationships between mentoring styles and team culture and the effect of these relationships on mentoring effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consisted of 169 Israeli teachers from 22 science and technology teams in junior high schools. Four mentoring styles and four dimensions of team culture are examined. Data analysis is carried out on an individual level, whilst taking into consideration the influence of the entire team.FindingsMeaning attribution style influences the perception of mentoring effectiveness in every team culture. Contrary to the expected outcome, the “fit” between the other mentoring styles and team culture has no significant bearing on mentoring effectiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe self‐reported instrument is vulnerable to a same‐source bias. However, since the focus of this paper is teachers' perceptions of their specific mentors' effectiveness, rather than mentoring effectiveness in practice, it seems to be a suitable tool. In addition, the study sample is limited to science and technology teams, However, it appears that these findings can be generalised beyond these teams, since the study variables, which have a general psychological character, have been used previously in other fields.Practical implicationsThese findings will be able to assist supervisors in recruiting and assigning suitable mentors, thus contributing to school effectiveness.Originality/valueThe paper contributed to the design of a model that explains mentoring effectiveness. This model raises doubts regarding the perception that “fit” between mentoring styles and team culture is necessary for improving mentoring effectiveness.
A case study of leadership development in action: the UJIA Ashdown Fellowship 2000‐2007
Authors: Winston Lira 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe United Jewish Israel Appeal Ashdown Fellowship was launched in 2000 with the aim of creating high quality leadership for educational organisations in the British Jewish community. It sought to develop talented and committed people who demonstrated leadership potential. The purpose of this paper is to record the narrative of the programme, its strengths and challenges and to lay out some issues for thinking about the next phase.Design/methodology/approachA survey was sent to the graduates of the programme to ascertain their assessment of its impact.FindingsKey factors which helped the development of the programme were secure funding, a stable board and professional staff, an emphasis on making fellows feel valued, and access to some of the best people within the academic field of leadership and management and within Jewish education.Originality/valueThe paper presents a case study of leadership development in practice.
Study on the cultural communication preferences of teachers
Authors: Kocabaş İbrahim 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to look at the communication preferences of teachers on the basis of high‐ and low‐context distinction.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 275 teachers employed in primary schools in Elazığ, Malatya, and Diyarbakır provinces were chosen as the sample group. Cultural communication scale‐Turkish scale developed by Erdem was applied to measure communication tendencies of teachers.FindingsAt the end of the paper, during which high‐ and low‐context dimensions are treated separately, high‐context communication tendencies of teachers are found to be more dominant than their low‐context communication tendencies. Communication tendencies have also been compared in terms of demographic variables and it is evident that variables such as marital status, education level, income level, age, and employment period have resulted in differences in communication tendencies.Originality/valueThe paper presents a study on the cultural communication preferences of teachers from a Turkish perspective.