bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Employability and entrepreneurship embedded in professional placements in the business curriculum
Authors: Procter Chris 
Published: February 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explain how employability and entrepreneurship embedded in the practice of professional placements in a large UK Business School, grounded in literature and research concerning the relationship between professional experience and employability. It explores possible further developments of this practice into student entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachThe paper outlines the relevant literature and then describes the operation of the scheme in practice. It identifies relevant problems and discusses opportunities for both development and research.FindingsProfessional experience is of immense value to both students and the organisations that host them. Despite reluctance on the part of some of these two key stakeholders, it has the potential for further expansion in terms of number of students on placement, their location, their experience and integrating placements with entrepreneurship education.Practical implicationsOrganisations may see the benefit of employing students on one year or shorter contracts. Universities not currently offering professional placements within the curriculum to their students may wish to adopt best practice and those that are already involved may wish to consider the optional/compulsory element of the placement experience in order to address the reticence of many students to secure this experience. The paper suggests solutions to the well‐established question “Can entrepreneurship be taught?” by investigating the idea of Enterprise Placements.Originality/valueThe paper helps to explain, in a practical way, the opportunities and problems associated with the implementation of a placement scheme in the context of relevant literature.
In search of the entrepreneurial spirit in China
Authors: Jiwei Shi Jenny , Sewell Peter John 
Published: February 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present research into approaches to employability and entrepreneurship education at two universities: one British (The University of Central Lancashire “UCLan”) and one Chinese (Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade “SIFT”). It explores the similarities and differences in an approach to employability and entrepreneurship education and illustrates best practice.Design/methodology/approachA combination of questionnaires, observations and statistical comparisons are taken from a PMI2 exchange project (Second Prime Minister's Initiative for International Education) funded by the British Council.FindingsFundamentally different philosophies in the two countries lead to different models and approaches. Examples of best practices in employability and entrepreneurship education in a global context are highlighted. Models of employability are discussed and the challenges, opportunities and possibilities of future work are also presented.Practical implicationsThe paper will be of value to teachers and researchers forging links between universities in the UK and China, in particular those that wish to support and encourage employability and entrepreneurship within their curricula.Originality/valueThe paper helps to clarify the similarities and differences in approach to employability and entrepreneurship education in the UK and China and offers suggestions for enhancing the success of such collaborations.
Family venture fund for future generations' entrepreneurial education
Authors: Lu Wu , Wang Luzhuang 
Published: February 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the feasibility and challenges of one open training model in family‐owned companies' offspring education, regarded as CHINT's prodigal fund.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is currently confined to literature and case study on CHINT's prodigal fund and is primarily based on the documents analysis and interviews with the members from the board of supervisors and the board of directors.FindingsThe relationship between the performance of venture capital fund and the succession was analyzed. It is found that the two main reasons affecting the development of prodigal fund are the unsystematically organization of fund development and the lack of diligence. Finally, to attract and motivate the use of family venture funds and to establish a sound governance mechanism will be the two chief areas to promote the development of family funds.Originality/valueIt is the first attempt to analyze and summarize this creative practice in succession – family venture fund. The case study provides a valuable perspective on educating the entrepreneurial spirit of innovation and exploration.
Exploring organizational change best practice: are there any clear‐cut models and definitions?
Authors: Hallencreutz Jacob , Turner Dawn‐Marie 
Published: February 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore whether there are some existing widespread and common models and definitions for organizational change best practice in the literature.Design/methodology/approachThis paper builds on previous research to define a model of evidence‐based change management base practice. A structured literature review is used to search for contemporary models and definitions of organizational change best practice.FindingsNo consistent definitions of organizational change best practice are to be found in the literature.Originality/valueThe paper provides a snapshot of the current literature on organizational change best practice. Implications of the findings on organizational change best practice are discussed and further research suggested.
Testing a customer satisfaction model for online services
Authors: Cappelli Lucio , Guglielmetti Roberta , Mattia Giovanni , Merli Roberto , Francesca Renzi Maria 
Published: February 2011

PurposeThe paper aims to illustrate the results of a testing activity of a general customer satisfaction management model designed for online services provided by public administrations.Design/methodology/approachThe results are part of a wider research project, aimed at the implementation of a customer satisfaction management model for online services, starting out from citizen evaluations concerning the quality of services provided by public administrations. The model presupposes that the aspects of the service on which citizens are called to express their perceptions refer to well‐identified phases of the supply process, in such a way as to facilitate improvement measures. The testing activity involved a pilot group of Italian public administrations.FindingsAs a result of the testing activity's initial stage, some major issues can be identified that concern the need to properly focus the questionnaire design and simultaneously make use of different data analysis techniques in order to strengthen the impact of the survey results in supporting appropriate service quality improvement decisions.Research limitations/implicationsThe outcome of the present paper should be seen as an intermediate result and can be assumed to be part of wider research aimed at the implementation of a general customer satisfaction management model designed for online services supplied by Italian public administrations.Originality/valueThe paper offers a key to understanding the methodological and operating approach as well as the empirical evidence emerging from testing a general customer satisfaction management model.
Antecedents and effects of employees' feelings of joy on employees' innovative behaviour
Authors: Slåtten Terje 
Published: February 2011

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to undertake an empirical examination of some of the antecedents and effects of positive emotions from an employee perspective. More specifically, this study investigates the relationships between one extreme point of discrete types of positive emotions (joy), two types of employee perception (managerial relationship quality and benefit of one's work role), and employees' innovative behaviour in service delivery.Design/methodology/approachThe study presents a conceptual model of the aforementioned relationships. The model of the proposed relationships is tested in a survey study in which 279 frontline employees in the hospitality industry participated.FindingsIt was found that both employee perception of managerial and work role benefit are directly related to employees' feelings of joy and employees' innovative behaviour. Employees' feelings of joy were found to have a direct effect on employees' innovative behaviour. Moreover, it was found that employees' feelings of joy mediate the relationship between the two antecedent variables (managerial relationship quality and work role benefit) and employees' innovative behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to study two antecedents to employees' feelings of joy. Moreover, only one effect of employees' feelings of joy is included in the model.Practical implicationsThis paper emphasizes the importance of managers knowing how employees feel about their work role. Therefore, employees' emotions should be taken seriously in service‐quality management. Consequently, one general and key implication from this study is the importance of measuring employees' emotions since it is linked to employees' innovative behaviour when they offer a service to customers.Originality/valueThe paper contributes by enhancing the knowledge on the role of emotions in service‐quality management.
Exploring the role of the service environment in forming customer's service experience
Authors: Pareigis Jörg , Edvardsson Bo , Enquist Bo 
Published: February 2011

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to identify and describe important dimensions of the service process as defined by customers, and to compare the results from a specific use context with the recent conceptualization of the experience room.Design/methodology/approachPublic transport travellers were provided with a public transport travel diary and were encouraged to make detailed notes about their service experience during their journey. The diaries were than transcribed and coded in NVivo8 using a constant comparative method.FindingsThe qualitative analysis of the public transport travel diaries revealed six emerging themes of service experience: customer processes, other customers, physical environment, contact personnel, provider processes and wider environment. The interplay between these themes is what forms the service experience of customers. The inductive analysis of the empirical material contextualizes the experience room model in a utilitarian and facility‐driven service. This deductive analysis of 100 customer experiences shows that the dimensions customer involvement, customer placement and physical artefacts are most important for the customer's service experience in this context.Originality/valueThis paper offers a set of important empirically based customer experience dimensions with public transport. The paper also provides a contextualization of a theoretical model, the experience room model. The contribution results show the importance of interactions with other customers and the physical environment for the customer's experience.
Do security analysts follow diversified firms?
Authors: Cai Weixing , Zeng Cheng 
Published: February 2011

PurposeBy using data on China's security market, this paper aims to examine the relationship between corporate diversification and security analyst following in terms of behavioral decision‐making process.Design/methodology/approachThis is an empirical study.FindingsThe results show that the numbers of analysts covering a firm are negatively associated with the firms level of diversification. As the lines of business of firms increase, the cost of analysts' acquiring information will accordingly go up, forcing security analysts to give up following such firms. A further study finds that the firms with related diversification are more likely to be followed by analysts than those with irrelevant diversification, because the related lines that make information and analysis technique generally used could reduce the cost of security analysts.Originality/valueExtant studies focus too narrowly on statistical properties of the forecasting or market reaction to the analyst reports. However, this paper examines the association between corporate diversification and analysts following by looking at the economic incentives that affect analysts' decisions. Moreover, this paper contributes to the literature on security analysts in China.
CEO power, disclosure quality and the variability of firm performance
Authors: Wu Shinong , Quan Xiaofeng , Xu Liang 
Published: February 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how disclosure quality affects the relation between chief executive officer (CEO) power and the variability of firm performance. Moreover, it also examines the impacts of ownership structure and disclosure quality on the relationship between CEO power and performance variability.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical research was carried out.FindingsIt was found that: first, firms whose CEOs have more power will exhibit higher performance, but display more variability in firm performance. Second, disclosure quality can affect the relationship between CEO power and the variability of firm performance and more specifically, increase in disclosure quality reduces the performance variability caused by CEO power. Third, the effects of CEO power on the variability of firm performance are higher in state‐owned firms than in non‐state‐owned firms. Moreover, the effect of higher disclosure quality for lowering the variability of firm performance is stronger in state‐owned firms than in non‐state‐owned firms.Practical implicationsFirst, the authors find that when evaluating corporate governance practices, both firm performance and the variability of firm performance should be taken into account. Second, this paper fills the void in the extant literatures by demonstrating that CEO power, as well as disclosure quality, can affect firms' operational risk. Third, for firm owners, when firms are facing large uncertainty from institutional environment, a great trade‐off between firm performance and operational risk, when determining the degree of CEO power, will play an important role in corporate governance.Originality/valueThis paper complements the extant literatures by examining the impacts of CEO power to firm output from the dimensions of both firm performance and operational risk; and by examining the impacts of ownership structure and disclosure quality on the relationship between CEO power and performance variability.
The impact of front end innovation in new product development in Japanese manufacturing companies
Authors: Cao Yong , Zhao Li , Nagahira Akio 
Published: February 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore fuzzy front end (FFE) of new product development (NPD) in Japanese manufacturing companies and report on the key factors for success with regard to the front end activities of NPD.Design/methodology/approachOn the basis of the literature review, the authors lay out an analytical framework and hypothesis and develop and test a causal model of relationships among key variables relating to the front end factors and success. The causal model is tested with AMOS using information from 513 completed NPD projects from Japanese manufacturing companies.FindingsThe results of this study are summarized as follows: first, the more both market and technical uncertainties are reduced during the front end, the higher is the effectiveness of NPD projects. Second, the more intensively new projects are planned prior to the start of development, the more both market and technical uncertainties are reduced. Finally, in the industry goods firms, it is easy for managers to develop the initial planning, and it has a greater impact on reduction of market uncertainty compared to the consumer goods firms.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, it is the scope and size of the sample. Our research mainly focuses on the precision apparatus, chemical and material products, electronic products, food processing and pharmaceutical industry in Japan. Second, the research concentrates less on the interaction between initial planning, planning changes and process management style.Practical implicationsThe paper provides several insights that will help managers to improve the success of their NPD activities.Originality/valueThe paper provides additional evidence regarding the strong positive effect of FFE activities on NPD success. The model presented enhances understanding of the dynamics of the FFE.
Recent advances in the pathogenesis and treatment of juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia
Authors: Loh Mignon L. 
Published: February 2011

SummaryMyeloid neoplasms derive from the pathological clonal expansion of an abnormal stem cell and span a diverse spectrum of phenotypes including acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Expansion of myeloid blasts with suppression of normal haematopoiesis is the hallmark of AML, whereas MPN is associated with over‐proliferation of one or more lineages that retain the capacity to differentiate, and MDS is characterized by cytopenias and aberrant differentiation. MPD and MDS can progress to AML, which is likely due to the acquisition of cooperative mutations. Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML) is an aggressive myeloid neoplasm of childhood that is clinically characterized by overproduction of monocytic cells that can infiltrate organs, including the spleen, liver, gastrointestinal tract, and lung. JMML is categorized as an overlap MPN/MDS by the World Health Organization and also shares some clinical and molecular features with chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia, a similar disease in adults. While the current standard of care for patients with JMML relies on allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), relapse is the most frequent cause of treatment failure. This review outlines our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of JMML with a recent update on the discovery of novel CBL mutations, as well as a brief review on current therapeutic approaches.
Association of CD8+ T cell infiltration in oesophageal carcinoma lesions with human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigen expression and survival
Authors: Tsuchikawa T , Ikeda H , Cho Y , Miyamoto M , Shichinohe T , Hirano S , Kondo S 
Published: February 2011

SummaryOesophageal cancer is one of the most aggressive tumours with a poor prognosis. However, little is known about the immune response in the tumour microenvironment. To investigate the role of immunosurveillance in the clinical course of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, 98 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary tumours were analysed using immunohistochemical methods for human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I heavy chain and β2-microglobulin expression and for CD4-, CD8- and CD57-positive cell infiltration. HLA class I expression of tumour cells was correlated positively with infiltration of CD8+ T cells into the cancer nest, but not with the clinical course of disease. However, CD8+ and CD4+ T cell infiltration was correlated with prognosis. These results suggest that tumour antigen-specific cellular immune response plays a role in the clinical course of the disease and that HLA class I antigen expressed on tumour cells contribute to this association most probably by mediating the interactions between tumour cells and CD8+ T cells.
Intracellular bacteria recognition contributes to maximal interleukin (IL)-12 production by IL-10-deficient macrophages
Authors: Naruse H , Hisamatsu T , Yamauchi Y , Chang J E , Matsuoka K , Kitazume M T , Arai K , Ando S , Kanai T , Kamada N , Hibi T 
Published: February 2011

SummaryInterleukin (IL)-12 is a key factor that induces T helper cell type 1-mediated immunity and inflammatory diseases. In some colitis models, such as IL-10 knock-out (KO) mice, IL-12 triggers intestinal inflammation. An abundant amount of IL-12 is produced by intestinal macrophages in response to stimulation by commensal bacteria in IL-10 KO mice. Intact bacteria are more potent inducers of macrophage IL-12 production than cell surface components in this model. This suggested that cell surface receptor signalling and intracellular pathogen recognition mechanisms are important for the induction of IL-12. We addressed the importance of intracellular recognition mechanisms and demonstrated that signal transducers and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) signalling activated bacterial phagocytosis and was involved in the induction of abnormal IL-12 production. In IL-10 KO mouse bone marrow-derived (BM) macrophages, Escherichia coli stimulation induced increased IL-12p70 production compared to lipopolysaccharide combined with interferon (IFN)-γ treatment. Significant repression of IL-12 production was achieved by inhibition of phagocytosis with cytochalasin D, and inhibition of de novo protein synthesis with cycloheximide. Induction of IFN regulatory factors-1 and -8, downstream molecules of STAT1 and the key transcription factors for IK-12 transcription, following E. coli stimulation, were mediated by phagocytosis. Interestingly, STAT1 was activated after stimulation with E. coli in IL-10 KO BM macrophages, although IFN-γ could not be detected. These data suggest that molecules other than IFN-γ are involved in hyper-production mechanisms of IL-12 induced by E. coli stimulation. In conclusion, enteric bacteria stimulate excessive IL-12p70 production in IL-10 KO BM macrophages via phagocytosis-dependent signalling.
Immunomodulatory properties and therapeutic application of mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Shi M , Liu Z-W , Wang F-S 
Published: February 2011

SummaryMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multi-potent progenitor cells that are isolated from the bone marrow and several adult organs and tissues. These cells possess remarkable immunosuppressive properties and can inhibit the proliferation and function of the major immune cell populations, including T cells, B cells and natural killer (NK) cells; modulate the activities of dendritic cells (DCs); and induce regulatory T cells both in vivo and in vitro. These unique properties make MSCs ideal candidates for clinical application as immunosuppressants. The immunomodulatory effect of MSCs is mediated by a non-specific anti-proliferative action of these cells, which is dependent on cell–cell contact or secreted soluble factors such as indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), nitric oxide (NO), histocompatibility leucocyte antigen-G (HLA-G), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-1β. Considerable progress has been obtained in preclinical studies on MSCs, including those on their ability to activate allogeneic cells. This review examines the current understanding of the immunomodulatory properties of MSCs and its therapeutic implication for immune-mediated diseases and transplant rejection.