bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessing supplier performances under partnership in project‐type procurement
Authors: Cheng Liang‐Chieh (Victor) , Carrillo Edward E. 
Published: March 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of a commercial partnership in a project‐type supply chain. The research focuses on the performance of suppliers who develop a partnering mechanism for procurement of complex manufacturing projects. In total, four supply chain metrics are evaluated: project scope change, ratio of actual‐to‐estimated project costs, gross profit margin, and delay in deliverable shipments. Hypotheses are formulated to contrast partnerships and arms‐length relationships for industrial procurement. Statistical results support the conclusion that supplier performances improve under partnership.Design/methodology/approachFour supply chain metrics were generated through review of literature and in‐depth field study. The authors utilized the supply chain management, project management, and principal‐agent theory literature to develop hypotheses to examine effects of instituting a partnership agreement. A case study approach was employed to collect financial and operational data from 167 projects among a manufacturing supplier and a group of customers that purchase industrial analyzer systems. Statistical techniques were employed for hypothesis testing.FindingsThe findings from the authors' empirical work support the prediction in partnership literature that suppliers' operational and financial performances improve after they and manufacturing customers jointly implement partnerships. A supplementary finding also suggests that a manufacturer should develop partnering mechanisms with suppliers to achieve higher performance for both the individual firms and the entire supply chain.Research limitations/implicationsThis study, like other “before and after” analyses, encounters limitations on causality. Advanced techniques, e.g. cause‐effect investigation with richer data, are hence necessary to validate the causal relationships between performance metrics and their drivers. This study focuses only on the supplier's side of the supply chain and its partnership in a specific industrial setting. Future research may consider studying the joint performance by supplier‐customer dyads in commercial partnerships with variations of partnering agreements.Practical implicationsPartnerships motivate trading partners to engage in higher level of coordination. Transactional hazards can be reduced and performance may improve under the partnering mechanism. The manufacturer may design the procurement partnership as a collaborative mechanism, thus helping a partnering supplier and itself to obtain increased mutual gains.Originality/valueThe paper provides detailed information of a unique case study of the partnership in a project‐type supply chain, which is relatively new in the literature. Research streams on supply chain management, project management, and principal‐agent theory are integrated to evaluate supplier performance. Empirical results confirm partnership impacts on suppliers' business performance.
Knowledge transfer between NPD project teams
Authors: Frank Alejandro , Echeveste Márcia 
Published: March 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a method for the identification of improvement opportunities in the knowledge transfer (KT) process between new product development (NPD) project teams. This method helps to prioritize which KT mechanisms of the company have to be improved and which other new mechanisms have to be implanted to reduce KT barriers and foster the KT process.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed method follows a structure based on the QFD and FMEA quality tools approaches. Thus, a set of matrices for the KT barriers and mechanisms prioritization is used.FindingsThe presented results enabled the identification, inside the company, of the main points for the KT process improvement. The implementation of the suggestions was not started off until the conclusion of the present research. However, the problems identification and the generated discussions around these problems have already had an important repercussion in the project team. In this sense, the interviewees pointed out that the discussion helped to see existing problems that in the past were not considered as such.Research limitations/implicationsThis work has focused on NPD project teams. However, the addressed issues are highly common in any kind of projects. Therefore, this work might be a first step to a future extended research, in which KT between any types of project teams could be analyzed.Practical implicationsResults of this method could help to develop action plans to prevent or overcome possible existing barriers in the NPD project teams.Originality/valueThe paper provides a structured process for the identification of improvement opportunities in the NPD team context. The paper also provides a literature review of the main KT barriers and mechanisms; a set of matrices to help the analysis and prioritization of the information collected about a company's KT process, and an application of the proposal in a company manufacturing agricultural machinery.
The information content of Morningstar StockInvestor: the Tortoise vs the Hare
Authors: Ferreira Eurico J. , Smith Stanley D. 
Published: March 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to add to the literature on the impact of the Morningstar ratings by examining the impact of individual stock ratings in the Hare and Tortoise portfolios.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses an event study approach, where the effect of the information release on stock prices was examined.FindingsThe release of the Hare and the Tortoise portfolios does have a significant impact on the stock prices on the day before the release of the reports. The significant impact of the Hare portfolio appears to be related to risk and growth factors and the new listing of a stock in the portfolio. The significant impact of the Tortoise portfolio appears to be related to growth and a downgrading of the estimated value.Originality/valueThere have been numerous studies on the impact of the Morningstar ratings on mutual funds. This paper adds to that literature by examining the impact of individual stock ratings in the Hare and Tortoise portfolios.
Use and understand: the inclusion of services against texts in library catalogs and “discovery systems”
Authors: Lease Morgan Eric 
Published: March 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to outline possibilities for the integration of text mining and other digital humanities computing techniques into library catalogs and “discovery systems”.Design/methodology/approachThe approach has been to survey existing text mining apparatus and apply this to traditional library systems.FindingsThrough this process it is found that there are many ways library interfaces can be augmented to go beyond the processes of find and get and evolve to include processes of use and understand.Originality/valueTo the best of the author's knowledge, this type of augmentation has yet to be suggested or implemented across libraries.
Libraries, languages of description, and linked data: a Dublin Core perspective
Authors: Baker Thomas 
Published: March 2012

PurposeLibrary‐world “languages of description” are increasingly being expressed using the resource description framework (RDF) for compatibility with linked data approaches. This article aims to look at how issues around the Dublin Core, a small “metadata element set,” exemplify issues that must be resolved in order to ensure that library data meet traditional standards for quality and consistency while remaining broadly interoperable with other data sources in the linked data environment.Design/methodology/approachThe article focuses on how the Dublin Core – originally seen, in traditional terms, as a simple record format – came increasingly to be seen as an RDF vocabulary for use in metadata based on a “statement” model, and how new approaches to metadata evolved to bridge the gap between these models.FindingsThe translation of library standards into RDF involves the separation of languages of description,per se, from the specific data formats into which they have for so long been embedded. When defined with “minimal ontological commitment,” languages of description lend themselves to the sort of adaptation that is inevitably a part of any human linguistic activity. With description set profiles, the quality and consistency of data traditionally required for sharing records among libraries can be ensured by placing precise constraints on the content of data records – without compromising the interoperability of the underlying vocabularies in the wider linked data context.Practical implicationsIn today's environment, library data must continue to meet high standards of consistency and quality, yet it must be possible to link or merge the data with sources that follow other standards. Placing constraints on the data created, more than on the underlying vocabularies, allows both requirements to be met.Originality/valueThis paper examines how issues around the Dublin Core exemplify issues that must be resolved to ensure library data meet quality and consistency standards while remaining interoperable with other data sources.
“Readers who borrowed this also borrowed … ”: recommender systems in UK libraries
Authors: Wakeling Simon , Clough Paul , Sen Barbara , Silipigni Connaway Lynn 
Published: March 2012

PurposeMoves towards more interactive services on the web have led libraries to add an increasing range of functionality to their OPACS. Given the prevalence of recommender systems on the wider web, especially in e‐commerce environments, this paper aims to review current research in this area that is of particular relevance to the library community. It attempts to gauge the uptake of recommender systems in exiting OPAC services, and identify issues that might be responsible for inhibiting wider uptake.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on an extensive literature review, as well as original research comparing the functionality of 211 public and 118 university library OPACs in the UK. Examining current recommender systems research, it outlines the most significant recommendation models and reviews research in two key areas of recommender systems design: data acquisition, and the explanation of recommendations. It discusses three existing library recommendation systems: BibTip, LibraryThing for Libraries and the in‐house system at the University of Huddersfield.FindingsThe authors' analysis indicates that the incorporation of recommender systems into library services is extremely low, with only 2 per cent of public libraries and 11 per cent of university libraries in the UK offering the feature. While system limitations and budget constraints are perhaps partly to blame, it is suggested that library professionals have perhaps yet to be persuaded that the value of recommendations to library users is great enough to warrant their inclusion becoming a priority.Originality/valueThis paper represents the first study of UK library OPACs to focus on the prevalence of recommender systems.
Specifying business services: learning from software engineering
Authors: Peña‐Siles Joaquin , del Mar González‐Zamora Maria , Machuca José A.D. 
Published: March 2012

PurposeThe specification of business services (BS) is one of the key factors for success in service provision. Researchers and practitioners have identified a set of problems in BS specification, namely: communication problems between providers and buyers, inaccurate specifications and changes in requirements. These problems were identified in the software engineering (SE) field many years ago, resulting in the development of many techniques and tools to address them. Given the similarities between the two fields, the purpose of this paper is to identify the main lessons learned in SE and to propose how they can be adapted to the BS field.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of a literature study and presents a conceptual solution.FindingsTo address communications problems and inaccuracies in BS specification, a formal requirements specification stage is required. Requirements should be set out in a well‐structured written, definition, document which can be used at a subsequent stage for design of the service (the definition of the solution). A requirements document for BS is proposed based on BS literature and SE methods. This document is based on the approaches used in the SE field for improving communication and reducing inaccuracies and covers the information needed in the BS field for specifying a business service. Second, a life cycle approach is proposed based on SE practice. It is shown that different lifecycle sequences can be used depending on the degree of fluidity in the communication between buyer and provider, the complexity of the BS and the stability of their requirements, with a repetitive process where specification and design are revisited iteratively and/or incrementally often being the most appropriate. This approach helps to stabilise requirements and to avoid inaccuracies being made in the specification.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is literature based. Although still untested empirically in the BS field, the recommended approach has been intensively proved in the SE field.Originality/valueRequirements specification is a necessary (monetary, time and resource) cost for successful BS provision. The BS industry must realise that requirements have to be set down in writing and agreed upon with customers before initiating the design of the service.
Trade openness and economic growth: further evidence without relying on data stationarity
Authors: Aydin Okuyan H. , Ozun Alper , Erbaykal Erman 
Published: March 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between trade openness and economic growth in developing countries. Under this aim, the co‐integration relationship between trade openness and economic growth of 17 developing countries is examined without relying on data stationarity.Design/methodology/approachThe co‐integration relationship between trade openness and economic growth is analyzed by Bounds testing approach developed by Pesaran et al. In addition to this, the causality relationship is tested by causality analysis developed by Toda and Yamamoto.FindingsAccording to the Bounds test results, co‐integration relationship has been detected for six countries and long‐term coefficients among the variables have been found positive and statistically significant. According to the Toda and Yamamoto causality analysis, causality has been detected for eight countries. In four of these, the direction of causality is from trade openness to economic growth and in the other four, vice versa.Originality/valueThe methodology employed provides an alternative framework for examining relationship among economic variables. The paper shows how to create co‐integration and causality tests without relying on data stationarity, which is a major problem in time series of economic variables. On the empirical side, it adds new empirical results into the literature in the name of identification of relationship between trade openness and economic growth in developing countries.
Non‐professional investors' behavior: an empirical study of female Saudi investors
Authors: Ahmed Heshmat Nesma 
Published: March 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that may affect female Saudi students who are considered potential non‐professional investors.Design/methodology/approachA structured questionnaire was distributed to the participants; the obtained data were analyzed using the probit model and the Likert scale.FindingsThe results indicate that female students are more likely to own stocks if they have a high level of financial education. Variables such as age, income, grade point average (GPA), grade obtained in financial courses, and risk tolerance also affect stock ownership decision. The respondents also depend on 21 factors to analyze and evaluate stocks before making investment decisions.Originality/valueSeveral studies have been conducted on investors' behavior; however, few of them have focused on non‐professional investors and none of these has focused on young, educated, female Saudi investors.
Current‐mode highpass, bandpass and lowpass filters using followers
Authors: Horng Jiun‐Wei 
Published: March 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present two new follower‐based current‐mode multifunction filters. Each of the proposed circuits can realize highpass, bandpass and lowpass filters, simultaneously.Design/methodology/approachThe input terminals of the proposed current‐mode biquadratic filters are virtual grounded. The output terminals of the proposed circuits can be easily cascaded with the similar sections.FindingsHighpass, bandpass and lowpass filters can be obtained simultaneously from the proposed circuits using only one or two followers.Originality/valueThe paper presents new ideas for follower applications.
German valuation: review of methods and legal framework
Authors: Schnaidt Tobias , Sebastian Steffen 
Published: March 2012

PurposeThere is a continuing discussion about whether German valuation methods are inaccurate and inferior to the British standard, and the enduring efforts for a European and internationally standardised valuation method and value definitions intensify this discussion. The German valuation system is said to lead to valuations which do not reflect actual market conditions and excessive smoothing. Not surprisingly, German surveyors usually disagree and claim that the German valuation approach, with its sustainable rental value, fulfils not only its purpose but is more transparent and thus superior to the approach usually applied in UK. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the recently adjusted German valuation methods.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyses the German valuation methods and highlights the predominant differences to the British valuation standards.FindingsThe paper shows that the discussed valuation methods should lead to comparable results. The legal framework of the German valuation approaches can therefore not be blamed for any of the observed empirical phenomenon.Originality/valueThe paper discusses the recently adjusted German valuation methods.
How the HR function can build the capability to change
Authors: Court Tony 
Published: March 2012

PurposeThe aim of the article is to determine the function of HR as a strategic partner to senior management and how it can be positioned to proactively build an organization's capability to change.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is conceptualized based on the Peter Senge's “fifth discipline” in relation to the learning organization and its implications on organizational change. A conceptual framework has been proposed based on both the literature and management practice.FindingsHR professionals need to change their role in helping organizations grow their change capability through drawing out the lessons from previous organizational change, planning a role in defining the behavioral challenges for each individual, creating a series of interventions that will support individuals in making the behavioral transition to the future, and deploying tools that link and track an individual's behavior change to the new results a team is delivering.Originality/valueOrganizations still need to learn how to change their performance. The principles of the learning organization can help guide HR professionals increase their organizations' ability to deliver successful change as well as help them earn the right to be a strategic partner to the senior management team.
A comment on China and “The social responsibility of international business scholars”
Authors: Wei Ziyi 
Published: March 2012

PurposeThis comment aims to join the discussion raised by Penget al.regarding the social responsibility of international business (IB) scholars in the case of Chinese outward foreign direct investment (OFDI), and to provide a subject overview about it.Design/methodology/approachIn response to Penget al.'s paper, this comment focuses on three issues, i.e. the myth of Chinese OFDI, round‐tripping, and state‐owned enterprises (SOEs).FindingsOwing to a short period of accumulation, the scale of Chinese OFDI stock is small compared to the global total. However, with its momentum, it may become a threat in the long term. Apart from round‐tripping, tax havens such as Hong Kong have multiple functions for Chinese companies to invest in. Although the size of foreign investments conducted by private companies remains small, their role in Chinese OFDI should not be ignored.Research limitations/implicationsThe arguments made in this comment are mainly built upon the data from the official publications, which could present a broad but superficial view of the Chinese OFDI. In order to fill research gaps such as the internationalisation behaviour of Chinese OFDI in tax havens, more stories need to be explored.Originality/valueThis comment discusses several issues that have been mentioned by Penget al.but have been explored less in the literature, such as how to view Chinese OFDI in Hong Kong, and how to view the role of private companies.
Respect and the city: the mediating role of respect in citizen participation
Authors: Zenker Sebastian , Seigis Adrian 
Published: March 2012

PurposeTo develop a city, officials frequently invest a great deal of taxpayers' money in large‐scale place development projects, which are often sparsely supported by the citizens because such projects often lead to unwanted effects (such as gentrification). This results in conflicts between planners and citizens, which are expressed in public protest and resistance. The instrument of citizen participation is repeatedly raised as a solution for such conflicts, but it remains unclear how and especially why this concept should be effective. The purpose of this paper is to empirically highlight the mediating role in this process: the feeling of being respected. By this means, the paper will contribute to a better general understanding of citizen participation.Design/methodology/approachIn an experimental scenario study (n=368), different types of citizen participation (i.e. cases where the result was binding for the city vs non‐binding) were researched using a between‐groups design. To validate results, in a second step, the outcome was discussed with three experts, all of whom have worked in the field.FindingsSurprisingly, it seems that neither the type of participation nor satisfaction with the project makes a difference with regards to citizen satisfaction, but simply the condition of being asked. One could argue that the feeling of being respected is the main mediator in this process. These results show the effectiveness of the participation tool in general, and give a possible explanation for this effect.Originality/valueThis paper concentrates on the variables underlying citizen participation. It shows empirically that the feeling of being respected is the mediator within this process. By this means, the paper offers a valuable insight into citizen participation in general and discusses its usage in place marketing.