bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The usage and understanding of Australian household mortgages
Authors: Worthington Andrew C. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish the profile of mortgage‐holding households in terms of their demographic, socioeconomic, and financial characteristics and assess the current state of knowledge concerning mortgage products in Australia.Design/methodology/approachLogit models predict owner‐occupied, investor mortgages, and mortgage understanding. Factors include financial literacy, gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, education, family structure, household income, savings, and debt. Understanding is knowledge of mortgage rates, fees and charges, and familiarity with mortgage terms.FindingsMiddle‐aged and couples with children have an increased likelihood of an owner‐occupied mortgage, while being from a non‐English speaking background, a small business owner, or a skilled tradesman increases the likelihood of an investor mortgage. Understanding is generally poorer for females, rural/regional households and the young, and better for professionals, the university‐educated, and small business owners and skilled tradesmen.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross‐section of households is from a period when mortgage rates were stable and housing prices strong.Practical implicationsNo more than 40 per cent of mortgage‐holding households have an understanding of any key mortgage terms, only 35 per cent understand the main disadvantage of fixed over variable rates during falls in interest rates, and just 15 per cent understand the fees and charges on their own mortgage. There is a need for financial literacy programmes to continue and expand.Originality/valueThis is the first Australian study to model the demand and understanding of mortgage products using household level data.
Housing shortage for low‐income in Yemen: causes and suggestions
Authors: Alaghbari Wa'el , Salim Azizah , Dola Kamariah , Abdullah Abang Ali Abang 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that cause housing shortage for low‐income groups in Yemen and recommend some solutions to alleviate the problem.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey has been used as the tool to carry out this study. The first part of the questionnaire consisted of three groups namely: economic, administrative, and legal factors. The second part consists of suggestions on housing supply, construction methods, and materials used for low‐cost housing in Yemen. The level of importance of the categories was measured and the relative importance of weightage was ranked.FindingsThe results show that the most important economic factors causing housing shortage were poor handling of available economic resources and shortage of economic resources. The most important administrative factors causing housing shortage were lack of organization and synchronization and not conducting studies on housing. The most important legal factor causing housing shortage was lack of legalization of housing.Originality/valueThe findings could be used to improve housing policies and strategy in Yemen in order to decrease the housing shortage, particularly for the low‐income group.
Can risk management boost the supply of affordable housing development and management?
Authors: Susilawati Connie 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the risk management process conducted by some private and not‐for‐profit affordable housing providers in South East Queensland, and draw conclusions about the relationship between risk assessments/responses and past experiences.Design/methodology/approachIn‐depth interviews of selected non‐government housing providers have been conducted to facilitate an understanding of their approach to risk assessment in developing and in managing affordable housing projects. Qualitative data are analysed using thematic analysis to find emerging themes suggested by interview participants.FindingsThe paper finds that informal risk management process is used as part of normal business process in accordance with industry standards. Many interviewees agree that the recognition of financial risk and the fear of community rejection of such housing projects have restrained them from committing to such investment projects. The levels of acceptance of risk are not always consistent across housing providers which create opportunities to conduct multi‐stakeholder partnership to reduce overall risk.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper has implications for developers or investors who seek to include affordable housing as part of their portfolio. However, data collected in the study are a cross‐section of interviews that will not include the impact on recent tax incentives offers by the Australian Commonwealth Government.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that implementing improvements to the risk mitigation and management framework may assist in promoting the supply of affordable housing by non‐government providers.Originality/valueThe focus of the study is the interaction between partnerships and risk management in development and management of affordable rental housing.
Assessing employee wellbeing: is there another way?
Authors: Juniper Bridget , White Nicola , Bellamy Patricia 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare factor analysis (FA) with an alternative approach known as impact analysis (IA) in determining items for a questionnaire to measure employee wellbeing.Design/methodology/approachFA and IA were conducted on a raw data set drawn from an earlier study to develop an assessment that measures the impact of work on employee wellbeing. IA is an accepted clinical methodology used to verify items in the development of health‐related quality of life instruments that evaluate patient wellbeing in clinical trials.FindingsFA and IA gave rise to considerably different assessments. IA resulted in a 51‐item scale spread across ten different domains. FA generated an eight‐factor scale with 46 items. In total, 31 variables were common to each version. The additional 20 items using IA included a number of variables that were identified by employees as being important to their wellbeing. The 15 extra items yielded by FA included six variables that were perceived by staff to be relatively unimportant. Five factors were fairly consistent with five of the domains. Both scales showed adequate internal consistency reliability.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study suggests an alternative methodology for measuring employee wellbeing. The small number of subjects who participated in the earlier research is a limitation.Originality/valueThe study offers exploratory research into an alternative way to measure wellbeing in the workplace that draws on an accepted clinical methodology already used to assess and evaluate patient wellbeing.
Workplace complementary and alternative therapies for hospital‐site staff
Authors: Meade Oonagh , MacLennan Sara Jane , Blake Holly , Coulson Neil 
Published: October 2009

PurposeWorkplace wellness schemes are emerging in NHS settings, including complementary and alternative therapy services aimed at improving employee wellbeing. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of one such therapy service on service users based at a large UK teaching hospital.Design/methodology/approachIn‐depth semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with seven staff members who participated in at least one workplace complementary or alternative therapy. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach was taken in the design of interviews and the analysis of interview data.FindingsThe following themes were elucidated: having positive but tentative expectations of therapies; enhancing health and wellbeing through therapy; appreciation for the “Q‐active” therapy service as part of a workplace wellness programme; and work influencing therapy use and vice versa.Originality/valueThe study adds to the limited research literature evaluating workplace health interventions by using an interview‐based qualitative approach to access employees' experiences of this type of workplace complementary and alternative therapies. Valuable insights were gained about the significance of this particular aspect of a larger workplace health programme. The emergent themes build on the existing literature on individuals' expectations and experiences of complementary and alternative therapies and also on the potential benefits of such a service for workplace health promotion.
Information and communication design for multi‐disciplinary multi‐national projects
Authors: Fox Stephen 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to inform information and communication design for multi‐disciplinary multi‐national projects through the presentation of examples and recommendations based on lessons learned.Design/methodology/approachExperiences from action research involving field study with 20 organizations, together with survey research involving 30 external experts.FindingsShared understanding in multi‐disciplinary multi‐national projects can be better enabled through the application of information and communication design.Research limitations/implicationsThe action research involved only two cases.Practical implicationsProject participants need to have shared understandings in order to achieve project objectives. There are formidable inherent barriers to shared understanding in multi‐disciplinary multi‐national projects. Generic methods for the communication of information; such as use of gestures, speaking business English, and application of standard process charting; can be ineffective. Particularly, when inherent challenges are exacerbated by the introduction of new technological and/or business concepts. Information design seeks to improve the effectiveness of information. Communication design is concerned with the selection of media most suitable for carrying particular information to specific audiences/recipients.Originality/valueThe originality of the research reported in this paper is that it encompasses: inherent challenges in establishing shared understanding; limitations of generic methods for the communication of information; issues underlying information and communication design; as well as two cases of multi‐disciplinary multi‐national projects. The value of this paper is that it includes practical examples to inform information and communication design by personnel in project businesses. Further, practical recommendations for reducing time and cost are provided. Furthermore, these practical recommendations are related to the challenges highlighted by established theory.
Islamic financial product innovation
Authors: Al‐Salem Fouad H. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the financial product innovativeness of Islamic financial institutions.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research methodology is used to collect and analyze the views of practitioners and researchers of Islamic finance. Different assessments are noted which raise the issue of lack of clarity on that subject.FindingsInnovation levels of Islamic financial institutions are low owing to the development of Islamic finance as a new activity.Research limitations/implicationsThe data available for the study are limited to the views of a small sample of practitioners and researchers in the field of Islamic finance.Practical implicationsThe major practical implication is the necessity of developing financial product innovativeness programs as a means for survival and growth.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates the value of Islamic financial product innovation within the wider context of product innovation.
Evolving banking regulation and supervision
Authors: Ramady Mohamed A. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the effectiveness of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency's (SAMA's) regulatory policies.Design/methodology/approachBoth descriptive and comparative analyses are used, especially in highlighting SAMA's monetary policies and approach during the 2008 world financial crises.FindingsThe analyzes revealed that SAMA has more than adequately met international regulatory supervision standards, but will face challenges in regulating the domestic Islamic banking sector, meeting the self‐imposed 2010 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) gulf monetary union under a fixed parity rate regime, developing cross border regulatory and supervisory skills, and suggests possible solutions.Practical implicationsThe paper noted the role of SAMA in managing monetary policy under a fixed parity regime, its banking supervision policies, and the evolving nature of banking regulation in the face of globalization challenges, World Trade Organization (WTO) accession in 2006 and in coping with the 2008 global financial crises which could be a template for other GCC central banks. The paper highlighted the major elements and effectiveness of Saudi banking law and restrictions on Saudi banks in terms of capital adequacy, reserve requirements and financial services, and address issues such as the impact of new regulatory reforms by SAMA, and their effectiveness on monitoring and supervising Saudi banks.Originality/valueThe paper concludes that the effectiveness of SAMA's regulatory policies has withstood both domestic and international financial crises and that SAMA can play a powerful influence in the proposed GCC monetary union.
Revisiting leadership styles and attitudes towards women as managers in Greece
Authors: Galanaki Eleanna , Papalexandris Nancy , Halikias John 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to deal with the attitudes towards women as managers, and the leadership style that women managers adopt. By replicating a study that was conducted in 1990, it is intended to explore how things have changed during the last 15 years, in terms of attitudes towards women in management, as well as in terms of the leadership style that each gender tends to apply at work.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal survey, first run in 1990 and repeated in 2006, with a similar to the original sample of 229 Greek middle managers. Three very popular research scales are used to study the phenomenon: the women as managers scale, the satisfaction with the supervisor and the Likert four types of leadership styles.FindingsThe 2006 initial findings indicate greater presence of women in managerial positions, and relatively stable attitudes towards women as managers. Satisfaction with supervisor does not appear to be significantly correlated with the managers' gender, while, at the same time, no significant difference appears to exist between the leadership styles that male and female managers adopt.Originality/valueThis research is unique in drawing on cross‐time, large pool of data, to support the existence of persisting effects in the attitudes towards women as managers, as well as the effect of gender on the satisfaction with supervisor.
Female educational leadership in the UK and Greece
Authors: Mitroussi Anastasia , Mitroussi Kyriaki 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to concentrate on investigating the role of gender on educational leadership in the context of two differing cultures. The focus will be on exploring whether gender appears to impact on the leadership roles in education by examining the extent of female participation in leadership across educational levels in Greece and the UK, highlighting differences and similarities between them.Design/methodology/approachThis paper examines secondary data on a number of issues, like the proportion of women in lower and higher ranking teaching posts across education sectors. Such data are retrieved from official national and international statistics, such as UNESCO, Eurostat, the Office of National Statistics UK and the Higher Education Statistics Agency, UK, as well as previous academic studies.FindingsThe results of the analysis reveal that in both countries, fewer women than men reach top rank positions in education, particularly in secondary and higher education.Research limitations/implicationsThe investigation will rely on the use of secondary data collected from a number of diverse national and international sources as well as from existing literature. The choice of secondary data is judged to bae appropriate on the basis of this paper and its research aim. Examination of women's presence across educational sectors in the two selected countries required obtaining information about actual and not representative, overall numbers or percentages of women in educational posts. Such information can only be positively retrieved by national or international, official statistics, while even these, the investigation revealed, can show variations between them.Practical implicationsThe paper should raise awareness to women's under‐representation in leadership positions in education, especially at the secondary and the tertiary education levels.Originality/valueLeadership has been acknowledged as a decisive component in education namely due to the improvements it brings in many areas. The complexity and diversity surrounding leadership has turned attention to the effect of a number of factors on the practice of leadership educational context, such as gender and culture. Therefore, the present paper concentrates on an exploration of the effect of gender in leadership in education. Also, the cross‐cultural investigation between Greece and the UK, allows for constructive comparisons to take place where appropriate.
E‐mentoring women entrepreneurs: discussing participants' reactions
Authors: Petridou Eugenia 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to advance the argument for the transformative potential of e‐mentoring support to women entrepreneurs, presenting an e‐mentoring intervention to rural women entrepreneurs in Greece.Design/methodology/approachA six stage e‐mentoring process is practiced through a project supporting rural women entrepreneurs, based on mentees' and mentors' reactions. Their expressed degree of satisfaction with regard to the e‐mentoring relationship, achievement of personal goals, as well as their desire to continue the relationship are served as useful indicators. Questionnaires are used during three times (pre and post the e‐mentoring relationship, i.e. before, just after its end and six months later) to obtain information from mentees' and mentors' groups.FindingsThe features of the quality of the e‐mentoring relationship such as mentors'/mentees' characteristics, frequency of contacts, and e‐services are judged to be satisfactory by both mentors and mentees. Mentees perceive that they sufficiently achieved their personal goals, emphasizing the successful role modeling that their mentors provide. Mentors gain publicity and the broadening of their connections.Practical implicationsThe survey results could offer substantial assistance to decision makers concerning designing and implementing e‐mentoring processes supporting female entrepreneurship.Originality/valueDespite the explosion of online mentoring opportunities, few academic articles and little empirical evidence have addressed e‐mentoring support to women entrepreneurs. The present paper attempts to add research results and suggests a framework of e‐mentoring process discussing both mentors' and mentees' reactions.
Israeli male versus female teachers' intent to leave work
Authors: Shapira‐Lischshinsky Orly 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that may reduce teachers' intent to leave. The paper examines differences between Israeli male and female teachers in their perceived organizational justice, perceived organizational commitment, and intent to leave work.Design/methodology/approachParticipants are 1,016 school teachers from 35 high schools in Israel. Series of mixed‐model regression analyses are used to test for mediated relationships.FindingsMultilevel analysis reveals that among female teachers, organizational commitment (affective and normative) fully mediated the relationship between intent to leave and distributive justice (fairness regarding employee outcomes), whereas among male teachers this relationship is only partially mediated. The negative relationship between intent to leave and procedural justice (fairness regarding procedures) is higher among females than among males.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough some precautions are used, the self‐reported measures may likely reflect same‐source bias, calling for further safeguards in future studies.Practical implicationsSchools should become aware of differences between male and female teachers' perceptions and should build an equitable school climate that considers fair rewards, opportunities, and programs to increase teachers' commitment and reduce their intent to leave.Originality/valueThis paper sheds light on the possible reasons for male and female teachers' turnover intentions through examining teachers' justice perceptions and their work commitment.
Forage‐livestock policies designed to improve livelihoods in Western China: a critical review
Authors: Brown Colin , Waldron Scott , Yuman Liu , Longworth John 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show how the promotion of integrated forage/ruminant‐livestock industries forms a key plank in efforts to improve rural household livelihoods in Western China.Design/methodology/approachThe paper critiques how this industry development has proceeded in the case of Qingyang prefecture in Gansu. The way in which the industry policy has manifested from central to local levels of government is outlined along with how the industry policy relates to other measures intended to improve household livelihoods.FindingsThe outcomes of this forage‐livestock industry policy do not always match the intention, and the paper examines the various disconnects that arise between government agencies, government and households and households and the market. The foremost challenge for policy makers is in connecting households and markets.Originality/valueIdentifying the impacts of policy and institutional settings associated with forage‐livestock systems is crucial if improvements are to be made and as these systems become more widespread in Western China.
The transition of state‐peasants relationship
Authors: Zhao Yang , Xiujuan Tian 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe relationship between state and peasants are reflected as the distribution of the economic benefits to each party. The purpose of this paper is to explore the essential change of the relationship from the fiscal term since the beginning of the new century.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing first‐hand survey data, this paper illustrates the changes of relationship between state and peasants by certain qualitative and quantitative approaches.FindingsRecent positive changes in China have seen the creation of a new public finance system designed to improve equality within basic public services not only for the world's largest population but also the world's largest number of peasants. This development has produced a change in the relationship between state and peasant from “take more” to “take less.”Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size used in the empirical studies in this paper is relatively small. In addition, the studies focus only on the effects of relationships in the fiscal term while the social impacts are neglected.Originality/valueThis paper provides evidence that the recent positive changes in China have seen the building of a new public finance system, with the intention of enabling a huge number of peasants to experience equality within basic public services.