bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A study of personality preferences and emotional intelligence
Authors: Leary Myleen M. , Reilly Michael D. , Brown F. William 
Published: July 2009

PurposeFor over three decades the Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a typology of personality preferences based on Jungian psychology, has been one of the most frequently used assessments in personal and managerial development. Over the last decade attention to the possibility of non‐cognitive intelligence based on emotions has attracted considerable attention in both the academic and practitioner communities. This paper aims to report on an empirical study examining the possible relationships between the dispositional factors measured by the MBTI and elements of emotional intelligence (EI) as measured by the Bar‐On's emotional quotient inventory (EQI).Design/methodology/approachMBTI, Form G, and EQI data are collected in a population of over 500 managers and professional workers in an international manufacturing facility. Both categorical and continuous analysis of variance is utilized to test ten hypothesized relationships between personality preferences and EI constructs.FindingsResults support the relationship between extroversion and the components of EI. Somewhat counter intuitively stress management, the measure of EI that captures an individual's internal focus, is related to extroversion. A positive and significant relationship between a preference for the use of feeling in decision making and an individual's EI is also found.Originality/valueDespite the fact that the MBTI and the EQI are two of the most widely used instruments in organizational development very few studies have been done on their possible relationship. This is the first relatively large sample study of that relationship. Implications of the interaction of personality preferences and EI in organizational development are described.
Organisational value of healthcare quality awards in Andalusia
Authors: Reyes‐Alcázar Víctor , Sotillos‐González Belén , Torres‐Olivera Antonio 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and describe the symbolic value of quality awards as a key indicator of recognition that public organizations have reached in the scope of quality management and continuous improvement.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a description of the evolution of the three series of healthcare quality awards that have been held to‐date in one of the biggest regions of Europe: Andalusia.FindingsTheoretical analysis of an instrument conceived as an institutionalised way of recognizing quality assurance initiatives in the Andalusian Public Health System. At the same time, the article focuses on the importance of using a reference model to ensure that the process of assessing the projects is systematic and rigorous and therefore stands as a guarantee of transparency within a public administration.Research limitations/implicationsThe ultimate outcome is dependent of the geographical context and the behaviours and perceptions of people that have participated as assessment panels.Practical implicationsThe conceptual framework provides guidance on what methodology is used to assess the quality projects (process to allocate projects to assessment panels and assessment criteria required) in a complex healthcare system. It serves as a managerial framework to enhance the continuous improvement in all health‐related services.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to create a structured debate between researchers and healthcare leaders regarding the assessment criteria to evaluate healthcare quality projects.
Does economic growth enhance life satisfaction? The case of Germany
Authors: Frank Björn , Enkawa Takao 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether economic growth enhances life satisfaction. It provides a conceptual solution to the heavily debated Easterlin paradox which states that aggregate income positively relates to life satisfaction in one‐time international comparisons but not in longitudinal analyses. First empirical results are presented for Germany.Design/methodology/approachThe present study uses path analysis to capture not only direct but also mediated effects of economic growth on life satisfaction. Findings – The paper finds that economic growth does enhance life satisfaction over time. The effect is not direct but mediated via consumer confidence, customer satisfaction, income satisfaction, health satisfaction and job satisfaction. Modeled by consumer confidence, adaptive expectations reduce this effect but cannot entirely compensate for it, as suggested by literature. In addition to this negative compensatory effect which is mediated by customer satisfaction, consumer confidence has a positive direct influence on life satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsSince the history of aggregate customer satisfaction measurement is still young, this empirical analysis should be seen as pioneer work. Future research on the Easterlin paradox should utilize future data, model mediated relationships and time lags, and integrate customer satisfaction and consumer confidence.Practical implicationsEconomic growth strategies are successful in raising life satisfaction. Governments should not only pay attention to quantitative but also to qualitative growth. Collective optimism can improve life satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study contributes to solving the Easterlin paradox. Unlike the extant literature on the Easterlin paradox, this paper integrates national customer satisfaction and consumer confidence into a sociologic model and explicitly accounts for mediated effects. National customer satisfaction is used to model qualitative aspects of economic growth.
Ethical climate in nonprofit organizations: a comparative study
Authors: Laratta Rosario 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show how, by looking within one group of nonprofits, perceptions of ethical climate may differ in the nonprofit sector, both within and between separate country contexts.Design/methodology/approachExecutive directors in two groups of social services nonprofits in the UK and Japan were surveyed, and several subsequently interviewed, in accordance with the Ethical Climate Scale developed by Agarwal and Molloy.FindingsThe paper finds that perceptions of the ethical climate types relating to “independence” and “law and codes” were polarized, with executive directors in the UK being more likely to base moral decisions on the evaluation of rights, values or principles than on public opinion. In Japan, however, such decisions were predominantly focused on how they would impact on others, both within and outside the organization, in the context of personal responsibility to society and the maintenance of social order.Practical implicationsSocial service nonprofits nowadays occupy a major role in the delivery of services which the state used to provide alone. It has therefore become essential for governments to be able to assess the internal culture of nonprofits in order to determine their trustworthiness and reliability, and the best yardstick for this is ethical climate. This research will help state and local government policy makers toward a better understanding of their contractors.Originality/valueThe originality of this study lies primarily in the fact that it was the first time that this type of research had compared similar nonprofit organizations in different countries.
Global ageing in comparative perspective: a critical discussion
Authors: Powell Jason L. , Cook Ian G. 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe aims of this paper are to summarise the rapid expansion in the proportion of the elderly across the globe and to highlight the main factors causing this. Specific areas of the globe will be focused on in more detail before the authors discuss some of the key challenges and consequences of global ageing for global society.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a literature review of major trends and implications of population ageing across the globe.FindingsAs a consequence of the global demographics of ageing, societies are being confronted with profound issues relating to illness and health care, access to housing and economic resources including pension provision. We have witnessed an unprecedented stretching of the human life span. This ageing of the global population is without parallel in human history. If these demographic trends continue to escalate, by 2050 the number of older people globally will exceed the number of young for the first time since formal records began, raising questions of the power of the nation state in the context of global ageing and of the changing nature of the global society that is emerging.Originality/valueThis is an original paper that aims at reviewing the major population trends across the Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa. The implications of demographic change are grounded in context of global changes that highlight social, economic and political implications of global ageing.
World society, family planning programs and the health of children
Authors: Roberts Wade 
Published: July 2009

PurposeDrawing on world society and policy analysis literatures, the purpose of this paper is to examine the uneven diffusion of family planning programs in the developing world and the subsequent consequences for child health. The study begins by assessing the effect of world society ties on countries' commitment to and capacity for family planning programs. It then examines the impact such programs have on child health inputs and survival.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a cross‐national, quantitative study design on a sample of less developed countries.FindingsCountries' world society embeddedness is a robust predictor of their institutional commitment to and capacity for family planning programs. Such program efforts are also shown to have a significant impact on child survival rates, mediated by reduced fertility and higher rates of childhood immunization.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should further explore the way in which such programs contribute to and/or serve as a foundation for health infrastructure in developing countries.Practical implicationsThis study points to the child health benefits associated with building capacity in family planning programs. Practitioners should take care to appropriately adapt global policy models to local needs and circumstances while allowing local control.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to a growing body of literature on the role of world society (international nongovernmental organization) networks in spreading development policies and programs in the developing world. Going one step further, it assesses the actual impact of one such policy program on children's health.
The opinions of Finnish physicians on social security system
Authors: Saarinen Arttu 
Published: July 2009

PurposeOpinions towards social security reflect the interests and ideologies that individuals have. The earlier population‐based opinion studies of the welfare state can be utilised when we are creating a theoretical background for examining the physicians' opinions but also physician‐specific indicators are needed. The purpose of this paper is to analyse physicians' opinions on social security. Opinions are compared to those of citizen‐level groups.Design/methodology/approachThe 2,000 working age physicians' random survey sample was picked from the register of the Finnish Medical Association (n = 1,092, response rate 54.6 percent). The data were analysed using frequencies and multinomial logistic regression analysis.FindingsCompared to all other citizen‐level groups, the physicians think that the level of social security is too high. Physicians want to target cuts somewhere else than social or health services. Female physicians support higher social security. Young doctors and specialists think more often that social security is too high. Left‐wing political orientation is the clearest predictor of all opinions.Originality/valueThe results are important because physicians are a big and powerful occupational group in the welfare state. The opinions of physicians towards the social security have not been studied in countries with large social security systems or countries where physicians are mainly public sector employees.
An optimal tolerance allocation model for assemblies with consideration of manufacturing cost, quality loss and reliability index
Authors: Mao Huang Yuan , Shiau Ching‐Shin 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an optimal tolerance allocation model for assemblies with consideration of the manufacturing cost, the quality loss, the design reliability index with various distributions to enhance existing models. Results of two case studies are presented.Design/methodology/approachThe paper develops a model with consideration of the manufacturing cost, the Taguchi's asymmetric quadratic quality loss and the design reliability index for the optimal tolerance allocation of assemblies. The dimensional variables in normal distributions are initially used as testing and compared with the data from the prior researches. Then, the dimensional variables in lognormal distributions with the mean shift and the correlation are applied and investigated.FindingsThe results obtained based on a lognormal distribution and a normal distribution of the dimension are similar, but the tolerance with a lognormal distribution is little smaller than that with a normal distribution. The result of the reliability with the lognormal distribution obtained by the Monte‐Carlo is higher than that with a normal distribution. This paper shows that effects of the mean shift, the correlation coefficient and the replacement cost on the cost are significant and designers should pay attention to them during the tolerance optimization. The optimum tolerances of components of a compressor are recommended.Research limitations/implicationsThe model is limited to the dimensions of components with the normal distribution and lognormal distributions. The implication should be enhanced with more data of dimension distributions and cost of assembly components.Practical implicationsTwo case studies are presented. One is an assembly of two pieces and another is a compressor with many components.Originality/valueThis model provides an optimal tolerance allocation method for assemblies with the lowest manufacturing cost, the minimum quality loss, and the required reliability index for the normal distribution and lognormal distribution.
Comparing speed to complete progressively more difficult mobile robot paths between human tele‐operators and humans with sensor‐systems to assist
Authors: Sanders David 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect on time to complete a task depending on how a human operator interacts with a mobile‐robot. Interaction is investigated using two tele‐operated mobile‐robot systems, three different ways of interacting with robots and several different environments. The speed of a tele‐operator in completing progressively more complicated driving tasks is investigated also.Design/methodology/approachTele‐operators are timed completing a series of tasks using a joystick to control a mobile‐robot. They either watch the robot while operating it, or sit at a computer and view scenes remotely on a screen. Cameras are either mounted on the robot, or so that they view both the environment and robot. Tele‐operators complete tests both with and without sensors. One robot system uses an umbilical cable and one uses a radio link.FindingsIn simple environments, a tele‐operator may perform better without a sensor system to assist them but in more complicated environments then a tele‐operator may perform better with a sensor system to assist. Tele‐operators may also tend to perform better with a radio link than with an umbilical connection. Tele‐operators sometimes perform better with a camera mounted on the robot compared with pre‐mounted cameras observing the environment (but that depends on tasks being performed).Research limitations/implicationsTele‐operated systems rely heavily on visual feedback and experienced operators. This paper investigates how to make tasks easier.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests that the amount of sensor support should be varied depending on circumstances.Originality/valueResults show that human tele‐operators perform better without the assistance of a sensor systems in simple environments.
Research on assembly sequence planning based on genetic simulated annealing algorithm and ant colony optimization algorithm
Authors: Shan Hongbo , Zhou Shenhua , Sun Zhihong 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a novel method under the name of genetic simulated annealing algorithm (GSAA) and ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm for assembly sequence planning (ASP) which is possessed of the competence for assisting the planner in generating a satisfied and effective assembly sequence with respect to large constraint assembly perplexity.Design/methodology/approachBased on the genetic algorithm (GA), simulated annealing, and ACO algorithm, the GSAA are put forward. A case study is presented to validate the proposed method.FindingsThis GSAA has better optimization performance and robustness. The degree of dependence on the initial assembly sequence about GSAA is decreased. The optimization assembly sequence still can be obtained even if the assembly sequences of initial population are infeasible. By combining GA and simulated annealing (SA), the efficiency of searching and the quality of solution of GSAA is improved. As for the presented ACO algorithm, the searching speed is further increased.Originality/valueTraditionally, GA heavily depends on the choosing original sequence, which can result in early convergence in iterative operation, lower searching efficiency in evolutionary process, and non‐optimization of final result for global variable. Similarly, SA algorithms may generate a great deal of infeasible solutions in the evolution process by generating new sequences through exchanging position of the randomly selected two parts, which results in inefficiency of the solution‐searching process. In this paper, the proposed GSAA and ACO algorithm for ASP are possessed of the competence for assisting the planner in generating a satisfied and effective assembly sequence with respect to large constraint assembly perplexity.
Distributed parallel virtual assembly environment for automobile development
Authors: Xijin Zhen , Dianliang Wu , Xiumin Fan , Yong Hu 
Published: July 2009

PurposeAutomobile development needs more and more collaborative work involving geographical dispersed designers, that brings difficulty for model verification, conception review and assembly process evaluation, so a collaborative virtual environment for automobile based on network is required. In this kind of environment, designers can do interactive assembly operations collaboratively, such as grasp, move, release, collision detection (CD), assembly evaluation report generation, etc. Furthermore, automobile structure becomes more complicated, how to process this large real‐time data effectively in real‐time interactive virtual environment is a great challenge. The purpose of this paper is focus on this.Design/methodology/approachA distributed parallel virtual assembly environment (DPVAE) is developed. In this environment, the mechanism of event synchronization based on high‐level architecture/run‐time infrastructure) is applied to realize multi‐user collaboratively interactive operation. To meet the large data set real‐time processing demand, a creative parallel processing approach supported by a single supercomputer or a parallel processing environment composed of common personal computer in a high‐speed local area network is developed. The technologies such as real‐time CD, multiple interactive operation modals are applied in DPVAE and several auxiliary tools are provide to help achieving whole scheme review, component model verification and assembly evaluation.FindingsThis paper finds that DPVAE system is an available and efficient tool to support automobile collaborative assembly design.Practical implicationsDesigners can discuss and verify the assembly scheme to realize the previous design scenario in DPVAE, so it is useful for reducing costs, improving quality and shortening the time to market, especially for new type automobile development.Originality/valueA combination of distributed technology and parallel computing technology is applied in product virtual assembly, solving the problems including collaborative work of multi‐user and large data real‐time processing successfully, that provides a useful tool for automobile development.
Use of e‐services by faculty members of business schools in a state of India: a study
Authors: Swain Dillip K. , Panda K.C. 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess and evaluate quantitative and qualitative use of electronic resources in the academic ambience of business schools in Orissa (India) with a view to examining the level of electronic information services (EIS) offered to the faculty members of the state with an opinion pool of the faculty members of the respective business schools. Moreover, the study aims to highlight some of the problems and constraints faced by the target users with some constructive suggestions and recommendations for the improvement of the status of electronic information services in the business schools of the state in days to come.Design/methodology/approachThe paper investigates the use of e‐resources by the faculty members of business schools of the state through a survey based on responses of the target users from structured questionnaires. The SPSS package is used for data analysis.FindingsFaculty members pay high preference to the use of e‐articles while the least preference goes towards the use of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). Further it is found that a selected few online databases like Emerald Management Xtra (EMX), EBSCO, and PROQUEST are fairly in use while the use of other online databases is not up to expectations. In tandem, the majority of faculty members are in favor of commercial e‐services.Practical implicationsThe paper restricts the study exclusively to e‐resources as the type of material and faculty members of major business schools of Orissa (India) as the respondents in its scope of discussion.Originality/valueThe study focuses on the use of e‐resources by faculty members in business schools of Orissa with some constructive outcomes for effective generalization.
Collecting medieval manuscripts
Authors: Slowik Amy J.W. 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to attempt to explore the basics of the collection of medieval manuscripts by institutions by outlining some of the basic principles, challenges, and innovations in the realm of medieval manuscript collection.Design/methodology/approachMedieval manuscripts involve both curation and librarianship in every step of collection management. Few fields of librarianship involve such fragmented history. This paper explores this fragmentation and demonstrates the intricacies and diversity involved in the collection process. Finally, it examines some collaborative options for institutions to effectively collect together.FindingsInstitutions can effectively collaborate in medieval manuscript acquisition.Practical implicationsInstitutions may be able to institute similar programs as those used in the case studies.Originality/valueIt is more important than ever to maintain quality collections on smaller budgets. These findings can assist institutions in acquiring high quality pieces without premium funding.