bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clarifying the meaning of WTO telecommunications obligations: Mexico – measures affecting telecommunications services
Authors: Sherman Laura B. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeTo provide the key findings of a WTO Panel regarding Mexico's commitments in basic telecommunications service in a way that will help telecom regulators and government policy makers implement their WTO commitments and to respond to criticism of the panel's findings.Design/methodology/approachThe article assists government policy makers and telecommunications regulatory authorities to understand the WTO Panel's decision which concluded that Mexico failed to carry out its WTO obligations in basic telecom services. It analyzes the WTO Panel decision and articles criticizing the decision, reviews relevant WTO documents and draws on the author's participation in the WTO basic telecom services negotiations. It provides a brief introduction to the relevant WTO agreements, describes the key findings of the WTO Panel and lessons for telecom regulators and policy makers based on those findings, sets out the claims made by the USA against Mexico, and describes the WTO Panel findings. The article also includes a response to criticisms leveled against the WTO Panel decision.FindingsThe WTO Panel decision provides important guidance in interpreting the scope of obligations in cross‐border supply of international telecom services, cost‐oriented interconnection, access to and use of the public switched network on reasonable terms and conditions and the scope of anti‐competitive conduct that needs to be regulated. Much of the criticism of the WTO Panel decision is based on incorrect interpretation of WTO obligations, lack of knowledge of the negotiating history and exaggerated readings of the panel decision.Practical implicationsThe WTO Panel decision clarifies many of the most important WTO obligations related to basic telecom services. Government policy makers and regulatory authorities need to understand the WTO Panel decision as they take action to implement their own WTO obligations and as they consider undertaking new obligations.Originality/valueThe article offers practical advice to government policy makers and regulatory authorities on how to implement their WTO commitments in basic telecom services.
The dark side of ambient intelligence
Authors: Wright David 
Published: January 2007

PurposeTo survey ambient intelligence research in Europe, the USA and Japan and, in particular, in the context of the issues of privacy, identity, security and trust and the safeguards proposed to protect them.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on research being conducted by the SWAMI consortium under the EC's Sixth Framework Programme. SWAMI stands for Safeguards in a World of Ambient Intelligence. The consortium comprises five partners: the Fraunhofer Institute (Germany), the Technical Research Center of Finland (VTT Electronics), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium), the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) (Spain) and Trilateral Research & Consulting (UK). The 18‐month SWAMI project began in February 2005.FindingsMost AmI projects do not take into account privacy, security and related issues. However, a reasonable number do (perhaps a quarter of those in Europe) to a greater or lesser extent and some have proposed safeguards.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper references only a limited set of the research projects being carried out in Europe, the USA and Japan. More detailed information can be found on the SWAMI web site (http://swami.jrc.es).Practical implicationsA mix of different safeguards will be needed to adequately protect privacy, etc. in the new world of AmI.Originality/valueUntil now, there has been no reasonably comprehensive survey of AmI research projects in Europe, the USA and Canada focused on privacy, security, identity and trust issues. None has considered the range of safeguards needed to protect privacy, etc.
Structural metrics for goal based business process design and evaluation
Authors: Balasubramanian S. , Gupta Mayank 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe paper aims to provide business process designers a formal yet user friendly technique to evaluate the implications of a process design on process performance even before its implementation.Design/methodology/approachBased on practical experience, the paper has built on past research to hypothesize structural metrics for business processes that help assess the influence of process design on organizational goals.FindingsThis paper suggests a list of structural metrics that can be used to approximate common performance goals (i.e. soft goals) at the stage of process design. Distinct views for process depiction are discussed to explain how each metric can be calculated and what kind of performance goals it can approximate.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper has assumed an intuitive relationship between process structure and process performance which has to be validated empirically. There is scope for developing formal methods to translate changes in structural metrics to monetary value for business and also to refine the structural metrics further if required.Practical implicationsThe suggested list of structural metrics and the corresponding process views can be used to compare process design alternatives to select a process design better aligned to organization goals.Originality/valueA list of structural metrics based on practical experience can be easily applied by business process designers to create a formal yet user friendly approach for process design evaluation.
Transforming strategic goals of CRM into process goals and activities
Authors: Heinrich Bernd 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address two questions: what is the difference between relationship processes and purely product‐oriented processes? And to answer this question we should bear in mind what we mean by relationship, and why a customer is willing to establish and maintain a relationship at all.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical analysis subjected the motives of customers and factors for the establishment and expansion of customers' relationships. In this context the relationship motives and factors can act as base to derive strategic goals of CRM and relationship processes in a further step.FindingsBased on strategic relationship goals the paper will give answers to a systematic identification and engineering of relationship activities and processes. Thereby relationship‐oriented activities complement present product‐oriented processes. In contrast to this we derive purely relationship‐oriented processes as well, such as the customer recovery process. Such processes do not target product sales any more than rather the sustainability of relationship (in particular to valuable customers).Originality/valueThe benefit of the paper is an integrated and goal‐oriented derivation and design of relationship processes and activities. An example in financial services illustrates the approach and shows its application in parts.
An experimental study of process representation approaches and their impact on perceived modeling quality and redesign success
Authors: Danesh Azim , Kock Ned 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of research is to examine the communication optimization theory by comparing two business process representation approaches and related redesign guidelines through an experiment.Design/methodology/approachThe experiment examined two process representation approaches involving 114 subjects. Each method gravitated around a different business process representation – one placed emphasis on business process activities and their sequencing, and the other on the web of communication interactions found in business processes.FindingsThe key finding was that an emphasis on a communication‐oriented view of processes seems to increase perceived modeling quality and redesign success.Research limitations/implicationsData were collected from various information systems classes at a university. The participants were not redesign team members in an actual organizational redesign project. Future studies should focus on the characteristics of the designers.Practical implicationsThe findings should allow managers and practitioners involved in operational‐level process redesign to acknowledge and focus on the flow of information rather than just the activities performed or at least determine a balance between these two approaches. Further, the information system developers and designers should be able to better align information systems design with business processes techniques. Using communication flow methodologies in the analysis stage should significantly help the design and the development processes.Originality/valueThis research was one of the first experimental studies to test the communication flow optimization theory and its effect on business process redesign.
Forming a community partnership to enhance education in sustainability
Authors: Allen‐Gil Susan , Walker Liz , Thomas Garry , Shevory Tom , Elan Shapiro 
Published: January 2007

PurposeTo provide an example of how colleges can partner with local EcoVillages to further sustainability curriculum on campus and the educational mission of the EcoVillages, and to strengthen ties with the community.Design/methodology/approachDescribes four structured courses developed for the Environmental Studies Program, including sustainable communities, sustainable land use, sustainable energy and environmental futures. Additionally, independent research opportunities in wind energy, solar photovoltaics, and GIS/GPS developed as part of the curriculum. Describes numerous ancillary activities that have promoted sustainability across campus and the community.FindingsProvides information about how to develop educational partnerships with community groups, foster sustainability education on campus, recruit additional faculty involvement, and influence college operations with respect to sustainability.Practical implicationsA very useful source of information for those involved in building sustainability curriculum and linking it to campus operations and community outreach.Originality/valueThis paper describes a unique partnership between a college and an intentional community that serves as a model for other colleges and universities.
A comparative analysis of web image and textual queries
Authors: Pu Hsiao‐Tieh 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThis study aims to examine the differences between web image and textual queries.Design/methodology/approachA large number of web queries from image and textual search engines were analysed and compared based on their factual characteristics, query types, and search interests.FindingsUseful results include the findings that web users tend to input short queries when searching for visual or textual information; that image requests have more zero hits and higher specificity, and contain more refined queries; that web image requests are more focused than textual requests on some popular search interests, and that the variety of textual queries is greater than that of image requests.Originality/valueThis study provides results that may enhance one's understanding of web‐searching behaviour and the inherent implications for the improvement of current web image retrieval systems.
The IP's guide to the galaxy of portal planning: Part II. Content management
Authors: Augustyniak Rebecca H. , Aguero Dawn B. , Finley Amy 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThis article is the second in a four‐part series that aims to illustrate the process involved in planning a portal and creating a portal definition document.Design/methodology/approachBased on a review of the academic and industry literature and using a case study, the authors share their experience in planning the Florida ExpertNet Research portal.FindingsPortal development is a complex and costly endeavour that requires meticulous planning and design. As with any system development initiative, the time and energy spent in the planning process is reflected in the success or failure of the end product. Content management is the keystone of a portal. The components of a portal CM strategy include the content inventory and analysis, content acquisition, access structures, classifying content, content life cycle, CM software, and metadata standards.Originality/valueThis series will be useful to the information professional who is contemplating portal development and may be used as a model in developing a blueprint – the portal definition document. Whether the IP is considering doing development or outsourcing, it is important to understand the architectural requirements of a portal.
Relevance in the eye of the search software
Authors: Jacsó Péter 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to look into relevance ranking and its importance in trying to bring some order to the deluge of results in response to a query.Design/methodology/approachA large‐scale analysis of detailed web logs of various search engines was performed. Sample tests were made on five to eight versions of MEDLINE, ERIC, and PsycINFO on hosts which have comparable versions of the databases and offer relevance ranking.FindingsIt was found that, for fairness, it must be ensured that the implementations are identical, they have the same retrospective coverage, the same MEDLINE/PubMed subsets, and (quasi) identical update.Research limitations/implicationsThe tests were made early September 2005. As databases are updated at different times, perfect synchronicity is not easy to achieve. When new records are added to the database, they may change the ranking of the test result set. Similarly, a small change in the fine‐tuning of the algorithm may yield different rank order positions of the same record the next time.Originality/valueBrings together important research findings and suggests a topic for the next column.
The IC Rating™ model by Intellectual Capital Sweden
Authors: Jacobsen Kristine , Hofman‐Bang Peder , Nordby Reidar 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce the IC Rating™ approach as a management consulting approach to measure intellectual capital and to report on the implementation and experience in one case study firm.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes the IC Rating™ model in the context of the exiting literature in the field of IC measurement and uses a case study to demonstrate its practical application.FindingsBased on the presented case study as well as implementations in other organizations we find the IC Rating™ model a useful tool to facilitate the analysis and discussion about intellectual capital in organizations.Practical implicationsThe article gives a complementary view to the most commonly used score card methods and guidelines for intangibles on how intangibles can be measured. IC Rating™ focuses on the comparability between companies and industries as well as a simplification of how to interpret intangible measures.Originality/valueThe original idea for the paper was to answer the question “Why do companies really need to measure and develop intangibles?”. The answer is “To improve company financial performance”. The IC Rating™ methodology is therefore based on the answers to two other questions: “Which parameters does an executive manager need to have insightful knowledge of, in order to make the right decisions for the future?” and “From where and whom should the executive manager receive this information?”.
“Exposing the cracks”
Authors: Gauld Robin 
Published: January 2007

PurposeHong Kong was particularly affected by the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). During the epidemic, it seemed as if the Hong Kong government and health system were barely coping, leading to calls of mismanagement and governance incapacity. In the wake of the SARS outbreak, two inquiries were conducted. The purpose of this article is to review the Hong Kong's response to SARS from the perspective of two inquiries.Design/methodology/approachAn historical analysis of the institutional arrangements for health care delivery in Hong Kong is undertaken, followed by a chronology of developments in the SARS outbreak. The article then reviews outbreak management and the findings of the two inquiries. Finally, it considers whether the Hong Kong health system can be reformed to manage any future infectious disease epidemic better.FindingsBoth leadership and coherency were lacking in Hong Kong's response to SARS. These are age‐old problems in the Hong Kong health sector. The prospects for mending the health system appear limited, given that leadership and coherency have been consistently absent features of post‐1997 governance in Hong Kong.Research limitations/implicationsThis article reviews events in the immediate period following the SARS outbreak. A future follow‐up study of the Hong Kong government and health system's capacity to respond to infectious disease outbreaks would be useful.Practical implicationsThis article provides a review that will be useful to policymakers and researchers.Originality/valueNo other article reviews the Hong Kong health system's SARS response.
Examining leadership through critical feminist readings
Authors: Ford Jackie 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThis paper seeks to explore a critique of the limitations of mainstream leadership research and publications and offers a critical management analysis through drawing on a feminist reading of leadership in organizations.Design/methodology/approachThere has recently been witnessed a growing interest in the promotion of effective leadership within both organizational studies literature and organisational policy as the route to ensuring employee commitment and enhanced organisational performance and the achievement of ever demanding goals and targets. This turn to leadership is represented in both an upsurge of research studies and a proliferation in the promotion of leadership as the organisational panacea. An analysis of the literature on leadership was undertaken, giving due consideration to mainstream and more critical accounts in relation to illustrations drawn from the UK National Health Service (NHS).FindingsThis paper explores mainstream literature on leadership and finds it wanting, in terms of its failure to deliver a common understanding of the concept, in its generally uncritical accounts, and its inability to expose the androcentric nature of the core assumptions within hegemonic discourses of leadership. Drawing on critical feminist readings in relation to the UK NHS, a more critical account of leadership is presented.Practical implicationsGreater awareness is required for the adoption of culturally sensitive and locally‐based approaches that take account of individuals' experiences, identities and power relations and that allows for the presence of a range of masculine and feminine workplace behaviours.Originality/valueThis paper provides an overview of the dominant themes within the literature on leadership as they relate to the UK NHS, and presents a feminist critique of the more subtle ways in which notions of leadership in organisations fail to consider their potential for bias.
Riding the emotional roller‐coaster
Authors: McFadzean Fiona , McFadzean Elspeth 
Published: January 2007

PurposeTo examine the literature on employee morale and to construct a model of this area pertaining to nurses. This framework seeks to present morale in a holistic manner, illustrating the causal factors that influence nursing morale, the changes that occur in morale when these input variables are altered, and the consequences to patient care and individual and group nursing practices.Design/methodology/approachA number of published works on morale, its causal factors and resulting consequences are critiqued. The findings from this literature review are used to develop a framework for nursing morale.FindingsThe paper presents a definition of morale and, from the literature review, concludes that previous models on morale are fragmented; only tending to explore the variables that influence the employees' emotional state. Consequently, a framework of nursing morale is constructed in order to illustrate this topic from a holistic point‐of‐view.Practical implicationsThe paper concludes with a number of management and research implications. The management implications consist of a number of useful suggestions for senior nurses to enhance the morale within their units.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an identified gap in the literature, namely the lack of a holistic model of nursing morale, and offers practical help to senior nurses so that they can initiate processes within their wards that can improve their subordinates' morale.
Emotion in health care: the cost of caring
Authors: Brunton Margaret 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the centrality of emotion, and how that emotion both created and contributed to meaning, in the communication of health professionals who worked in a regional pilot program for cancer screening.Design/methodology/approachAs the third phase of a larger study, thematic analysis of semi‐structured interviews was carried out with the 19 members of the professional groups, which comprised the service. Brief comments were included from the questionnaire survey in phases 1 and 2 of the study to demonstrate the overflow effects on those served by the organization.FindingsEmotion was found to be a critical component in the communication interface between the groups. The complexity of the way in which emotion was managed with the client group overflowed into the management of the communication process between the professional groups in the organization. However, it was not always recognised, and thus created difficulties for a number of staff.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the research was limited to one health‐care organization, it is possible that other health professions are experiencing similar situations as they cope with the certainty of unending change. Also, although secondary interviews were carried out to ensure that themes were credible to participants, it is possible that carrying out the interviews in the work environment may have constrained some participants.Originality/valueStresses the importance of the emotional component of communication and how it is recognised to facilitate effective working relationships and support staff coping with change and heavy workloads in health‐care organizations.
Women paediatricians: what made them choose their career?
Authors: Moorkamp Martina 
Published: January 2007

PurposeTo explore why women paediatricians have chosen paediatrics as their specialty when previous research has shown that this was the least favourite career option.Design/methodology/approachIn this qualitative study ten semi‐structured interviews with open‐ended questions were carried out. The interviews were taped and transcribed by a professional transcriber. Two tapes could not be transcribed because of technical problems. This dissertation focuses on the responses of the eight women in relation to the research question. Interviews were carried out face‐to‐face. There were no additional questionnaires. Common themes were identified and content analysis used for data analysis.FindingsAll the women felt that they had chosen paediatrics because of the good work atmosphere, supportive colleagues and the attraction of working in a multi‐disciplinary team. All had pursued their career in a dedicated way working full‐time for most of their careers. The women paediatricians interviewed were happy with their career but they realised that they had made sacrifices in terms of family and personal commitments. The work environment has to change for everybody, not just for women, to improve quality of life. Career advice is still thought to be poor and many doctors enter a career without knowing what is expected of them. Modernising medical careers will considerably shorten medical training and the time individuals can spend in a particular specialty.Originality/valueA qualitative study like this can give both male and female students an insight into what it is like to have a career in paediatrics.