bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The major shift towards user‐centred innovation
Authors: von Hippel Eric , Jin Chen 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the nature and policy implications of the shift from producer‐centred product and service design to innovation by the user, specifically internet‐supported collaborative design by user communities.Design/methodology/approachAn overview of the importance of innovation by individual lead users is followed by a description of collaborative innovation by user communities. The authors then focus on policies, which need to be re‐examined in the light of the shift from producer innovation to collaborative user innovation. The authors conclude by making some suggestions specifically pertinent to Chinese government policy, in a region, which is emerging as a major player in global innovation.FindingsAn important form of user innovation–Internet‐supported collaborative design of new products and services by user communities–is likely to progressively supplant producer product and service design in many fields. This shift will require changes in governments' innovation policies, for example, with respect to intellectual property rights (IPRs).Originality/valueIn line with emerging research findings, this paper takes a user‐centred view of the innovation process. It proposes applicable strategies, which will enhance the effectiveness of this novel innovation paradigm in a Chinese context.
Reflections on China and a six‐dimensional framework for managing research and development
Authors: Sofo Francesco 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThere are continuing efforts by Chinese institutions to improve their approach to the management of research and development (R&D) within the national and global arenas. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for managing R&D in China.Design/methodology/approachThe framework is derived from a review of two OECD reports, three books and 15 recently published articles in scholarly journals (1977‐2008) all of which are mainly related to the structure and organisation of research in foreign‐owned and Chinese research institutes.FindingsIn this paper, issues in the literature are identified and arranged in themes in order to discover key lessons about the management of R&D. The result of the analysis is a hybrid six‐dimensional model incorporating open innovation, connecting with the world, knowledge management, a public approach, balanced development and communities of inquiry.Research limitations/implicationsThe framework emphasises a base of shrewd economic expansion supported by intelligent fiscal policies used as a basic building block that can be emulated within R&D in China and more broadly.Practical implicationsPractical applications include a structure for cross‐cultural analysis of R&D management to identify the mix of key elements and how this might augment success, build global empathy, foster deeper cooperation in R&D management and create inclusive competitive advantage.Originality/valueThis paper provides a new framework emanating from the synthesis of elements identified in the literature as being important to R&D management that can be applied by Chinese and foreign owned firms at a global level.
The effect of information technology and knowledge management capability on R&D process performance
Authors: Ma Huimin , Peng Yibing , Shi Yongjiang 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to develop the theoretical links and empirically examine the association between IT and R&D performance, and their study is to answer management's questions: how should IT resources be organized and managed to enhance the process performance?Design/methodology/approachThe approach is consistent with the process perspective to the question of IT business value, but this approach is extend. A basic premise of this paper is that the knowledge management (KM) capability could be a critical mediator between IT capability and process performance.FindingsThe results indicate that an organization's KM capability is dependent on IT capabilities, and variation in business process performance is explained by KM capability.Research limitations/implicationsOn the one hand, control variables were not included in this study. In fact, firm size might influence process performance. On another hand, the empirical analysis was conducted in the context of one specific process in the manufacturing industry; thus, the generalizability of the results may be limited.Practical implicationsThe results indicated that IT managers have to clearly understand the strategic thrust of the organization and institute mechanisms to ensure that IT capabilities are channeled toward the areas important to the organization.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the IT literature by introducing KM capability as a critical mediator between IT capabilities and business process performance, this study improves our understanding of the true business value of IT.
Understanding the dynamism in Hong Kong's innovation environment
Authors: Sharif Naubahar , Baark Erik 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe authors' intention is to demonstrate how adopting a more precise interpretation of the term “institution” as used in the innovation studies literature provides a better understanding of the dynamic nature of an innovation system. The paper therefore focuses less on organisations and other key actors in Hong Kong's innovation system and more on the laws, rules, procedures, business practices, etc. that facilitate and govern such activity.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts the term “innovation environment” to denote the institutional setting within which innovative activity is carried out in Hong Kong and reviews key elements of the innovation environment to note trends towards innovation‐oriented changes. Data and other descriptive information that informs the treatment of the innovation environment are based on interviews of diverse actors associated with Hong Kong's innovation system as well as research into an interdisciplinary body of literature.FindingsThe authors find that although there has been little evidence of substantial progress in the development of Hong Kong's innovation system, key elements of the innovation environment exhibit trends in the direction of a more robust use of innovation‐related resources to drive economic growth in the territory.Originality/valueApart from its focus on Hong Kong's innovation system, the paper advances innovation studies by demonstrating that its methodology of examining the innovation environment – the institutional setting in which key organisational actors carry out innovative activity – reveals the dynamism of an innovation system that might not emerge from a focus on organisations and other key actors.
Strategic quality management in an internationalised university department: a case study
Authors: Ratnatunga Janek 
Published: October 2008

PurposeIn the early 1990s, a number of controversial and radical initiatives were introduced by the Australian Government that had a compounded impact on higher education in general, and for the teaching of accounting studies in particular. The impacts of these initiatives have now lasted well over a decade. The purpose of this paper is to address this situation.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a case‐study approach to study the quality management objectives and strategies of an accounting department, to survive and prosper in this changing academic environment, initially as an independent entity in the period 1990‐1996, and thereafter from 1997 to 2006 as a merged entity with another accounting department in the same university that was an internal competitor in the earlier period.FindingsIt is demonstrated that the department was largely successful in climbing from a position of significant under‐achievement amongst its peers in 1990, to one of strength in terms of both research performance and entrepreneurship by 1994. However, continual re‐structuring of the department by the university has resulted in a loss of synergy and a decline in the latter periods of the study.Practical implicationsThis case is of particular interest to educators who are coping with the issues of “balance” between teaching and research, and to those interested in seeing how a department implemented a comprehensive quality management programme largely in keeping with the framework provided by the Higher Education Council.Originality/valueThe value of the paper is that it provides many useful insights on many diverse issues to those universities and their departments which wish to operate in a globalised environment.
Assessment of students' perception towards developing a course in environmental accounting
Authors: Das Niladri , Sen Mitali , Pattanayak J.K. 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to assess the students' perception about the importance of incorporating environmental reporting practices, standards, and other issues in Management Accounting course.Design/methodology/approachEnvironmental issues provide a unique, timely, and important focus for developing a course in Indian management pedagogy, which shall help in demonstrating the usefulness of environmental accounting information in supporting corporate environmental strategies while assessing environmental performance. Assessment measurements that may capture the impact of reformed academic programs are necessary to judge the success and failure of management education reforms. This paper carries out such an assessment process by offering a course on environmental accounting as an intervention, to a sample of 28 management students enrolled in a higher educational institution in India imparting management education. A questionnaire is administered to these students before and after the intervention in order to understand the difference of their perception level.FindingsThe results suggests a significant difference in the perception level of students about the utility of incorporating environmental reporting practices in Management Accounting course before and after the administration of the reformed program.Originality/valueThe paper is unique in its attempt to understand the Indian management students' perception of knowledge and usefulness with environmental accounting in their regular course, from which a more detailed evaluation can be derived. Further work based on this preliminary finding may be used to develop a proposed environmental accounting course framework for management students in India.
Forward performance measurement and management integrated frameworks
Authors: Taticchi Paolo , Balachandran Kashi R. 
Published: October 2008

PurposeIn recent years, performance measurement and management (PMM) has received much attention from researchers and practitioners. Despite the growing use of PMM systems, companies experience difficulty in implementing such systems, with consequent risk of partial benefits or total goal failure. The literature on PMM is quite vast, but only few of the models address the problem in its entirety, while many other works focus on specific issues related to PMM. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the state of the art of PMM models and propose an integrated framework as a base for performance measurement and management design.Design/methodology/approachThe evolution of the literature on PMM models and frameworks is highlighted starting from the development of the last twenty years. Further, the characteristics raised in the literature are merged so as to identify the milestones of an integrated performance measurement and management system. Based on it, an integrated framework is proposed as a base for a cohesive PMM design.FindingsThe framework integrates five systems: a performance system, a cost system, a capability evaluation system, a benchmarking system and a planning system.Research limitations/implicationsThough the proposed framework is a starting point for performance measurement and management design, it provides important guidelines for successful implementations of PMM initiatives inside companies.Practical implicationsThe paper elaborates on the findings in the literature through a review and explores how the framework proposed might be implemented and improved.Originality/valueThe framework is based on the belief that PMM study requires an intensive and deep comprehension of the business in focus, which begins with a complete analysis of all the key activities in the company and their related drivers. Accordingly, the framework proposed starts with a defining “which” information should be analyzed, “how” they should be processed and “how” they should be integrated for generating valuable information to facilitate managers' decision‐making processes.
An improved theory of constraints
Authors: Ray Amitava , Sarkar Bijan , Sanyal Subir Kumar 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe primary aim in this paper is to develop and demonstrate a theory of constraints (TOC) model in which constraint resource prevents the throughput of the organization.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors propose an integrated model by combining Laplace criterion and TOC into a single evaluation model in a multiproduct constraint resource environment. A case study is illustrated to demonstrate the effectiveness of this model. The outsourcing decision model compares three alternatives: standard cost accounting, standard theory‐of‐constraints, and our own solution.FindingsThe numerical results show that the new approach is superior to Standard cost accounting and Theory of Constraints and presents a more realistic state of optimum allocation of resources and measures the performance of the model.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is limited to the production processes that do not have multiple constraints.Originality/valueThis is the first time that the integrated model comprising of Laplace‐TOC model has been used to maximize the product throughput. Instead of calculating $return per constraint minute, this method decides the priority of product that maximizes the product throughput in the constraint resource environment. It makes a significant contribution to the manufacturing Organization where one can compare the financial performance of the Organization by selecting the right decision model.
Symmetrical dialogue in investor relations
Authors: Hassink Harold , Bollen Laury , de Vries Meinderd 
Published: October 2008

PurposePrevious research shows that symmetrical dialogue between companies and their investors through e‐mail does not match the quality of the asymmetrically provided information on investor relations websites. This paper seeks to further examine the quality of symmetrical dialogue and especially whether sender identity affects the corporate e‐mail handling performance.Design/methodology/approachA “mystery sender” approach is used to test whether companies answer similar e‐mails from two different stakeholder groups: investors and journalists. The corporate replies were evaluated for responsiveness, timeliness and relevance.FindingsOverall responsiveness from the companies in the sample is low, and e‐mails from journalists turn out to get significantly fewer and less relevant replies than e‐mails from investors. Thus, the idea of sender identity affecting the way companies respond to e‐mail inquiries is empirically supported.Practical implicationsStakeholders of listed companies should not rely too much on symmetrical dialogue by e‐mail given the high probability of non‐response, especially for journalists. Companies offering the possibility of symmetrical communication need to critically evaluate their information system to achieve better results in handling e‐mail from stakeholders and to make sure that certain stakeholder groups are not discriminated.Originality/valueThis is one of the first papers that present evidence on how corporate investor relation departments respond to e‐mails from different types of stakeholder groups. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the variables that drive the quality of symmetrical dialogue between companies and stakeholders groups.
Novel Method for Selection of Antimicrobial Peptides from a Phage Display Library by Use of Bacterial Magnetic Particles
Authors: Tanaka Tsuyoshi , Kokuryu Yoriko , Matsunaga Tadashi 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACT

Antimicrobial peptides were isolated from a phage display peptide library using bacterial magnetic particles (BacMPs) as a solid support. The BacMPs obtained from “
Magnetospirillum magneticum
” strain AMB-1 consist of pure magnetite (50 to 100 nm in size) and are covered with a lipid bilayer membrane derived from the invagination of the inner membrane. BacMPs are easily purified from a culture of magnetotactic bacteria by magnetic separation. Approximately 4 × 10
10
PFU of the library phage (complexity, 2.7 × 10
9
) was reacted with BacMPs. The elution of bound phages from BacMPs was performed by disrupting its membrane with phospholipase D treatment. Six candidate peptides, which were highly cationic and could bind onto the BacMP membrane, were obtained. They exhibited antimicrobial activity against
Bacillus subtilis
but not against
Escherichia coli
and
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
. The amino acid substitution of the selected peptide, KPQQHNRPLRHK (peptide 6-7), to enhance the hydrophobicity resulted in obvious antimicrobial activity against all test microorganisms. The present study shows for the first time that a magnetic selection of antimicrobial peptides from the phage display peptide library was successfully achieved by targeting the actual bacterial inner membrane. This BacMP-based method could be a promising approach for a high-throughput screening of antimicrobial peptides targeting a wide range of species.
Purification and Gene Cloning of α-Methylserine Aldolase from
Ralstonia
sp. Strain AJ110405 and Application of the Enzyme in the Synthesis of α-Methyl-
l
-Serine
Authors: Nozaki Hiroyuki , Kuroda Shinji , Watanabe Kunihiko , Yokozeki Kenzo 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACT

By screening microorganisms that are capable of assimilating α-methyl-
dl
-serine, we detected α-methylserine aldolase in
Ralstonia
sp. strain AJ110405,
Variovorax paradoxus
AJ110406, and
Bosea
sp. strain AJ110407. A homogeneous form of this enzyme was purified from
Ralstonia
sp. strain AJ110405, and the gene encoding the enzyme was cloned and expressed in
Escherichia coli
. The enzyme appeared to be a homodimer consisting of identical subunits, and its molecular mass was found to be 47 kDa. It contained 0.7 to 0.8 mol of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate per mol of subunit and could catalyze the interconversion of α-methyl-
l
-serine to
l
-alanine and formaldehyde in the absence of tetrahydrofolate. Formaldehyde was generated from α-methyl-
l
-serine but not from α-methyl-
d
-serine,
l
-serine, or
d
-serine. α-Methyl-
l
-serine synthesis activity was detected when
l
-alanine was used as the substrate. In contrast, no activity was detected when
d
-alanine was used as the substrate. In the α-methyl-
l
-serine synthesis reaction, the enzymatic activity was inhibited by an excess amount of formaldehyde, which was one of the substrates. We used cells of
E. coli
as a whole-cell catalyst to express the gene encoding α-methylserine aldolase and effectively obtained a high yield of optically pure α-methyl-
l
-serine using
l
-alanine and formaldehyde.
Generation of Large Chromosomal Deletions in Koji Molds
Aspergillus oryzae
and
Aspergillus sojae
via a Loop-Out Recombination
Authors: Takahashi Tadashi , Jin Feng Jie , Sunagawa Misao , Machida Masayuki , Koyama Yasuji 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACT

We established a technique for efficiently generating large chromosomal deletions in the koji molds
Aspergillus oryzae
and
A. sojae
by using a
ku70
-deficient strain and a bidirectional marker. The approach allowed deletion of 200-kb and 100-kb sections of
A. oryzae
and
A. sojae
, respectively. The deleted regions contained putative aflatoxin biosynthetic gene clusters. The large genomic deletions generated by a loop-out deletion method (resolution-type recombination) enabled us to construct multiple deletions in the koji molds by marker recycling. No additional sequence remained in the resultant deletion strains, a feature of considerable value for breeding of food-grade microorganisms. Frequencies of chromosomal deletions tended to decrease in proportion to the length of the deletion range. Deletion efficiency was also affected by the location of the deleted region. Further, comparative genome hybridization analysis showed that no unintended deletion or chromosomal rearrangement occurred in the deletion strain. Strains with large deletions that were previously extremely laborious to construct in the wild-type
ku70
+
strain due to the low frequency of homologous recombination were efficiently obtained from Δ
ku70
strains in this study. The technique described here may be broadly applicable for the genomic engineering and molecular breeding of filamentous fungi.
Aerobic Fermentation of
d
-Glucose by an Evolved Cytochrome Oxidase-Deficient
Escherichia coli
Strain
Authors: Portnoy Vasiliy A. , Herrgård Markus J. , Palsson Bernhard Ø. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACT

Fermentation of glucose to
d
-lactic acid under aerobic growth conditions by an evolved
Escherichia coli
mutant deficient in three terminal oxidases is reported in this work. Cytochrome oxidases (
cydAB
,
cyoABCD
, and
cbdAB
) were removed from the
E. coli
K12 MG1655 genome, resulting in the ECOM3 (
E. coli c
ytochrome
o
xidase
m
utant) strain. Removal of cytochrome oxidases reduced the oxygen uptake rate of the knockout strain by nearly 85%. Moreover, the knockout strain was initially incapable of growing on M9 minimal medium. After the ECOM3 strain was subjected to adaptive evolution on glucose M9 medium for 60 days, a growth rate equivalent to that of anaerobic wild-type
E. coli
was achieved. Our findings demonstrate that three independently adaptively evolved ECOM3 populations acquired different phenotypes: one produced lactate as a sole fermentation product, while the other two strains exhibited a mixed-acid fermentation under oxic growth conditions with lactate remaining as the major product. The homofermenting strain showed a
d
-lactate yield of 0.8 g/g from glucose. Gene expression and in silico model-based analyses were employed to identify perturbed pathways and explain phenotypic behavior. Significant upregulation of
ygiN
and
sodAB
explains the remaining oxygen uptake that was observed in evolved ECOM3 strains.
E. coli
strains produced in this study showed the ability to produce lactate as a fermentation product from glucose and to undergo mixed-acid fermentation during aerobic growth.