bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
European railway freight transportation and adaptation to demand decline
Authors: Hilmola Olli‐Pekka 
Published: February 2007

PurposeRailway freight transportation in Europe is in a state of change. The system has been freed from protection from the beginning of 2007 and market forces will start to act. Demand for, and the market share of, this form of transportation has been declining for decades. Therefore, there is a need to know more about the efficiency and productivity of this sector, in order to understand the nature and magnitude of potential restructuring changes. This paper aims to address this issue.Design/methodology/approachData envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to analyze different European countries throughout the longitudinal observation period of 1980 to 2003. Also partial productivity analysis is used to support DEA evaluation.FindingsBased on DEA results, it is found that those countries that were showing the highest efficiency levels in the 1980s, without exception, experienced an efficiency collapse in the 1990s. These include both former Eastern Bloc and West European countries. Based on partial productivity analysis, it is proposed that productivity of locomotives and railway tracks should be the primary target of productivity improvement in these formerly highly efficient countries. The efficiency analysis shows also that currently the most efficient railway freight transportation is located in the Baltic States, namely Estonia and Latvia. If one does not include data from Estonia and Latvia in the overall analysis, in a European context the only truly improving performance indicators are partial productivities of freight wagons, and staff.Research limitations/implicationsIn contrast to previous efficiency studies in this sector, railway freight transportation shows high differences between European countries; it is necessary to address further research in the efficiency and productivity area in this respect to identify ongoing structural change.Practical implicationsRestructuring in European railways is just taking its first steps, and a combination of downsizing and greater freight volumes is needed if this mode of transportation is going to prosper in the future, and take market share back from others. Restructuring within this sector will most probably result in increased internationalization, mergers and acquisitions, and intermodal transportation solutions. These all represent new avenues for research.Originality/valueThis article helps to advise clear remedies for European railways and suggests interesting avenues for further research.
Structural violence and productivity
Authors: Dubee Fred 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThis paper seeks to provide information about the concept of “structural violence”; to explain this as a barrier to the development of productivity; and to inform about the Global Compact, a United Nations initiative designed to reduce structural violence.Design/methodology/approachThe concept of structural violence is explained and then the history and development of the Global Compact are outlined. From this lessons are drawn for policy‐makers and industry leaders.FindingsStructural violence is often unintended; a consequence of political structures and cultural norms, part of the “dominant logic”. It must be addressed specifically and is best addressed on a partnership basis by all key stakeholders. The Global Compact is an enabling framework, which allows discussion, promotes research, and encourages action towards ending structural violence.Practical implicationsAt the policy level, the challenge is to probe the relationship between structural violence, dominant logic and business behaviour/impact and to create an enabling environment to go beyond isolated measures and “end of pipe” solutions to poverty, exclusion and pollution that, while providing relief and tackling symptoms, have yet to prove effective enough in generating inclusive, timely and sustainable prosperity.Originality/valueShows the direct link between structural violence and productivity restriction. Suggests approaches that should help individuals, teams and organisations think about their own part in this phenomenon. Cites examples of changes in “dominant logic” that can help support such approaches.
The disavowal of the military
Authors: Bishop Ryan , Phillips John 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThis conceptual paper is offered in place of a systematic analysis of militarization in organizations and the wider world. It proceeds on the understanding that militarization implies deep historical tendencies that are not easy to simply avoid, especially where one wishes to observe or to analyse phenomena systematically.Design/methodology/approachThis paper seeks out alternative means of engagement with references to the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud, the critical theory of Theodor Adorno and the poetry of W.H. Auden. The departure, however, is taken in response to a brief and questionable statement by Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) about world history and the position of reason since the end of the Second World War.FindingsHistorical analysis, it is argued, is essential for any understanding of processes of militarization but not adequate on its own.Originality/valueMilitarization means, at least in the first instance, the adoption of military modes of organization and engagement in supposedly non‐military environments. But at a deeper level, which is nonetheless manifest in both a developing technology and an increasingly technological attitude, it implies the repetition of basic attitudes to others and to life. Furthermore the very meaning of militarization is likely to undergo metamorphoses as a result of these trends.
Shifting foundations: redrawing strategic management's military heritage
Authors: Cummings Stephen 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the limitations of what the field of strategic management sees as its military foundations.Design/methodology/approachCategorizes and synthesizes the critical historical approach of Michel Foucault and uses this to interrogate assumptions made about military approaches to strategy in the strategic management literature.FindingsSuggests that there is a much broader range of military approaches to strategy than that which has been seen as a foundation stone of strategic management, and that drawing on this broader range of perspectives can encourage new thinking about strategic management.Research implications/limitationsWhile the historical survey upon which this hypothesis is developed is by no means exhaustive, it should encourage further investigation of different approaches to military strategy and how these might be applied to think differently in business settings.Practical implicationsThis paper should encourage practitioners to question their often overly simplistic views of military strategy and to see this arena as a potentially rich seam of ideas that could be applied in business.Originality/valueThis is the first journal article to develop a clear method that draws on the many strands of Foucault's historical approach and apply this to fruitfully deconstruct a particular aspect of the field of management's assumed heritage.
The glass beads of global war: dealing, death and the policy analysis market
Authors: Lightfoot Geoff , Lilley Simon 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to subject the short lived “Policy Analysis Market” (PAM) – “a Pentagon betting market on terror attacks” – and media and academic reactions to it, to some critical analysis.Design/methodology/approachThe paper engages sustained invocation of the relationship between simulation and representation, for the story of the Policy Analysis Market (PAM) and its demise is replete with the tension between the two. It interrogates a range of accounts of the (un)timely demise of PAM, from the fearful senators and the moralistic media who subsumed and buttressed their position to the market evangelists for whom the failure of this particular market was merely proof of the veracity of markets elsewhere.FindingsIt is found that, inter alia, PAM was not really market‐like enough and, indeed, that it duplicated in impoverished form already existing markets that pertain to its objects of interest; that it was too much a market, given that its “goods” are seemingly inappropriate for market trade; and that it exposed too much of the truth of the actual operation of existing markets via the difficulties it confronted with regard to the possibility of insider dealing.Originality/valueBy contextualising PAM within the so‐called war on terror of which it was part, we see in the tension between representation and simulation, tension between a singular and a manifold reality; a set of tensions which make clear the extent of the gap that must exist between cause and effect, truth and prediction. The paper concludes by joining the celebration of PAM's demise whilst yearning for a similar fate to befall the other monologues that brought it to silence.
“Now it's up to you!” Children consuming commercial television
Authors: Tingstad Vebjørg 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThis paper seeks to report from a qualitative study of the global television conceptPop Idolwith the aim of evaluating children's and teenagers' involvement as consumers, both in their roles in purchasing goods and services, and being targets for well‐designed promotional activities.Design/methodology/approachBased on content analysis and interviews with children, the paper analyses the dynamics between marketing strategies, program content and child audiences.FindingsThe paper discusses how young consumers distinguish between two “regimes of truth” in the television concept: first the creation of a superstar, and second the broader phenomenon thatPop Idolrepresents, which is mainly about creating consumers through participation.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to acknowledging children's perspectives and childhood as not only valuable but necessary to inform consumer research, since children are deeply and unavoidably enmeshed in consumption in fundamental ways.
The disempowering empowerment of children's consumer “choice”
Authors: Cook Daniel Thomas 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to explore how discourses of children's empowerment through goods have emerged and function as a key narrative among many in children's commercial industries, particularly in the USA and Canada.Design/methodology/approachThe central philosophical and theoretical approach guiding this inquiry rests on the notion that the “child consumer” exists as a rhetorical figure which has an existence that is as consequential as “real,” biographical children. The child consumer arises from, and in many ways resides in, discourses produced by marketers, retailers, researchers and advertisers on the pages of marketing publications, often framing the imaginations and guiding the actions of advertisers, retailers, merchandisers and marketers. Articles from trade publications such asAdWeek,BrandWeek,Brandmarketing;KidScreenandProgressive Grocer, in addition to books written by marketers about the children's market since the 1990s, were examined.FindingsThree key themes – choice, recognition and involvement – were found to be the most prominent in framing children's consumption as “empowering.”Originality/valueFor scholars and practitioners, the paper offers an approach to understand corporate practice as moral practice by highlighting the ideological justifications presented in defense of promoting children's consumption in the last decade. It offers a cautionary tale about the power of capital to produce and deploy social meaning.
Thorstein Bunde Veblen as precursor of business and society field
Authors: Mesure Herve 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe paper is a viewpoint about Thorstein Bunde Veblen (1857‐1929) a known yet misunderstood author, as much appreciated as criticised. The aim of this paper is to present an overview of Veblen's work whilst providing a few keys to his writing and showing the interest of his work for the business and society field of researches.Design/methodology/approachIt starts by presenting Veblen's body of work. Then it turns to a general evaluation of Veblen's work. It finishes with a discussion of Veblen's possible contributions to the business and society field.FindingsFinds that Veblen's work is an attempt to understand the fundamentals of the functioning and evolution of societies and economies and that in many respects he placed great emphasis on the relations between the work of business and society.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications may be theoretical since this paper is an invitation to renew the standard way of studying the business and society field.Originality/valueThis may be seen as a new approach to Veblen's work.
Is performance management applicable in developing countries?
Authors: de Waal André A. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeTo test whether performance management is a useful management tool for organisations in developing countries.Design/methodology/approachFirstly, an overview is given of the status of performance management in developing countries and in particular in Africa. Secondly, prescriptive empirical research, in the shape of a case study at the Tanzanian College of Business Education, is used to test whether performance management is a useful technique for organisations in developing countries.FindingsIt seems clear from the case study that the management technique of performance management is suitable for organisations in developing countries to try out. At the same time, the case study also makes clear that performance management, and especially the fostering of performance‐driven behaviour, cannot be implemented lightly and should not be underestimated. Its takes continuous attention, dedication and in particular stamina from management to keep focussing on performance management in order to keep it “alive” in the organisation.Research limitations/implicationsPerformance management was only tested at one organisation in one developing country. More research is needed to identify the manner in which performance management can be implemented in other types of organisations and other countries.Practical implicationsPerformance management has been proven to improve the performance of western organisations. The case study in Tanzania gives an indication that the same might be true for organisations in developing countries. This gives management of organisations in these countries the incentive to also start improving the results of their organisation by implementing performance management.Originality/valueThere is not much known yet about the factors influencing and behavioural changes needed to make performance management a success in organisations in developing countries. The case study provides insight into the suitability of performance management and the importance of performance‐driven behaviour for organisations in these countries.
The effect of food composition on serum testosterone levels after oral administration of Andriol® Testocaps®
Authors: Schnabel Peter G. , Bagchus Wilma , Lass Holger , Thomsen Torben , Geurts T. B. Paul 
Published: February 2007

SummaryObjective  Andriol® Testocaps® is a new oral formulation of testosterone undecanoate (TU) for treatment of hypogonadism. As TU is taken up by the intestinal lymphatic system, both the presence and the composition of food influence the absorption. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of food composition on the pharmacokinetics of oral TU.Design  An open‐label, single‐centre, four‐way crossover study. With a washout period of 6–7 days, 80 mg TU was administered in the morning 5 min after consuming each of four different meals in a randomized order (A: 230 kcal, 0·6 g lipid; B: 220 kcal, 5 g lipid; C: 474 kcal, 19 g lipid; D: 837 kcal, 44 g lipid).Patients  Twenty‐four postmenopausal volunteers.Measurements  Serial blood samples were collected until 24 h after dosing to determine testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by gas chromatography‐mass spectroscopy (GC‐MS).Results  The bioavailability of testosterone after a low‐calorie meal containing 0·6 g lipid or 5 g lipid was relatively low, the area under the concentration–time curve (AUC0–tlast) for testosterone being 30·7 and 43·5 nmol h/l, respectively. The bioavailability of testosterone after a meal containing 19 g lipid was considerably higher (AUC0–tlast = 146 nmol h/l), whereas increasing the lipid content to 44 g lipid did not further increase the bioavailability of testosterone (AUC0–tlast = 154 nmol h/l).Conclusion  Approximately 19 g of lipid per meal efficiently increases absorption of testosterone from oral TU. Therefore, coadministration with a normal rather than a fatty meal is sufficient to increase serum testosterone levels when using oral TU.
A novel mutation Thr162Arg of the melanocortin 4 receptor gene in a Spanish children and adolescent population
Authors: Ochoa M. C. , Azcona C. , Biebermann H. , Brumm H. , Razquin C. , Wermter A.‐K. , Martínez J. A. , Hebebrand J. , Hinney A. , Moreno‐Aliaga M. J. , Marti A. ,   Grupo de Estudio Navarro de la Obesidad Infantil (GENOI) members
Published: February 2007

SummaryObjective  The melanocortin 4 receptor gene (MC4R) is involved in body weight regulation. While many studies associated MC4R mutations with childhood obesity, information on MC4R mutations in Spanish children and adolescents is lacking. Our objective was to screen a population of children and adolescents from the north of Spain (Navarra) for MC4R mutations and to study the phenotypes of carriers and their families. In addition, functional assays were performed for a novel MC4R mutation.Methods  The study was composed of 451 Spanish children and adolescents (49% boys), aged 5–18 year. According to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria, the groups included 160 obese, 132 overweight and 159 normal‐weight control subjects.Results  One novel (Thr162Arg) and three known nonsynonymous mutations in the MC4R gene (Ser30Phe, Thr150Ile, Ala244Glu) were detected heterozygously. The MC4R mutations were found in three male (one obese and two overweight) and two female subjects (one obese and one overweight). The novel mutation did not appear to lead to an impaired receptor function. An unequivocal relationship of MC4R mutations with obesity in pedigrees together with an impaired function of the encoded receptor could not be established for any of the mutations.Conclusions  The presence of heterozygous MC4R mutations in obese and overweight subjects indicates that these mutations may be a susceptibility factor for obesity development, but lifestyle factors, such as exercise or sedentary activities, may modify their effect.
Structural characteristics of clay‐dominated soils of a marsh and a palaeosol in a crossed diagram
Authors: Bernard M. , Dudoignon P. , Pons Y. , Chevallier C. , Boulay L. 
Published: February 2007

SummaryAlthough the shrink‐swell phenomenon of clays has been thoroughly studied, the in situ relation of the shrinkage curve to the structure profile is rarely presented from the shrinkage limit to the liquid limit. We studied the consolidated structure of clay‐dominated (<2 μm) soils formed on ‘pseudo‐liquid’ marsh sediments in the ‘Marais de l’Ouest’ (France). The profiles were studied in a grassland field and in a sunflower field from unsaturated surface soils down to deeper, saturated, levels characterized by a very large water content (100% by weight). The consolidation states were quantified recording cone resistance (Qd) profiles using a dynamic penetrometer in successive seasons. These Qd profiles were compared with the associated wet density and gravimetric water‐content profiles. Two consolidation depths were evident, the surface soil and a 130‐cm deep palaeosol. The seasonal Qd profiles demonstrate the partial irreversibility of the consolidation peaks associated with the surface soil and with the palaeosol. The shrinkage properties were established through drying curves of undisturbed test samples. In the void ratio (e)‐water content (W) and water content (W)‐saturation index (Sr) diagrams, the profiles as a whole exhibit only one clay soil behaviour from their pseudo‐liquid to plastic to solid states. Each Qd profile is represented by a hyperbolic curve in the e/Qd diagram. Represented in a (e – W – Qd —Sr) crossed diagram, the vertical evolution of the successive profiles shows the soil structure behaviour from the initial pseudo‐liquid sediment to the consolidated soil. A simple cone resistance recording associated with gravimetric water‐content profiles, characterizes the evolution of structural layers of soils for the seasonal drying‐wetting cycles, for the over‐consolidation associated with the palaeosol, and also for the effect of ploughing.
Late Glacial‐Holocene genesis of Andosols from the Seaca‐Tãtarca (South Gurghiu Mountains, Romania)
Authors: Fehér O. , Langohr R. , Füleky Gy. , Jakab S. 
Published: February 2007

SummaryThe purpose of the research presented here was to find an answer for the possible origin and mode of deposition of soil parent materials for Andosol formation and to link the soilscape variability to the various soil forming factors since the Last Glaciation. Soil formation was studied along a 20‐km climo‐toposequence in the Miocene Andesitic area of the South Gurghiu Mountains (Romania). Six representative soil profiles were chosen from a larger geopedological study on the western slope of the Seaca‐Tãtarca volcano. Based on the macromorphological, micromorphological and chemical properties it was possible to say that the soil profiles are composed of two major types of soil material: a relict type, with a crystalline clay fraction; and a recent type with an amorphous colloidal fraction. It was found that the present‐day distribution of the Andosols on the Seaca‐Tãtarca volcano must be related to the rejuvenation of the soil parent material by processes of aeolian input of frost‐shattered volcaniclasts and by a glacial reworking. It appears that the extension of the glaciated areas during the Pleistocene could have been larger than concluded from geomorphological studies. General Carpathian glacial features are closely related to the altitudinal distribution of the Carpathian Andosols. At the present climatic optimum, the soils of Seaca‐Tãtarca are influenced by pedogenetic processes of freeze‐thaw, oxido‐reduction, strong leaching and internal colluviation, strong accumulation of organic matter and considerable biological activity. Those Andosols that are located in special microtopographic positions with stronger water percolation tend to evolve towards Podzols.
Environmental noise in spawning areas: the case of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus)
Authors: ROYER F. , FROMENTIN J.‐M. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractThis paper provides an exploratory analysis aiming to seek whether the colour of environmental noise theory could help in understanding the intriguing reproductive strategy of Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT). A frequency‐based approach based on spectral exponents, fβ with β < 0, is chosen and applied on 10 biogeographical provinces covering the North Atlantic. The major BFT spawning area, i.e. the Mediterranean Sea, was the only one to display a pink power spectrum, whereas open ocean regions displayed more reddened fluctuations, i.e. greater variance at low frequencies. Environmental noise in the Mediterranean could, thus, offer more favourable characteristics on the long‐term than the open ocean. The implications of these findings are discussed in regards to medium and long (possibly evolutionary) time scales.