bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A collaborative product commerce approach to value‐based health plan purchasing
Authors: Ford Eric W. , Hughes Julia A. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeCollaborative product commerce (CPC) techniques are being applied with greater frequency in the health care sector. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential barriers to their success in influencing cost and quality.Design/methodology/approachThe health care supply chain (SC) is analyzed and five national health initiatives attempting to apply CPC techniques are described.FindingsFive national‐level programs designed to improve health care quality and control costs use a variety of CPC techniques to create incentives and/or disincentives to influence suppliers’ behavior. Six barriers to success are identified that threaten healthcare CPC initiatives. They include: widespread resistance to change; information system limitations; the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); the required time investment; lack of commitment to CPC principles; and the sustainability of the CPC business model.Research implications/limitationsInvestigation into the barriers to success is warranted to develop evidence‐based solutions to improve effectiveness of CPC approaches in health care.Practical implicationsNo national health care initiative to date can be described as an unqualified success in terms of its ability to align the SC. Nevertheless, individually, and to some extent collectively, the aforementioned programs are making some headway.Originality/valueThis work is one of the first to present information on how collective CPC efforts are taking shape in health care and to describe key national‐level projects currently underway in the field. Such information can offer policymakers and employers insight into how CPC techniques might improve effectiveness in health benefit contracting.
From passive to active learners
Authors: Bridger Jane 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThis study aims to explore the lived experience of learning for a group of staff nurses in the Middle East, who undertook a post‐registration nursing education programme in the speciality of nephrology nursing (the NNP) between 2001 and 2002. The broad‐based curriculum seeks to develop the staff nurses into active learners, able to utilise a new body of specialist nursing knowledge and skills, which challenges their previous behaviourist learning tradition. This study seeks to identify the students' experience of trying to incorporate new learning strategies into their practice, and the effects they experienced as a result.Design/methodology/approachCase study methodology was used to study this unique group of 20 participants. Data were collected using focus group interviews, combined with field observations and document reviews.FindingsThematic analysis revealed three themes, “Social‐cultural influences on learning” with two sub‐themes, “Past experiences of learning” with two sub‐themes, and “Transforming the learning experience” with three sub‐themes.Research limitations/implicationsCurriculum development in developing countries should aim to prepare practitioners to meet international standards. However, such development has to take account of, and integrate, students' values, beliefs, and experiences, and acknowledge their particular challenges with respect to learning. The preparation for active learners has to include the “tools” to cope with, and change, the cultural and organisational situation in which they find themselves, including knowledge of an organisation's culture to facilitate effective learning to fit the needs of the workplace.Originality/valueThe research provides a unique insight into the learning experiences of a particular cultural group.
Socio‐technical analysis of IPTV: a case study of Korean IPTV
Authors: Shin Dong H. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThis paper seeks to investigate the prospects for internet protocol TV (IPTV) from the social, economic and regulatory perspective to gain a better understanding of how IPTV will evolve and stabilize in next generation network environments.Design/methodology/approachQualitative and quantitative data were collected from multiple data collection methods. The analysis is based on theoretical frameworks derived from socio‐technical theories and web of stakeholder analyses.FindingsFrom the socio‐technical analysis, the development of IPTV implies that IPTV has been through internally‐driven change (more or less technology‐driven and regulatory‐constrained), but from now on it will likely be driven by external factors (market and user). The web of stakeholder analysis implies that the further development of IPTV in Korea is likely to comprise multiple stages, predicated by several significant events: the deployment of Broadband Convergence Network and FTTH, the resolving of content issues, establishing standards, and the introduction of new regulatory frameworks.Practical implicationsThe case of Korea offers implications for other countries that are pursuing IPTV development strategies.Originality/valueBy looking at IPTV as a sociotechnical ensemble, this paper seeks a firm understanding of the interaction among IPTV technology, its market, industry, and regulation regarding IPTV. A stakeholder analysis helps this study to address such interactions.
The digital information war
Authors: Yagüe Mariemma I. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this Guest Editorial is to introduce the papers in this special issue.Design/methodology/approachA brief summary of the main contributions of the papers included in this issue is provided.FindingsIn order to combat the digital information war it was found that important work must be done to establish both users' and content providers' trust through fair e‐commerce/digital rights management (DRM).Originality/valueThe paper provides an overview of the basic requirements of DRM systems.
Key issues in information systems management in China
Authors: Chen Guoqing , Wu Ruipeng , Guo Xunhua 
Published: February 2007

PurposeTo reveal and analyze the key issues concerning information systems management in Mainland China.Design/methodology/approachBased on data collected from 286 Chinese companies, 12 top key issues in information systems management in Mainland China are ranked and compared with the results of an earlier study, as well as those from western countries.FindingsWhile the top three critical issues remain unchanged, largely due to the centralized decision‐making mechanism, mandatory management style, and less experience of IT/IS applications, there are distinguishable changes that took place in the past few years. Furthermore, there are different results between different sectors of companies, reflecting respective characteristics and historical development processes of the sectors.Research limitations/implicationsExtended data and measures are required for in‐depth investigation in specific individual industries.Practical implicationsThe study could be helpful for understanding the situations and challenges in information systems management in China and planning IT/IS strategies accordingly.Originality/valueThe paper offers practical help for managers to better understand the IT/IS application context in China. Meanwhile, researchers interested in IT/IS management in China can use the information provided by this paper to guide their inquiry.
Supplier‐customer relationship management and customer loyalty
Authors: Oly Ndubisi Nelson , Kok Wah Chan , Ndubisi Gibson C. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the relationship marketing underpinnings, namely: commitment; competence; communication and conflict handling on the one hand and customer loyalty on the other, as well as the mediation effects of trust and relationship quality.Design/methodology/approachBank customers in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia were surveyed using a questionnaire. Bank intercept technique was used in administering the instrument. A total of 220 customers provided the data for the study. Multiple regression analysis was used to measure the construct's relationship.FindingsThe results show that relationship marketing strategies, namely: communication; commitment; competence; and conflict handling are directly and indirectly (through trust and relationship quality) associated with customer loyalty. Moreover, trust and relationship quality are directly associated with loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the study focuses on the banking industry in Malaysia, the outcome may be relevant to other service sectors. By identifying the relevant RM underpinnings in this sector, more researches adapting or replicating the present study in other sectors would help in pushing back the frontier of knowledge in the customer relationship management domain.Practical implicationsThis study unveils how firms can use the relationship marketing (RM) strategy to nurture and keep loyal customers and how to manage the supplier‐customer relationship in the banking sector.Originality/valueNot much is understood about the actual influences of the underpinnings of relationship marketing on customer loyalty from empirical evidence. This research would help organisations in evaluating the results of investments and sacrifices of the firm in building relationships with its customers.
Performance measurement system for healthcare processes
Authors: Purbey Shankar , Mukherjee Kampan , Bhar Chandan 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to provide an overview and evaluation of performance measurement systems and also present a framework for the selection of an appropriate performance measurement system for healthcare processes.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a brief review of the existing performance measurement frameworks. On the basis of review, performance measurement system criteria are identified and accordingly a framework has been proposed for measuring performance in healthcare processes.FindingsThe measurement of performance of a healthcare organization is still an unresolved issue. A performance measurement system should be sensitive to changes in the external and internal environment of an organization. The proposed framework measures performance from a multi and interrelated perspective, namely efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility.Practical implicationsThe study will help the healthcare organization to know how they are performing; it will also help in benchmarking the organization so that customers know the value of the money they pay for the service.Originality/valueThe framework presented provides a performance measurement system for healthcare processes that is sensitive to change in the external and internal environment of an organization.
Introduction: militarization and international business
Authors: Stokes Peter , Bishop Ryan , Phillips John 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce a special issue which looks into how militarization can be seen as an entity from which international business, management and organization can or cannot glean potentially useful lessons.Design/methodology/approachFive papers have been used to give a suitable basis for the reconceptualisation and recontextualisation of the military and militarization in relation to international business.FindingsSeveral key tasks are achieved in rephrasing the issues of militarization in relation to international business. A wide national and cultural span is covered.Originality/valueIn developing and assembling this collection of papers claim cannot be laid to have answered issues on militarization, ground has been laid and reference points provided for a much needed wider critical debate.
Factors affecting innovation in logistics technologies for logistics service providers in China
Authors: Lin Chieh‐Yu 
Published: February 2007

PurposeWith the fast growth in China's economy and China's accession into WTO, the demand for logistics services has been growing significantly in China. China's logistics service providers need to pay more attention to adopt more efficient logistics technologies to provide better services for their customers. The purpose of this paper is to study the factors affecting the innovation in logistics technologies for logistics service providers in China.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaire survey on logistics service providers in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen is conducted to study the innovation in logistics technologies by China's logistics industry. Logistics technologies are classified into four types: data acquisition technologies, information technologies, warehousing technologies, and transportation technologies. The influencing factors include internal and external factors. Regression analysis is used to analyze the influences of these factors on technological innovation.FindingsThe innovation in logistics technologies is significantly positively influenced by organizational encouragement, quality of human resources, environmental uncertainty, and governmental support for logistics service providers in China.Originality/valueOwing to the lack of empirical research on the adoption of logistics technologies in China, this paper provides an empirical study on the factors influencing the innovation in logistics technologies by logistics service providers in China. Our research results can help China's logistics companies develop better strategies to adopt innovative logistics technologies, and can make them become innovation‐based logistics service providers.
Iraq: emergence of a new nation from the ashes
Authors: Hafedh Mehdi , Akoum Ibrahim , Zbib Imad J. , Ahmed Zafar U. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeTo shed light on the political economy aspect of post‐conflict reconstruction in Iraq and illustrate how bad governance and economic mismanagement has devastated a country once endowed with abundant natural and human resources.Design/methodology/approachThe wealth of heritage, culture, and economy that Iraq enjoyed is highlighted. The paper presents a brief overview of economic mismanagement, corruption, and political blunders of Saddam Hussein's regime, which led to sapping the country of its wealth and degraded its human resources. In view of that, the political impediments to the reconstruction process are outlined. Hence, the significance of democratic and participatory approaches to sustainable development.FindingsThe paper reveals that the years of oppressive, myopic, and self‐serving policies of Saddam Hussein's regime have incapacitated Iraq and its people. Income per capita in 2003 was less than 15 percent of its value in 1980 and Iraq's debt amounted to about 600 percent of national output. The paper also indicates that international, regional, and local politics has been the primary hindrance to Iraq's reconstruction and development.Originality/valueIf history is any guide, the peoples of all non‐democratic and corrupt regimes throughout the world ought to heed the lessons imparted by the Saddam's model of governance, that is, sustainable economic development and improving the standards of living can best be attained through democratic and participatory governance.
Structure, interactions, and dynamics of the RING domain from human TRAF6
Authors: Mercier Pascal , Lewis Michael J. , Hau D. Duong , Saltibus Linda F. , Xiao Wei , Spyracopoulos Leo 
Published: February 2007

AbstractA key step in the signaling cascade responsible for activation of the transcription factor NF‐κB involves Lys63‐linked polyubiquitination of TRAF6. Covalent attachment of ubiquitin (Ub) to TRAF6, and subsequent poly(Ub) chain synthesis, is catalyzed by the hUev1a–hUbc13 heterodimer. hUbc13 is a catalytically competent E2 enzyme, and hUev1a is an E2‐like protein that binds substrate Ub. The hUev1a–hUbc13 heterodimer is targeted to TRAF6 through interactions between hUbc13 and the N‐terminal RING domain from TRAF6. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to determine the solution state structure of the RING domain from human TRAF6, and the interaction between hUbc13 and TRAF6 was characterized using NMR chemical shift mapping. The main‐chain dynamics of the RING domain from TRAF6 were studied using 15N NMR relaxation. Analysis of the main‐chain dynamics data indicates that residues within the α‐helix and β‐sheet of the RING domain are as rigid as regions of canonical secondary structure in larger proteins, consistent with the biological role of RING‐domain E3 proteins, which requires that the E3 contain a recognition site for recruitment of E2 ubiquitin conjugation enzymes.
Contingency management: an evidence‐based component of methamphetamine use disorder treatments
Authors: Roll John M. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTAims  To review briefly some of the available evidence regarding the utility of contingency management in treating methamphetamine use disorders.Design  A literature review was conducted to locate relevant studies for the review.Findings  The review suggests that contingency management is likely to be a useful component of treatment strategies designed to address methamphetamine use disorders. Results suggest that contingency management can increase the likelihood of providing methamphetamine‐free urine samples during treatment.Conclusions  Evidence suggests that contingency management is a good candidate for inclusion in treatment strategies for methamphetamine addiction.
Location, location: using functional magnetic resonance imaging to pinpoint brain differences relevant to stimulant use
Authors: Aron Jennifer L. , Paulus Martin P. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTAims  The purpose of this review is to summarize the neural substrate dysfunctions and disrupted cognitive, affective and experiential processes observed in methamphetamine and cocaine‐dependent individuals.Methods  We reviewed all publications in PubMed that conducted comparison studies between healthy volunteers and cocaine‐, amphetamine‐ or methamphetamine‐dependent individuals using functional magnetic resonance imaging.Results  Stimulant dependence is characterized by a distributed alteration of functional activation to a number of experimental paradigms. Attenuated anterior and posterior cingulate activation, reduced inferior frontal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation and altered posterior parietal activation point towards an inadequate demand‐specific processing of information. Processes reported most consistently to be deficient in these functional neuroimaging studies include inhibitory control, executive functioning and decision‐making.Conclusion  One emerging theme is that stimulant‐dependent individuals show specific, rather than generic, brain activation differences, i.e. instead of showing more or less brain activation regardless of task, they exhibit process‐related brain activation differences that are consistent with a shift from context‐specific, effortful processing to more stereotyped, habitual response generation.
Multi‐level modeling to explain methamphetamine use among gay and bisexual men
Authors: Halkitis Perry N. , Mukherjee Preetika Pandey , Palamar Joseph J. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTAim  The popularity of methamphetamine among gay men has been documented; however, few studies have examined the complex behavioral and psychological motivations behind methamphetamine use, particularly over time. This study aimed to (i) identify the trajectories for methamphetamine use; (ii) explore factors related to methamphetamine use; and (iii) determine factors which predict changes in usage over a year.Design  This analysis utilized hierarchical linear modeling to identify the trajectories for methamphetamine use and explore factors related to patterns of methamphetamine use.Participants  A sample of 293 gay and bisexual men who indicated methamphetamine use at baseline were drawn from Project BUMPS (Boys Using Multiple Party Substances), which was a longitudinal, mixed‐methodologies study of 450 club drug‐using gay and bisexual men.Measurements  Participants were assessed via quantitative measures in four waves of data collection over the course of a year (baseline, 4, 8 and 12 months post‐baseline).Findings  Frequency of methamphetamine use is related to reliance on the drug to avoid unpleasant emotions and physical discomfort, outcome expectancies for use and combining the drug with Viagra. Those with higher levels of drug‐related sensation‐seeking and those who combine use with Viagra show more consistent use over time, although a decrease in use is noted for most of the sample.Conclusions  Longitudinal analyses support the idea that methamphetamine is used by gay men to mask feelings of discomfort and to enhance sensations as well as sexual pleasure. Longitudinal non‐intervention studies of drug use may have intervention‐like effects.
Approaches to the development of medications for the treatment of methamphetamine dependence
Authors: Vocci Frank J. , Appel Nathan M. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTBackground Methamphetamine abuse has become an increasing problem in both the United States and globally with concomitant increases in adverse medical, social and environmental sequelae. Behavioral therapies have been used with some success to treat methamphetamine abusers and dependent individuals, but are not universally efficacious. Methamphetamine has a rich pharmacology that theoretically provides many opportunities for potential pharmacotherapeutic intervention. Nevertheless, there are no approved medications with an indication for treating methamphetamine abusers or addicts at this time.Aim To describe briefly how methamphetamine functions and affects function in brain and report how basic researchers and clinicians are attempting to exploit and exploiting this knowledge to discover and develop effective pharmacotherapies.Results Scientifically based approaches to medications development by evaluating medications that limit brain exposure to methamphetamine; modulate methamphetamine effects at vesicular monoamine transporter‐2 (VMAT‐2); or affect dopaminergic, serotonergic, GABAergic, and/or glutamatergic brain pathways that participate in methamphetamine's reinforcing effects are presented.Conclusion The evidence supports the rationale that pharmacotherapies to decrease methamphetamine use, or reduce craving during abstinence may be developed from altering the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of methamphetamine or its effects on appetitive systems in the brain.