bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The case for chick lit in academic libraries
Authors: Davis‐Kahl Stephanie 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to prove that chick lit is a legitimate and important area of collection for academic libraries.Design/methodology/approachThis article presents a definition of chick lit with an overview of the origin and significance of the term itself, discusses chick lit's impact on publishing, and its relationship to academia and women's writing.FindingsChick lit is an important area for libraries to collect in because it is representative of women's writing in the twentieth‐twenty‐first century, and because it is a cultural and economic force in the publishing and entertainment worlds.Practical implicationsThis article presents guidelines on building a chick lit collection.Originality/valueThis article provides a perspective on chick lit lacking in the literature aimed at academic libraries. A search of Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA), Library Literature and Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) reflects the dearth of articles on this specific topic.
Samuel Selvon under scrutiny: an annotated bibliography of selected criticism of Selvon's novels
Authors: Bowen‐Chang Portia , Winter Marsha 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThis paper intends to provide an annotated bibliographic guide for scholars and researchers studying the critical works of Samuel Selvon, one of the founding fathers of the Anglo‐Caribbean literary movement.Design/methodology/approachThe authors identify and evaluate items from print bibliographies, online and card catalogues, electronic databases and the world wide web.FindingsNumerous scholars have critically assessed the novels of Selvon and this is evident in the existence of published and unpublished works in English and other foreign languages.Originality/valueThe forte of the bibliography lies in the annotative aspect and the inclusion of unpublished works and non‐English speaking documents.
Business format franchising: a strategic option for business growth – at home and abroad
Authors: Duckett Brian 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the business growth opportunities available from franchising in the UK and abroad.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents the value of franchising for strategic business development.FindingsThe paper finds that franchising is becoming one of the most popular methods for growing a business, particularly where international growth is an objective. It should be seriously considered by any business which operates through a network of outlets.Practical implicationsJust about any business that operates through a branch network could benefit from considering franchising as a development option. In simple terms, the advantages include quicker growth through more highly motivated operators, using someone else's money and effort, to open and run the outlets.Originality/valueThe paper highlights franchising as a development option for businesses that operate through a branch network.
Portfolio management and new product development implementation
Authors: Augusto Cauchick Miguel Paulo 
Published: January 2008

PurposeSince the importance of implementing portfolio management is growing world‐wide, this paper seeks to report on case‐based research on portfolio management in a company that implemented it along with a new product development process.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a case study approach conducted in a manufacturing company in Brazil. Data were gathered through participation in portfolio meetings, non‐structured interviews, and document analysis; results were aggregated a posteriori to construct the case.FindingsThe paper finds that portfolio management was implemented using a framework which employed a scoring system and qualitative information. The empirical evidence lends support to the existence of portfolio management practices as identified in the literature. In addition, the use of the proposed framework assisted the company in putting in place a methodology to select the right projects and to allocate both capital and personnel resources.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is limited to a single case study. Replications among other samples are needed to validate current findings.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the few published studies that report on and discuss the implementation of portfolio management in a country in South America.
Applying technology road‐maps in project selection and planning
Authors: Lee Sungjoo , Kang Sungryong , Park Euisuk , Park Yongtae 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show that existing project portfolio management methods have failed to take firms' long‐term strategies into account. To overcome this limitation, it is proposed to suggest technology road‐maps (TRMs) as a tool to assist with project selection and planning.Design/methodology/approachBased on bibliographic and qualitative analysis, the paper develops a systematic process of building TRMs for project portfolio management. The proposed process was applied to the project selection and planning process of a Korean government R&D program.FindingsThe paper finds that the suggested process can support strategic planning by assuring that an organization is implementing the right projects at the right time. During this process, the selection of experts, the flexibility of the process, the periodical updating of the TRM, and TRM standardization are regarded as critical issues for high‐quality technology road‐mapping.Research limitations/implicationsThe approach in the paper does not deal with the cost and profitability aspects of a project as part of its evaluation, nor does it consider complex relations between technologies in different projects.Practical implicationsThe findings in the paper are expected to be helpful in establishing R&D strategy and setting priorities among projects, and in fostering coordination in project implementation.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the earliest attempts to systemize TRM methods specifically for project portfolio management, and is expected to make it easier for companies to adopt and apply TRMs effectively.
Application of real options analysis to technology portfolio planning: a case study
Authors: Yu Oliver 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe concepts of real options analysis, which transfer options analysis for financial investments to those involving real properties, such as land and plant facilities, have already existed for 30 years. However, the actual application of real options analysis to technology portfolio planning has not been as widespread as expected. Among others, a major barrier to such applications appears to be a lack of appreciation and acceptance of real options by technology executives. This case study aims to present a successful application experience of real options analysis to technology portfolio planning and highlights the lessons learned in overcoming such lack of acceptance and other barriers.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a case study approach. The methodology focuses on describing the key issues and solutions for applying real options analysis in the technology portfolio‐planning process of a company.FindingsThe findings in this paper showed that considerable barriers exist in the acceptance of real options analysis for technology portfolio planning. However, the experience in the case study provides successful approaches for overcoming these barriers.Originality/valueThe paper shows that few studies are available on the difficulties of introducing real options analysis in practical applications. This paper provides a valuable case study for such applications.
Limitations of the House of Quality to provide quantitative design information
Authors: Olewnik Andrew , Lewis Kemper 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe House of Quality (HoQ) is a popular design tool that supports information processing and decision making in the engineering design process. While its application is an aid to conceptual aspects of the design process, its use as a quantitative information tool in engineering design is potentially flawed. This flaw is a result of potential designer interpretation of the HoQ results – interpretation which is invalid given the assumptions and information sources behind the HoQ – and is viewed as a critical limitation on the results of the method which can lead to potentially invalid and/or poor decisions. In this paper this limitation and its implications are explored both experimentally and through simulated application.Design/methodology/approachThe approach taken in this research is to first study the HoQ through a “digital experiment” in order to identify the key factors that drive the quantitative results within the tool. Based on the results of the experiment, an example HoQ for a hair dryer is used to empirically study the resulting dangers of the quantitative information which results from the HoQ.FindingsThrough this research study of the HoQ, it is determined that while the tool offers conceptual support to the design process, the quantitative information that results is largely invalid.Research implications/limitationsFor the research community the results in this paper create motivation for continued improvement of the HoQ tool from a conceptual, qualitative design aid to a sound quantitative tool. The results indicate exactly where the methodology must be improved.Originality/valueFor users of QFD, specifically the HoQ, the results of this research provide evidence to the limitations of the tool in providing quantitative information for design.
An evaluation of TPM initiatives in Indian industry for enhanced manufacturing performance
Authors: Ahuja I.P.S. , Khamba J.S. 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the contributions of total productive maintenance (TPM) initiatives towards improving manufacturing performance in Indian Manufacturing Industry.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, a large number of manufacturing organizations have been extensively surveyed, to ascertain contributions made by TPM initiatives in the Indian manufacturing industries towards realizing manufacturing performance improvements. The correlations between various TPM implementation dimensions and manufacturing performance improvements have been evaluated and validated by employing various statistical tools.FindingsThe research focuses upon the significant contributions of TPM implementation success factors like top management leadership and involvement, traditional maintenance practices and holistic TPM implementation initiatives, towards affecting improvements in manufacturing performance in the Indian industry. The inter‐relationships between various TPM implementation success factors with the manufacturing performance improvement parameters have been evaluated, to efficiently manage the TPM implementation program to realize organizational objectives of growth and sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsThe study establishes that focused TPM implementation over a reasonable time period can strategically contribute towards realization of significant manufacturing performance enhancements.Practical implicationsThe study stresses upon the need for improving the synergy between maintenance function and other organizational quality improvement initiatives in the organizations, to establish maintenance as a competitive strategy for meeting the challenges of highly competitive environments.Originality/valueThe study highlights the strong potential of TPM implementation initiatives in affecting organizational performance improvements. The achievements of Indian manufacturing organizations through proactive TPM initiatives have been evaluated and critical TPM success factors identified for enhancing the effectiveness of TPM implementation programs in the Indian context.
ISO 9001:2000 in the Egyptian manufacturing sector: perceptions and perspectives
Authors: Magd Hesham A.E. 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine management attitudes/perceptions of Egyptian manufacturing organizations toward the implementation of ISO 9001:2000. The implementation of ISO 9001:2000 depends on how the standard is perceived by Egyptian companies themselves.Design/methodology/approachThe present study is exploratory in nature and seeks to collect data about management attitudes/perceptions towards ISO 9001:2000 through a structured mail survey. Mail questionnaires were sent to 200 manufacturing companies throughout Egypt, yielding a response rate of 35 percent.FindingsSurvey results indicated that Egyptian manufacturing organizations are aware of ISO 9001:2000 and it is considered to be relevant to their organizations. The main motivators for seeking ISO certification were to improve the efficiency of the quality system and to achieve customer satisfaction. The vital benefits perceived from implementing the certificate were improved documentation and improvement in the efficiency of the quality system. However, the participants perceived top management commitment and the lack of qualified personnel to be major barriers for the effective implementation of ISO 9001:2000.Originality/valueThe research adds knowledge in the field of quality management within the context of developing countries and gives a particular focus on Egypt and the manufacturing sector, as it is one of the few papers available within the field of quality management in Egypt.
Combining neural networks and genetic algorithms for predicting the reliability of repairable systems
Authors: Liang Yi‐Hui 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose an accurate product reliability prediction model in order to enhance product quality and reduce product costs.Design/methodology/approachThis study proposes a new method for predicting the reliability of repairable systems. The novel method employed constructs a predictive model by integrating neural networks and genetic algorithms.Findings– The novel method employed constructs a predictive model by integrating neural networks and genetic algorithms. Genetic algorithms are used to globally optimize the number of neurons in the hidden layer, the learning rate and momentum of neural network architecture.Research limitations/implications– This study only adopts real failure data from an electronic system to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. Future research may use other product's failure data to verify the proposed method. The proposed method is superior to ARIMA and neural network model prediction techniques in the reliability of repairable systems.Practical implications– Based on the more accurate analytical results achieved by the proposed method, engineers or management authorities can take follow‐up actions to ensure that products meet quality requirements, provide logistical support and correct product design.Originality/value– The proposed method is superior to other prediction techniques in predicting the reliability of repairable systems.
The exponentiated Weibull software reliability growth model with various testing‐efforts and optimal release policy
Authors: Ahmad Nesar , Bokhari M.U. , Quadri S.M.K. , Khan M.G.M. 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to incorporate the exponentiated Weibull testing‐effort functions into software reliability modeling and to estimate the optimal software release time.Design/methodology/approachThis paper suggests a software reliability growth model based on the non‐homogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) which incorporates the exponentiated Weibull (EW) testing‐efforts.FindingsExperimental results on actual data from three software projects are compared with other existing models which reveal that the proposed software reliability growth model with EW testing‐effort is wider and effective SRGM.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper presents a SRGM using a constant error detection rate per unit testing‐effort.Practical implicationsSoftware reliability growth model is one of the fundamental techniques to assess software reliability quantitatively. The results obtained in this paper will be useful during the software testing process.Originality/valueThe present scheme has a flexible structure and may cover many of the earlier results on software reliability growth modeling. In general, this paper also provides a framework in which many software reliability growth models can be described.
Quality of internal control procedures
Authors: Rae Kirsty , Subramaniam Nava 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThis study aims to bring together theoretical concepts from the organizational justice, internal control and fraud literature to develop two distinct models relating to employee fraud and the quality of internal control procedures (ICP), respectively.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data from 64 Australian firms were used to develop the two models. The first model was tested using a logistic regression analysis, and the second model was tested using a multiple regression analysis.FindingsThe first model reveals that the quality of ICP has a moderating effect on the relationship between perceptions of organizational justice and employee fraud. The second model indicates that ICP quality is significantly and positively related to three key organizational factors: the corporate ethical environment, the extent of risk management training of staff, and the internal audit (IA) activity level.Practical implicationsRisk management strategies relating to employee fraud will need to pay greater attention to organizational factors that affect both perceptions of justice at the workplace and ICP quality, including fostering a more ethical and equitable work environment, increasing IA activities and staff training in risk management.Originality/valueUsing the fraud triangle framework, this study extends previous literature by providing empirical evidence on the role of organizational justice and ICP regarding employee fraud.
Non‐audit service fees, auditor characteristics and earnings restatements
Authors: Bloomfield Deborah , Shackman Joshua 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe objective of the study is to provide empirical evidence of the impact of non‐audit services (NAS) as well as other auditor characteristics on auditor independence by testing the relationship of NAS fees to the occurrence of financial statement restatements.Design/methodology/approachThe authors tested whether firms that restate their financial statements have higher levels of total service fees or higher levels of NAS fees than non‐restatement firms. The testing also includes an examination of the relationship between the audit firm size and the audit firm industry specialization to financial statement restatements.FindingsThe study found only limited evidence to support the concept that firms with higher NAS fees are more likely to restate earnings, thereby casting doubt on the public perception that NAS impairs auditor independence and the legislative approval of Section 201 of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act prohibiting external auditors from providing certain NAS to audit clients as necessary to preserve auditor independence. The study did find stronger evidence that the level of total fees paid to the audit firm is significant in the predictability of a restatement. In addition, the study also found stronger and more conclusive evidence of a negative association to audit firm industry specialization and a strong positive association to Big 5 audit firms.Practical implicationsResults demonstrate the necessity of regulations concerning NAS and conflict of interest.Originality/valueThis paper is an original contribution that demonstrates the importance of auditor characteristics over audit fees in predicting earnings management.
The effectiveness of management accounting systems
Authors: Soobaroyen Teerooven , Poorundersing Bhagtaraj 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThis study aims to examine the availability and effectiveness of management accounting systems (MAS) for functional managers located in an African developing country (Mauritius).Design/methodology/approachBased on the MAS dimensions defined by Chenhall and Morris, a contingency‐based “intervening” model is proposed whereby available MAS play a significant intervening role between task uncertainty (TU) and decentralization (DEC) on managerial performance. Using survey data from production and marketing managers in manufacturing companies and regression‐path analysis, the MAS dimensions (scope, aggregation, integration, and timeliness) are collectively analyzed in relation to the situational variables and managerial performance.FindingsA significant positive relationship was observed between all MAS characteristics and managerial performance. However, only DEC proved to be a contextual variable of interest, in that DEC policies appear effective only via the availability of broader scope, timely, highly aggregated and highly integrated MAS. The absence of findings for TU is suggestive of an “uncertainty paradox,” previously referred to in the literature, and is indicative of the need to re‐consider TU as an element of “technology” rather than “uncertainty.”Research limitations/implicationsThis study focused only on manufacturing companies and its findings may not be applicable to other organizational contexts, e.g. service enterprises.Originality/valueThis study focuses on actual availability of MAS as perceived by users in manufacturing companies rather than on studies which rely on accountants' perceptions, on hypothetical “usefulness” perceptions of MAS or on the sole use of the scope dimension.