bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Anti‐nutritional factors, zinc, iron and calcium in some Caribbean tuber crops and the effect of boiling or roasting
Authors: Omoruyi F.O. , Dilworth L. , Asemota H.N. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the levels of some anti‐nutritional factors and minerals and the effect of boiling or roasting on selected commonly consumed Caribbean tuber crops.Design/methodology/approachThree commonly consumed tuber crops in the Caribbean namely: Yellow yam (Dioscorea cayenensis), Cocoyam (Xanthosoma sp.) and Sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) were harvested from farmers’ field in the Parish of Manchester, Jamaica and assessed in their boiled, raw and roasted forms for levels of some anti‐nutritional factors and minerals.FindingsZinc and iron levels were highest in raw Yellow yam, while the highest levels of calcium were observed in Sweet potato. The phytic acid to zinc molar ratio was higher than 15 in all the tuber crops in their raw and roasted forms. Boiling reduced this ratio to below 15 for Yellow yam and Cocoyam but still remained above 15 for Sweet potato. Cyanoglucoside level was highest in raw Sweet potato followed by Yellow yam and Cocoyam. Boiling or roasting reduced the levels of cyanoglucosides. Roasting greatly lowered the level of trypsin inhibitor activity compared to boiling. The highest level of trypsin inhibitor activity was recorded in the raw tubers, and slight reductions were observed upon processing.Practical implicationsTrypsin inhibitor was more stable to heat treatment compared to similar tubers grown in Africa. It may be beneficial to isolate and characterize trypsin inhibitor in these Caribbean tuber crops for utilization in nutraceutics.Originality/valueThis study shows that the two traditional processing methods were effective in lowering the levels of anti‐nutritional factors.
E‐mail delivery of hygiene education to university personnel
Authors: Unusan Nurhan 
Published: February 2007

PurposeAdministrative personnel working at the Selcuk University were divided into two groups: hand‐out group and e‐mail group. The aim of the study was to compare the results between the two groups before and after the food safety education.Design/methodology/approachA 34 item questionnaire was used to measure the five behavioral constructs. The data was entered into the software program SPSS 12.0. To determine change a paired t‐test was conducted for e‐mail and hand‐out groups separately.FindingsThe e‐mail group improved significantly between beginning and at the end of the education for 11 of the 25 concerns and practices.Practical implicationsThe findings support continued development of online food safety education.Originality/valueRespondents completing the education via e‐mail were more satisfied with their delivery method.
The use of animation in higher education teaching to support students with dyslexia
Authors: Taylor M. , Duffy S. , Hughes G. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of the research reported in this paper was to examine the potential usefulness of animated learning materials for supporting students with dyslexia in a UK higher education setting.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment was conducted with a set of 13 undergraduate computing students with dyslexia and a control group of 13 non‐dyslexic undergraduate computing students.FindingsOverall it appeared that appropriate animated learning materials were perceived as being more useful than equivalent static learning materials by both the students with dyslexia and the control group of non‐dyslexic students. However, the control group appeared to find them more useful than the students with dyslexia.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the experiment reported in this paper was small in scale it did appear to indicate that animated learning materials may potentially be useful for undergraduate students with (and without) dyslexia.Originality/valueThere appears to have been little research done in the area of animated learning materials in a higher education setting and in particular with regard to students with dyslexia.
Students' self‐evaluation and reflection (part 1): “measurement”
Authors: Cambra‐Fierro Jesus , Cambra‐Berdún Jesus 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe objective of the paper is the development and validation of scales to assess reflective learning.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on a literature review plus in‐classroom experience. For the scale validation process, exploratory and confirmatory analyses were conducted, following proposals made by Anderson and Gerbing and Bentler and Wu.FindingsThe paper finds adequate scales to assess reflective learning and students' self‐evaluation.Research limitations/implicationsThis research has been carried out in the Spanish pre‐university context. Possible generalizations to different contexts are needed to consider their specific characteristics.Practical implicationsTeachers and tutors will find a framework to evaluate reflective learning.Originality/valueNo previous research has offered this type of scale. The scales are based on real and practical experience within in‐class interaction with students.
Entrepreneurship in Finnish universities
Authors: Nurmi Piia , Paasio Kaisu 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of universities in fostering and promoting entrepreneurship in Finland. In particular it seeks to examine the university‐entrepreneurship relationship: its nature and how universities are addressing the entrepreneurship agenda.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a large study of Finnish universities and their relation to entrepreneurship, its promotion and incorporating university‐based enterprise education. The study was a one‐year‐project carried out in 2004 and funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education. The empirical data were collected in March‐August 2004 via an internet survey and by conducting interviews in all of the 21 Finnish universities.FindingsThe study shows that within all Finnish universities there are as yet untapped resources and opportunities in terms of entrepreneurship. However it is far from clear if there is one model which will increasingly drive entrepreneurial development within Finnish universities or whether a more ad hoc and somewhat ambiguous conceptual understanding will characterise developments.Originality/valueThe paper provides useful information on entrepreneurship in Finnish universities.
Using the HR intranet
Authors: Alleyne Cheryl , Kakabadse Andrew , Kakabadse Nada 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of the use of the human resources (HR) intranet at managerial levels in terms of internal customer satisfaction with the HR function.Design/methodology/approachUsing role theory to underpin the research, this study examines both the changing role of managers as well as managers' expectations of the HR function as an internal service provider and HR's use of intranet applications to provide these services. The current literature encompassing ICT, marketing and HR is reviewed and used as a guide for the design of the single case pilot study.FindingsOverall, the results indicate that managers who perceive their expectations as being met, express satisfaction with the HR intranet and record increased satisfaction with the HR function. However, differences of perceptions emerge concerning this satisfaction between HR managers (i.e. suppliers) and other managers (i.e. customers). The findings also indicate that the effectiveness of communication concerning information about new technology (including that of training, marketing, user involvement and feedback) influences managers' perceptions of satisfaction with both the HR intranet and the HR function.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings suggest that the intranet can play a powerful part in helping HR to build a closer and more satisfactory relationship with its customers in order to achieve mutual organisational benefit. However, this preliminary study also emphasises the need for further research on the impact and effectiveness of the HR intranet.Originality/valueThis paper begins the process of filling a substantial gap in the literature and provides a framework from which further research can be continued.
Using reflective journals to assess the research process
Authors: McGuinness Claire , Brien Michelle 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show how the use of reflective research journals to assess students on a Stage One information literacy (IL) module can offer unparalleled insight into the complex information research processes and subjective learning experiences that lie behind the production of an academic essay.Design/methodology/approachResearch journals created by 109 students over the course of a Stage One IL module were analysed qualitatively to reveal an iterative, problem‐strewn process, mostly culminating in deep satisfaction at the eventual production of an acceptable academic essay. Quotations from the journals are included to bring the students' experiences vividly to life.FindingsStudents' experiences of research are discussed under three key themes: Problems and Challenges; Enjoyment and Pride; and Learning Experience. Analysis showed that while problems were inevitable, students mostly considered the process to have been a useful and worthwhile learning experience.Practical implicationsResearch journals offer an alternative mode of assessment which may be adopted by IL instructors wishing to focus on the students' subjective experience of “becoming information literate”. Traditional, quantitative forms of assessment do not offer the same insight into the actual process of doing research, instead focusing on what the students say they know, rather than demonstrate it performatively.Originality/valueTo date, few papers have reported the use of research journals to assess an IL programme, and it remains a novel assessment method in this context. This paper describes the advantages and pitfalls of using the method with Stage One students, and places its use within the general context of assessment practices for IL.
Harnessing the Deep Web: a practical plan for locating free specialty databases on the web
Authors: Spencer Brett 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a practical plan for finding free specialty databases and search engines that access the Deep Web, the hidden part of the internet that offers a greater quantity and quality of information than the regular web.Design/methodology/approachThe author presents a self‐paced, adaptable worksheet of Deep Web search techniques. An explanation is provided for the utilization of general search tools to identify other, more specialized search tools. The techniques therein build upon searching methods suggested by previous authors.FindingsThe techniques facilitated the process of finding specialty tools.Practical implicationsThe article helps librarians compile toolkits of specialty databases for use in serving their patrons. Reference librarians with collection responsibilities can expand their libraries' collections at no cost by identifying free web databases. In developing countries, librarians without access to subsidized collections of databases can use the practical advice in this article to find free databases for their patrons. In addition, virtual reference librarians can use the techniques to discover databases that they can recommend to patrons in the absence of print reference books.Originality/valueThe article illustrates an alternate, vertical strategy for web searching as opposed to the conventional, horizontal strategy of web searching. While other authors have already suggested some of these techniques, this article further develops these methods, synthesizes these ideas into a plan, and includes more techniques for Deep Web searching.
Stumbling, bumbling, teleporting and flying … librarian avatars in Second Life
Authors: Grassian Esther , Trueman Rhonda B. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of issues related to library involvement in a popular virtual world, the massively multiplayer online role‐playing game (MMORG) Second Life.Design/methodology/approachInterviews with librarians participating in Second Life expand on the rationale for participating in this 3‐D virtual world as well as various uses of Second Life and other new technologies for all types of libraries and librarians.FindingsBenefits to both libraries and librarians from participating in a virtual world like Second Life include opportunities for collaboration, creativity, learning, and global networking with other librarians, educators, and technologists.Originality/valueVirtual worlds are new to most libraries, librarians, and administrators. This interview will be of interest and value to all those interested in extending their reach in reference, collections, and information literacy by pushing out to new technological frontiers and exploring and taking risks in virtual areas where users are going.
Library instruction and information literacy – 2005
Authors: Johnson Anna Marie , Jent Sarah 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to set out to provide a selected bibliography or recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.Design/methodology/approachIntroduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and exhibition catalogues examining library instruction and information literacy.FindingsProvides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.Originality/valueThe information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
Assignment of employees to workplaces under consideration of employee competences and preferences
Authors: Peters Malte L. , Zelewski Stephan 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThis paper seeks to develop a model for the assignment of employees to workplaces. Assignment methods are of high relevance in practice because employees should be assigned to workplaces according to their competences and preferences to ensure that motivated employees carry out tasks effectively and efficiently.Design/methodology/approachTwo goal programming models are introduced with inputs and valuations using the analytic hierarchy process.FindingsThe two goal programming models for the assignment of employees to workplaces, which take into account both employee competences and preferences as well as workplace competence requirements and attributes, seem to be effective in helping to arrive at an optimal assignment decision.Research limitations/implicationsIn practice, one major problem is that the input data for the goal programming models are not updated regularly. Thus, the documentation of the competence profiles and the preferences of the employees might be out of date or incomplete.Originality/valueThe development of the two goal programming models which could be applied immediately in practical competence management is what makes the work valuable and addresses a gap in the modelling of personnel assignment methodologies.
An investigation of the British organizational commitment scale
Authors: Ashman Ian 
Published: February 2007

PurposeAt a general level, this article is concerned with the mechanisms through which constructs important to organizational analysis are identified, operationalized and validated. Specifically, the purpose of this paper is to consider the construct of organizational commitment, investigating the validity of a popular tool for its measurement – the British Organizational Commitment Scale (BOCS).Design/methodology/approach– Problems in defining organizational commitment are discussed before tracing the development of the BOCS from its American precursor (the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire) and linking it with more general criticisms of self‐report measures. The BOCS is subjected to a qualitative evaluation drawing from 23 semi‐structured interviews with employees from three organizations; the evidence from which suggests considerable doubts surrounding its construct validity.Finding– The conclusion drawn is that the psychometric approach to construct validation may be inadequate on its own. A qualitative approach could form part of a more robust triangulation methodology.Research limitations/implications– The conclusion drawn has to be treated with some care, as the nature and scale of the sample do not permit strong generalisation. However, there is enough evidence to recommend that the psychometric orthodoxy typical of organizational commitment research spanning the last 50 years needs reviewing.Practical implications– The BOCS is used by a multitude of employers to evaluate the relationship between employees and organization. The evidence presented suggests they may not be attaining as clear an insight as they would wish.Originality/value– The merits of the organizational commitment as a construct and the mechanisms for measuring are widely accepted. This paper presents what appears to be the first prima facie evidence to challenge its value.
Could CAFTA be the latest conduit for outsourcing pollution?
Authors: Coates Breena E. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use the experience of pollution in the Imperial and Baja California Valleys under NAFTA, as a cautionary model to provide recommendations for deterrence of similar ecological degradation effects that could emerge under the newly‐approved CAFTA.Design/methodology/approachAnalysis of the region using existing statistical data and content analysis of qualitative data from the Imperial and Baja California Valleys, and Costa Rica.FindingsEconomics and ecology have thus far not proved to have a complementary relationship, based on the NAFTA experience in the Imperial and Baja California Valleys. Early data on environmental law suits in the CAFTA region against environmental regulations also point to a negative attitude by business to environmental protections of nation‐states. CAFTA's investment rules puts corporate rights over ecosystems by limiting public regulation and granting legal avenues to corporations to sue governments for “barriers to trade”, where national environmental laws are seen as these so‐called “barriers to trade”.Research limitations/implicationsCAFTA was promulgated in 2005, but only put into effect, January 1, 2006. Thus, as more data emerges about its impacts, additional and more definitive studies can be undertaken.Practical implicationsLooking at the possible environmental effects of CAFTA and NAFTA provides the international community a chance to consider early remediation and prevention measures for the environmental sustainability of the CAFTA region within the context of this large economic market.Originality/valueThis is a fresh and early look at a newly‐installed international trade policy, and its value to scholars and practitioners lies in its cautionary guidance for the future of CAFTA. These arguments are based on experience with other, more longer‐lived, trade policies like NAFTA.
Examining a firm's decisions with a contingency framework for manufacturing flexibility
Authors: Hutchison Jim , Das Sidhartha R. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeTo examine and analyze the decision process that a firm undergoes for acquiring an advanced manufacturing system to obtain manufacturing flexibility for its operations.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach is used to examine these decision processes. A conceptual contingency‐based framework from the literature is used to guide the analysis. The framework proposes that four exogenous variables – strategy, environmental factors, organizational attributes, and technology – guide a firm's decisions on choice and adoption of manufacturing flexibility, which has an effect on the firm's performance.FindingsThe analysis shows that these decisions are aligned with the various relationships in the framework. The framework therefore helps understand and explain the above decision processes. Further, the paper expands the concept of “fit” between the variables in the framework.Research limitations/implicationsSeveral research propositions are developed based on the findings of this study. The findings in this paper are limited to this case study only. The paper does not attempt to validate theory but applies it in the context of examining and analyzing a company's decisions.Practical implicationsThe suggested relationships in the conceptual framework are found to be applicable in a business setting. Practitioners can use the conceptual framework to guide them in making decisions when acquiring advanced manufacturing systems to obtain manufacturing flexibility.Originality/valueThis case study captures richness and detail in the decision‐making processes of an individual firm that are missed by other types of research studies. It helps both academics and practitioners to gain a better understanding of these processes.
Designing CPFR collaborations: insights from seven case studies
Authors: Danese Pamela 
Published: February 2007

PurposeTo comprehend the rationale behind managerial choices that lead companies to implement different types of collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR) collaborations.Design/methodology/approachSeven case studies of supply networks whose central firms operate in different sectors have been analysed.FindingsIdentifies six types of CPFR collaborations, the choice of which can be explained by considering some important contingent factors, such as the CPFR goals, characteristics of the products and markets in which they are sold, supply network's physical and relational structure, and CPFR development stage.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research developed in other contexts is necessary to refine the domain of applicability of the research findings. The opportunity to use the relationships found in this research as a managerial tool calls for the testing of research findings within larger samples of firms, representative of a broader range of industries.Practical implicationsSuggests managers how to select the most appropriate action to be taken to implement CPFR, through the analysis of the context in which CPFR should be implemented.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils the need to clarify the reasons why companies decide to implement different types of CPFR collaborations. Moreover, it contributes to the definition of measures for the CPFR concept, and to the advance of substantive research on CPFR. In literature, few authors devote their attention to rigorously defining CPFR variables or proposing relationships among variables and measures.
Understanding persistently variable performance in plants
Authors: Collins Robert S. , Schmenner Roger W. 
Published: February 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to document the extent to which the relative performance of plants varies over an extended period of time, with some plants performing persistently well and sister plants performing persistently poorly. It examines why this phenomenon occurs.Design/methodology/approachIt does so through interviews and surveys of senior manufacturing executives who oversee multiple plants.FindingsThe interview and survey results are consistent with one another and point to the importance of the “mentality” of a plant's management and workforce: how they think about the factory and its operations. The nature of that mentality is explored.Originality/valueThis paper captures what the “grey hairs” of manufacturing think of factory performance and how to pursue it.