bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Protecting investors and the integrity of capital markets
Authors: Borg Joseph 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to express a point of view concerning recent recommendations to reduce or eliminate the authority of state securities regulators.Design/methodology/approachThe paper cites three recent reports by the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation, McKinsey & Co., and the US Chamber of Commerce and makes a case for a continued, strong role of state securities regulators, working alongside federal and SRO regulators.FindingsThe study contends that the cited reports reach the wrong conclusions concerning US capital markets competitiveness and the need to weaken the securities regulatory framework.Originality/valueThe paper expresses a state securities regulator's point of view and provides the reader with web site references for three important recent reports in US capital markets competitiveness.
Draft amendments to the German Investment Act
Authors: Zeller Sven 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to summarize recent draft amendments to the German Investment Act as reflected in the second Draft dated 2 April 2007.Design/methodology/approachThe paper summarizes proposed changes in regulations for investment companies and product‐related changes in the German Investment Act.FindingsThe paper finds that proposed changes for investment companies include investment companies losing their status as credit institutions, a requirement for an independent director on a supervisory board, a reduction in initial capital requirements, a cancellation of certain reporting obligations, an acceleration of the approval process for fund rules, a shortening of the publication process for fund rule changes, and clarification of the distinction between public distributions and private placements. Product‐related changes include modified provisions on redemption obligations and value determination as well as a requirement to maintain adequate risk management systems for open‐ended real estate funds; liberalized provisions for special funds; the introduction of infrastructure funds; and the introduction of “other funds.” A comprehensive revision of provisions for investment stock corporations is also proposed.Originality/valueA clear, concise summary of proposed amendments to the German Investment Act by a lawyer who specializes in the field, useful for German investment company compliance officers as well as compliance officers in other countries looking for an introduction to German investment company regulations.
Implementation of the Transparency Directive changes shareholder notification requirements across Europe
Authors: Hougie Andrew , Brescia Jessica , Marion Alexandre , Ebell Katharina , Hudsyn Thierry , Bouvy Pascal 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe and compare the different ways in which the shareholder disclosure requirements under the European Union Transparency Directive have been implemented in the UK, France, and Germany. Belgium and Luxembourg have not yet implemented the Directive.Design/methodology/approachThe paper explains the categories of entities that must comply with reporting requirements, disclosure/reporting thresholds, categories of direct and indirect shareholdings to which these thresholds apply, and the reporting required methods of notification.FindingsThe paper finds that the new European rules broaden the categories of entities that must comply with the reporting requirements. In the UK, France and Germany, thresholds are calculated based on all shares or other financial instruments to which voting rights are attached and indirect holdings must be aggregated and separately identified. Additionally, Germany imposes further notification requirements with respect to options.Originality/valueThe paper provides a useful comparative analysis of new shareholder disclosure requirements in the UK, France, and Germany.
Development of B2B electronic data interchange using XML format
Authors: Fu Hsin‐Pin , Chang Tien‐Hsiang , Wang Collin , Hu Kuan‐Yu 
Published: June 2007

PurposeTo propose some recommendations to improve the model that the Taiwanese Government developed for business to business data‐interchange standards for XML format (DIS_XML) of seven industries.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the DIS_XML development of Taiwan from a practical perspective. After an assessment of industrial structures and characteristics and recommendations are proposed for the development model.FindingsThe study concludes that the structure and function of development organization, expert knowledge, top management involvement and support, communication between relevant departments and the achievement of consensus are key factors in establishing the industrial DIS_XML.Practical implicationsThe study revealed the development content of government promoting the DIS_XML of seven industries in Taiwan and will be of assistance to other countries that are inclined to promote.Originality/valueGovernmental involvement of the sort demonstrated by the Taiwanese Government is a rare phenomenon in the world. Such government involvement has directed the thrust of business involvement in the development of DIS_XML, and will ultimately determine whether it succeeds.
Integrating local suppliers in a global supply network
Authors: Thomas Andrew , Barton Richard 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe development of a local area supply chain network (LASCaN) is only as good as the skills and technological capabilities of the companies within that network. Recent studies have pointed to the lack of capability amongst local suppliers and hence many OEMs have now moved towards global supplier networks to meet demand. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the drivers which push companies to develop global supplier networks.Design/methodology/approachThrough the development of a case study approach, the paper chronicles the design, development and implementation of a supplier development programme (SDP). The programme is subsequently evaluated for its effectiveness in the subject company.FindingsThe LASCaN is evaluated rigorously and describes accurately the effectiveness of the system and how the integration of the LASCaN into the global network allows the company to meet the demands of a fluctuating, mass customised market.Originality/valueThe proposed SDP framework for the successful development of a LASCaN contributes to the existing knowledge base on supply chain systems and subsequently disseminates this information in order to provide impetus, guidance and support towards increasing the development of local suppliers in an attempt to move the UK SME sector towards world class manufacturing performance.
Production and operations managers and logistics managers: a cross‐country comparison
Authors: Burcher Peter G. , Lee Gloria L. , Sohal Amrik S. 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the contribution of production and operations managers (POMs) and logistics managers (LMs) in improving manufacturing and service operations, comparing experiences in Australia and Britain.Design/methodology/approachThe findings are based on surveys of the two occupations in the two countries. Thus, the focus is on comparing and contrasting two strategically placed occupations within the supply chain and in two traditional manufacturing economies in developed countries, in opposing hemispheres of the world.FindingsThe working lives of 254 Australian and 195 British POMs and 303 Australian and 168 British LMs are explored to see how well prepared they are for the business challenges of today, whether they see the need for changes in the ways in which they work and what satisfactions they derive from their worlds of work?Practical implicationsInsights are provided for senior management into the deployment and personal and professional development needs of two key occupations within supply chain management.Originality/valueThe findings from the research give fresh insights into the ways in which managers in the two areas of responsibilities in the two countries.view their worlds of work
A variation management system supporting six sigma
Authors: Tannock James D.T. , Balogun Oluwatuminu , Hawisa Hisham 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe new methods to manage variation in complex manufacturing process chains and to show synergies between the variation risk management (VRM) and six‐sigma approaches.Design/methodology/approachThe research methodology was experimental prototyping conducted in collaboration with industry partners. A prototype IT system was developed and tested to implement the approach. A quality cost‐based system was used to assess variation at each operation stage, for every product characteristic.FindingsA comprehensive approach to the management of manufacturing variation is introduced, based on a new process risk matrix which can be used to specify an individual variation risk for every manufactured characteristic, throughout a manufacturing process chain. The approach has been implemented in a prototype software system and is aimed at the complex products such as those manufactured by the aerospace industry.Research limitations/implicationsThe IT approach described was developed during the research and is not commercially available.Practical implicationsManufacturing industry should be able to use this approach, in particular the process risk matrix concept, to develop more effective management of product variation and resultant cost, in complex process chains.Originality/valueThe paper describes a novel approach to combine VRM and six‐sigma concepts, and introduces the process risk matrix as a structure to understand process variation.
The integration of shop floor control in wafer fabrication
Authors: Hsu S.Y. , Sha D.Y. 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to consider the interaction among shop floor control (SFC) strategies (order review/release, dispatching, and rework strategies) and its impact on the performance of wafer fabrication. How to select a suitable set of SFC strategies in wafer fabrication is the main topic.Design/methodology/approachThe paper tried to find the better combination of these strategies by specific performance indicators. A virtual wafer fab is built based on a real case in Taiwan and used for simulation test. Seven ORR rules, eight dispatching rules, and three rework rules are considered in the simulation test.FindingsThe paper finds that the performance of most ORR strategies will be improved when combined with suitable dispatching and rework strategies. But no single strategy can satisfy all performance indicators.Practical implicationThe performance of most ORR strategies will be improved when combined with suitable dispatching and rework strategies. No single strategy can satisfy all performance indicators. In practice, we should choose SFC strategies carefully based on the system conditions. Furthermore, ORR, dispatching, and rework strategies cannot be separately considered. Instead, they should be combined and integrated for improving the system performance.Originality/valueSimulation tests and statistical analysis are done for three kinds of SFC strategies on a virtual wafer fab. The suitable combinations of SFC strategies for different performance indicators are suggested in this paper. The selection of ORR, dispatching and rework rules in wafer fabrication are discussed in the paper.
A discussion of Fashion Victims
Authors: Cairns George , Roberts Joanne 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a selection of responses to the report Fashion Victims, published by War on Want in December 2006. It offers a range of viewpoints presented by members of the Editorial Advisory Board of CPOIB. These are presented in chronological order of submission. There is some cross‐reference by contributors to the work of others, but no attempt is made to present a unified argument.Design/methodology/approachPresents the full contributions of involved participants, without mediation or editorial change.FindingsA number of different perspectives are presented on the central issue that is summarised by the opening heading in War on Want's report – “How cheap is too cheap?” It is seen that the answer to this question is very much dependent upon the standpoint of the respondent.Originality/valueIn presenting this form of commentary, members of the CPOIB Editorial Board seek to stimulate debate about an issue of concern to contemporary society, without resort to the time delay and mediating processes of peer‐review normally attached to academic writing. It is hoped that this discussion will provoke further contributions and a widening of the debate.
The impact of ownership concentration, and identity on company performance in the US and in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Bedő Zsolt , Ács Barnabás 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between ownership structure and company performance of public companies. The central tenet of the analysis is that separation of ownership and control has an adverse effect on the value of the firm, as information asymmetry between owners and managers is exploited by management.Design/methodology/approachA cross sectional regression is conducted using data on 669 companies, which were members of the S&P 500, BUX (Hungary), WIG (Poland), SBI (Slovenia), PX (Czech) indexes in the third quarter of 2005. Owners with at least 5 percent share ownership are collected from Reuters and Business and Company Resource Center databases.FindingsResults for CEE companies are in line with that of Earle et al. and also support Zwiebel's “space creation” concept. The negative effect of multiple shareholdings is due to collective action problems instead of alternative explanations such as manager repression. Companies in the CEE region have rather concentrated ownership, which implies that at least there is one blockholder with dominant stake allowing him to influence corporate decision making. The contribution to management control of the next largest blockholder generates tension between the two causing costs that exceed the benefits of control. Interestingly, enough in case of institutional investors as largest blockholders the formerly positive effect on performance became negative. This is in contradiction with the popular literature that emphasizes the beneficent role of institutional investors. Results for the US firms also show that dominant blockholders “create their own space” in another word when the ownership stake of the largest blockholder exceeds 10 percent the contribution of smaller owners to the monitoring and control of management is negative. This implies that even though the dominant blockholder is much smaller in size relative to the one in the CEE sample its willingness to cooperate is low. On the other hand, when the largest blockholder is not dominant the coalition of blockholders is able to create value by efficient monitoring. Institutional investor as dominant blockholder further enhances the efficiency of control, while decreases it when coalition consists solely from institutional investors.Originality/valueThe definition of ownership concentration outlined by Zwiebel is applied. To assess the effect of coalition of blockholders on company performance the concept determined by Earle et al. is used. Their notion is extended by differentiating between blockholder identity and the homogeneity of blockholder coalition, in order to scrutinize the consequence of shareholder activism.
Improving motivation among health care workers in private health care organizations
Authors: Vilma Zydziunaite , Egle Katiliute 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe study aims to explore the experiences of nursing personnel in private health care organizations in Lithuania, in terms of their work motivation and satisfaction, promotion and quitting the job, interpersonal interaction at work and to identify areas for sustainable improvement to the health care services they provide.Design/methodology/approachThe research problem includes the following questions. What is the attitude of nursing personnel to the existing elements of motivation in private health care organizations? What organizational tools should be developed in order to improve the motivation of nursing personnel? The sample consists of 237 registered nurses practitioners and 30 nurses' managers working in private health care sector. Methods: data selection: questioning survey; data analysis: descriptive statistics, correlation and factor analysis (using SPSS for Windows 12.0). The research instrument involves 99 closed‐ended items divided into 11 evaluation blocks; Cronbach α of every part ranges from 0.68 to 0.85.FindingsResults showed no statistical differences among nurse practitioners and executives of what motivates them in private health care organization as workplace and illuminated factors that decrease and increase motivation among nurses. Motivation decreases, when nurses are not empowered not autonomous in activity; nurses' competencies (specific professional and general) are not applied in full value, e.g. managerial, educational, social‐psychological, clinical/expertise; decisions are not made collectively; in organization does not exist mechanism of information‐sharing; meetings of personnel are not prepared methodically. Motivation increases when the nurses collaborate with physicians by parity; nursing profession is respected and recognized as autonomous and valued by themselves and other health care specialists; the interpersonal communication is effective and conflicts are solved constructively.Research limitations/implicationsA major weakness is that the characteristics of the present sample may limit the generalizability of the results. The major implication is that the paper supports the prediction for characteristics of motivation among health care workers in private health care organizations with perspective of nursing personnel.Originality/valueThe paper examines in a private health care sector the factors that increase and/or decrease the motivation of nursing personnel.
Leveraging knowledge in China: the experience of a foreign entrepreneur
Authors: Lightfoot William S. , Almeida James 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThis paper aims to present the observations of an Italian expatriate who has made China his home. It provides insights into the reasons he has been successful, which will help western firms learn how to better do business with the Chinese.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based off an intensive interview with a Western entrepreneur.FindingsThis paper reviews the case of JESA industrial limited featuring comments and the perspective of its expatriate founder as he leads the further evolution of JESA from roots as an industrial market research and outsourcing consultancy focusing primarily on small and medium sized enterprises in Italy, to one that combines western and Chinese knowledge and experience with technical expertise and competency to serve a growing base of western businesses and Chinese expatriates.Originality/valueThis study is original in that it provides insight from the perspective of a successful business person who has gone through the process of integrating into the Chinese business world. Linkages are made to other studies, and literature. The paper helps foreign executives in small, medium, and large enterprises understand some of the nuances involved in doing business in and with China from the perspective of a successful western expatriate.
Video research: a way forward for the industry
Authors: Geeson Andrea 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to increase awareness of the benefits of using video in research, especially for studies involving young children.Design/methodology/approachThe paper points out the benefits of the use of video‐based research.FindingsThe paper suggests that video‐based research can work alongside traditional research techniques – by adding a camera researchers can record and document non ‐verbal responses, allowing much more data to be captured and analysed, from facial expression to a plethora of emotions. The implications of using video in research are beneficial to both the researchers and respondents alike. Video has a very high response rate – respondents reply to an innovative approach and seize the opportunity to climb on to the closest thing they have to a real life soapbox. Young consumers, who can find it difficult to articulate their thoughts in other forms of research, can be observed and understood much more easily through video. Video research also has the possibility to transform not only the way research is conducted, but also the image of the MR industry. By updating research techniques to include video one can change the perceptions consumers have of the practice and increase the speed at which research is delivered and the amount of people with whom it is shared.Originality/valueIt is more memorable and safer to have visual evidence of consumers rather than relying on mental pictures; as face‐to‐face contact research dwindles with the rise of e‐research this paper will be of value to anyone looking to find ways to tackle the problem of the faceless consumer.
Uncovering retail shopping motives of Indian youth
Authors: Kaur Pavleen , Singh Raghbir 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe retail boom in India brings tremendous opportunities for foreign as well as domestic players. The changing lifestyle of the Indian consumer makes it imperative for the retailers to understand the patterns of consumption. The changing consumption patterns trigger changes in shopping styles of consumers and also the factors that drive people into stores. Hence, the key objective of this paper is to uncover the motives that drive young people to shop in departmental stores or malls.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 115 students has been taken and their responses have been gauged through a personally administered, structured questionnaire.FindingsThe results reveal that the Indian youth primarily shop from a hedonic perspective. They importantly serve as new product information seekers, and the retailing firms can directly frame and communicate the requisite product information to them.Originality/valueAs not much work in India has been done in this context, the paper seeks to provide fruitful insights into the motives of Indian youth that can benefit academics as well as marketers.