bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Business perceptions of public relations in New Zealand
Authors: Sterne Graeme David 
Published: February 2008

PurposeThis research aims to describe business perceptions of public relations (PR) in New Zealand. It also intends to provide insights which will assist the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) to achieve its mission “to promote PR as a reputable, dynamic profession”.Design/methodology/approachSenior management from 28 of New Zealand's top 200 companies completed a questionnaire and participated in a 45‐minute interview to explore definitions of PR and its place in their organisations. A symbolic interactionist methodology was utilised to analyse the findings.FindingsThe study finds that CEOs had a low opinion of public relations practitioners. They tended to see PR as an integral part of doing business. They also saw reputation management as best conducted by themselves rather than a consultancy – except in a crisis. A clear distinction was made between PR (consultancy based) and corporate communication (in‐house). None of the companies used the term PR in their in‐house communications titles. Communications managers distanced themselves from PR, claiming instead to offer integrity‐based, transparent communication. Marketers saw PR as serving marketing. CFOs and Legal Counsel saw PR as serving strategic objectives but were sceptical about the competence of communications practitioners to deliver strategic communication.Research limitations/implicationsDespite a very good response rate (66.7 per cent) the base was uneven in terms of geographic spread and category of organisation. Since this is a descriptive study links between observations and contributing factors can be suggested but do not establish causality. This study did not extend to the public sector that employs a number of PR practitioners in New Zealand especially in Wellington.Practical implicationsLarger businesses in New Zealand are wary of the term PR. Should the profession abandon the name or fight for a new definition? Communication is definitely part of senior management decision making in New Zealand but PR and communication practitioners need to demonstrate their value if they want to participate at this level. PRINZ can assist the promotion of PR by professionalising the practitioners and by influencing the training of the increasing number of PR graduates who are being introduced to the industry.Originality/valueNo such study has been completed in New Zealand so this study will provide a comparison with UK, US and European studies of perceptions of PR. This study aligns with the Murray and White study of CEO views of reputation management in that it gathers data from senior management.
Interpersonal communication skills that enhance organisational commitment
Authors: Bambacas Mary , Patrickson Margaret 
Published: February 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is threefold. First, to investigate the interpersonal communication skills that human resource (HR) managers expect managers in supervisory positions possess. Second, to identify which of these skills HR managers expect managers use to engender subordinate commitment to the organisation. Third, the paper aims to investigate what interpersonal communication skills that enhance employee commitment to the organisation are most lacking in managers in supervisory positions.Design/methodology/approachThe approach of the study is a series of in‐depth interviews with 32 senior HR managers in organisations with over 100 staff.FindingsThe paper finds that senior HR managers expected managers to be effective in interpersonal communication focusing mainly on the clarity and frequency of the messages, their ability to actively listen and the ability to lead in a collaborative way. The way messages were sent, especially their clarity, and a leadership style that engendered trust, was of the highest importance when HR managers wanted to enhance employee commitment to the organisation. However, these skills were also the ones found most lacking.Practical implicationsHR practitioners need to consider more explicitly what behaviours are important to promote organisational commitment.Originality/valueThis paper highlights that the interpersonal communication skills that enhance organisational commitment and are most valued by organisations are those that are most lacking in managers. This paper also provides insight for practitioners to the interpersonal communication skills areas that managers need to develop so that their interaction with staff may enhance commitment to the organisation.
Modeling the standard compliant software processes in the university environment
Authors: Rozman Tomislav , Vajde Horvat Romana , Rozman Ivan 
Published: February 2008

PurposeOne way to improve the quality of business and software processes is to make them compliant with standard. This paper seeks to explore the suitability of the BPMN and the teaching method for process modeling, which uses SEI CMMI‐SW standard as input and produces software process models as output.Design/methodology/approachThe research approach consists of two parts. First, the students' responses during practical lectures of process modeling were gathered and studied. Then, the teaching process was modified and students' responses were studied again. The second part involves the survey about students' attitude towards BPMN usability and ease of use.FindingsThere are two key findings of the study. First, using the SEI CMMI‐SW standard in early phases of software process modeling is not very effective, because it overloads the students with abstract requirements, which are included in the standard. The more effective way is to use the standard in later phases of process modeling, in the phase of assessment and improvement of the process model. The second key finding is that there is a positive attitude among students towards BPMN usage for process modeling.Research limitations/implicationsThere is no evidence that this teaching approach can be generalized beyond the population of information science students and academic environment.Practical implicationsThe improved teaching method for business and software process modeling can be used in similar environments (practical lectures of process modeling). Although there is no evidence, quality managers from organizations can also benefit from the lesson learned and avoid a less suitable process‐modeling approach.Originality/valueThe paper is useful to all roles in education and businesses, who deal with process models and standards (teachers, business and software analysts, quality managers, process designers).
Examining product and process effects on consumer preferences for online and offline channels
Authors: Zhang Aimao 
Published: February 2008

PurposeThis paper seeks to incorporate theories from commodity studies, functional studies, institutional studies, and transaction cost economics, to integrate product and process approaches and simultaneously examine the effects of product and process on consumer preferences for online and offline channels.Design/methodology/approachThe study took a systemic approach. It reviewed the existing literature, proposed a theoretical framework, designed and administrated a measurement instrument, analyzed survey results, and provided implications and conclusions.FindingsIn addition to the type of product, the type of transaction process has a significant impact on consumer preferences for online and offline channels.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample representation was limited to college students. The analysis also assumed the independency of repeated measures on the subjects.Practical implicationsThis paper will facilitate managers in designing and choosing transaction channels based on product type and process function type.Originality/valueThis is the first study which examines the impact of both factors – transaction product and transaction process – on channel preference. The transaction process is systemically defined into four sub‐functions and measured accordingly. An instrument is developed and administer to measure consumer preferences for online and offline channels in response to different types of products and different types of process functions. It is the first instrument of this kind.
Self‐directed (distance) learning infectious disease control MPH program
Authors: Birnbaum David 
Published: February 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to confirm what program features potential students would view as incentives or disincentives toward enrolling in a unique self‐directed (distance) learning infectious disease control MPH (Master of Public Health) program currently being developed.Design/methodology/approachAn internet discussion list announcement invited infection control professionals to participate in structured telephone interviews. This pilot study survey was conducted to confirm underlying assumptions about program features that might be viewed as incentives or disincentives by prospective students.FindingsResponses were received from all regions of the USA except Alaska. Findings from 78 interviews confirm our underlying assumptions about delivery preferences, critical features, perceived value and reasonable cost for a self‐directed (distance) learning Infectious Disease Control MPH degree. Respondents clearly expressed a preference for distance education, but exhibited lack of familiarity with the various types and relative merits of different distance delivery modalities.Originality/value“Build it and they will come” has long been a widespread assumption in curriculum development. However, continuing education and advanced credentialing needs of health professionals can be better served by executive‐MBA‐style programs. One lesson from examining the experience of our academic MBA colleagues is to know your clients. This study uniquely confirms assumptions about the educational preferences of infection control professionals.
Guidelines for reviewers
Authors: Fielden Sandra L. 
Published: February 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide authors and reviewers with guidance for the development and review of manuscripts.Design/methodology/approachThe paper sets out the background to the journal and provides details of what is expected of manuscripts in terms of theoretical grounding and methodological accuracy.FindingsThe journal encourages diversity in thinking about gender in management and welcomes papers from all academic disciplines which can contribute to management knowledge about this area.Originality/valueThis sets out the criteria employed by the journal in assessing the suitability of submitted manuscripts.
Senior careers in retailing
Authors: Broadbridge Adelina 
Published: February 2008

PurposeRetailing as a sector employs many women and serves a female‐dominated customer base. It also employs proportionately more women in management positions than in other occupational sectors. However, at senior levels, the proportion of women to men diminishes. This paper aims to examine the perceived facilitators and problems of senior retail managers' career development in order to see if it offers any insights for others to achieve senior managerial positions.Design/methodology/approachThe main research instrument was a quantitative questionnaire with 124 UK senior retail managers.FindingsThe findings revealed that apparently more similarities than differences were reported by the men and women senior retail managers. These findings need to be treated with some caution however given that retailing operates in a strong masculine culture. Therefore, to assume that men and women encounter similar facilitators and problems ignores that they are being compared against a norm of male characteristics and values.Practical implicationsThe senior women may have achieved their positions by ignoring their feminine characteristics and putting their career before their personal lives; they may have adopted the male cultural norms and developed a style top management are more comfortable with, else they may have more characteristics that are closer to the male norms than the average woman. Men further down the hierarchy may also suffer and may not achieve senior positions because they too are not prepared to conform to idealised and outdated male cultural norms.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is its concentration on the views and experiences of retail managers in senior positions, as these are the ones who have seemingly broken through the glass ceiling.
The evaluation of male and female managers at a local municipality in Hungary
Authors: Nagy Beáta , Vicsek Lilla 
Published: February 2008

PurposeThe study sets out to examine how male and female managers in general and male and female municipal executives in particular are evaluated by the members of the organisation.Design/methodology/approachThe study presented used the methodology of focus group discussion.FindingsThe results show that employees clearly had different expectations regarding the characteristics of male and female executives. The most negative image of female executives emerged in the group of men. However, even female office managers tended to mention numerous negative features of women executives, and seemed to prefer men in executive positions.Research limitations/implicationsThe research involved four focus group sessions at the municipality in the autumn of 2004, consequently the research results cannot be generalised.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the limited number of academic literature on female executives in Hungary, and explores the deep prejudices against women in leading positions.
Equal, but different?
Authors: Brandl Julia , Mayrhofer Wolfgang , Reichel Astrid 
Published: February 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze how the status and functional responsibilities of female human resource (HR) directors vary cross‐nationally and how gender egalitarian cultural values affect role differences between female and male HR directors.Design/methodology/approachA cross‐country comparison of HR directors involving 22 countries based on the 2004 Cranet survey.FindingsConsistent with the hypotheses, gender egalitarian values reduce sex‐role differences for strategic integration and for traditionally female‐stereotyped HR functions. However, there is no support for the notion that egalitarian values influence sex differences for male‐stereotyped HR functions. Since, the data indicate higher levels of involvement of female HR directors in male‐stereotyped HR functions in 12 out of 22 countries, unequal distribution of functional responsibility is interpreted as an indicator for sex differences in administrative workload.Originality/valueMacro cultural factors matter for sex‐role differences in strategic integration and functional responsibilities of HR directors. The effects of gender egalitarian values have greater impact on reducing vertical differences than horizontal differences.
Seeding cool‐season grasses into unimproved warm‐season pasture in the southern Great Plains of the United States
Authors: Bartholomew P. W. , Williams R. D. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractLimited availability of herbage during the cool season creates a problem of a supply of nutrients for livestock producers throughout the southern Great Plains of the USA and, particularly, on small farms where resource constraints limit possible mitigating strategies. Six cool‐season grasses were individually sown into clean‐tilled ground, no‐till drilled into stubble of Korean lespedeza [Kummerowia stipulacea (Maxim) Makino] or no‐till over‐sown into dormant unimproved warm‐season pastures. The dry matter (DM) yields of mixtures of cool and warm‐season herbage species were measured to test their potential for increasing cool‐season herbage production in a low‐input pasture environment. Only mixtures containing Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam) produced greater year‐round DM yields than undisturbed warm‐season pasture with all establishment methods. When cool‐season grass was no‐till seeded into existing warm‐season pasture, there was on average a 0·61 kg DM increase in year‐round herbage production for each 1·0 kg DM of cool‐season grass herbage produced. Sowing into stubble of Korean lespedeza, or into clean‐tilled ground, required 700 or 1400 kg DM ha−1, respectively, of cool‐season production before the year‐round DM yield of each species equalled that of undisturbed warm‐season pasture. Productive pastures of perennial cool‐season grasses were not sustained beyond two growing seasons with tall wheatgrass [Elytrigia elongata (Host) Nevski], intermediate wheatgrass [Elytrigia intermedia (Host) Nevski] and a creeping wheatgrass (Elytrigia repens L.) × bluebunch wheatgrass [Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh)] hybrid. Lack of persistence and low productivity limit the usefulness of cool‐season perennial grasses for over‐seeding unimproved warm‐season pasture in the southern Great Plains.
Involvement of Foxp3‐expressing CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in the development of tolerance induced by transforming growth factor‐β2‐treated antigen‐presenting cells
Authors: Zhang Haining , Yang Peizeng , Zhou Hongyan , Meng Qianli , Huang Xiangkun 
Published: February 2008

SummaryA growing body of evidence has shown that professional antigen‐presenting cells (APC) treated with transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) can induce a systemic antigen (Ag)‐specific tolerance, similar to anterior chamber‐associated immune deviation (ACAID). However, the exact mechanism for immune tolerance induced by TGF‐β‐treated APC has not been elucidated. In this study, we showed that intravenous injection of ovalbumin (OVA)‐pulsed APC treated with TGF‐β2 induced a peripheral tolerance as evidenced by an impaired delayed‐type hypersensitivity (DTH) response. CD4+ T cells from mice receiving an intravenous injection of TGF‐β2‐treated APC pulsed with OVA could adoptively transfer a specific tolerance to naïve mice. An increased frequency of FoxP3‐expressing CD4+ CD25+ T cells was observed in mice with tolerance. CD4+ CD25+ T cells from TGF‐β2‐treated APC‐injected mice produced a large amount of TGF‐β1 and exhibited an in vitro antigen‐specific suppressive activity. CD4+ CD25+ T cells from TGF‐β2‐treated APC‐injected mice were able to inhibit the antigen‐specific DTH response significantly when adoptively transferred to naïve mice. These results indicate that FoxP3‐expressing CD4+ CD25+ T cells might be actively involved in the development of tolerance induced by TGF‐β2‐treated APC.
The relationship between caregiver burden, caregivers’ perceived health and their sense of coherence in caring for elders with dementia
Authors: Andrén Signe , Elmståhl Sölve 
Published: February 2008

Aim.  The aim of this study is to examine associations between caregiver burden, perceived health and sense of coherence in family caregivers to persons with dementia living at home.Background.  Most of the studies on family caregivers have focused on burden and morbidity. However, the caregiver's sense of coherence and perceived health have not been studied earlier in relation to caregiver burden.Design.  A cross‐sectional investigation design was used.Methods.  Older persons, 2238 subjects, with any form of social services, were invited to an assessment of cognitive capacity. Those who had cognitive decline (255) were invited for a medical examination and 130 persons were diagnosed as having dementia. The family caregivers to persons with dementia answered a questionnaire including a caregiver burden scale, the Nottingham health profile scale, sense of coherence scale and the Euroqol instrument.Results.  The family caregivers experienced moderate burden, and strong associations were noted between burden, especially isolation, disappointment and emotional involvement with perceived health and sense of coherence, adjusted for age and relationship. Caregivers with lower burden reported significantly better perceived health and higher mean score of sense of coherence than caregivers with higher burden.Conclusions.  Assessment of status of family caregivers of persons with dementia living at home seems to be gaining considerable importance. The caregiver burden scale and the sense of coherence scale seem to be highly useful for identifying carers at risk of stress, pattern of burden and coping strategies.Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurses can help family caregivers to identify their negative experiences about caregiving and can help them reflect upon their coping strategies to find balance in their situation. Risk groups of caregivers may be identified, especially those with low perceived health and sense of coherence, for early interventions to reduce burden.
Contribution of the Reelin signaling pathways to nociceptive processing
Authors: Akopians Alin L. , Babayan Alex H. , Beffert Uwe , Herz Joachim , Basbaum Allan I. , Phelps Patricia E. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe reeler gene encodes Reelin, a secreted glycoprotein that binds to the very‐low‐density lipoprotein receptor (Vldlr) and apolipoprotein E receptor 2 (Apoer 2), and induces Src‐ and Fyn‐mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of the intracellular adaptor protein Disabled‐1 (Dab1). This Reelin–Dab1 signaling pathway regulates neuronal positioning during development. A second Reelin pathway acts through Apoer 2–exon 19 to modulate synaptic plasticity in adult mice. We recently reported positioning errors in reeler dorsal horn laminae I–II and V, and the lateral spinal nucleus. Behavioral correlates of these positioning errors include a decreased mechanical and increased thermal sensitivity in reeler mice. Here we examined mice with deletions or modifications of both the Reelin–Dab1 signaling pathway and the Reelin–Apoer 2–exon 19 pathway on a Vldlr‐deficient background. We detected reeler‐like dorsal horn positioning errors only in Dab1 mutant and Apoer 2/Vldlr double mutant mice. Although Dab1 mutants, like reeler, showed decreased mechanical and increased thermal sensitivity, neither the single Vldlr or Apoer 2 knockouts, nor the Apoer 2–exon 19 mutants differed in their acute pain sensitivity from controls. However, despite the dramatic alterations in acute ‘pain’ processing in reeler and Dab1 mutants, the exacerbation of pain processing after tissue injury (hindpaw carrageenan injection) was preserved. Finally, we recapitulated the reeler dorsal horn positioning errors by inhibiting Dab1 phosphorylation in organotypic cultures. We conclude that the Reelin–Dab1 pathway differentially contributes to acute and persistent pain, and that the plasticity associated with the Reelin–Apoer 2–exon 19 pathway is distinct from that which contributes to injury‐induced enhancement of ‘pain’ processing.
Endo‐sponge treatment of anastomotic leakage after ileo‐anal pouch anastomosis: report of two cases
Authors: Koperen P. J. Van , Henegouwen M. I. Van Berge , Slors J. F. M. , Bemelman W. A. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractObjective  The endo‐sponge was used in two patients in the treatment of anastomotic leakage following ileo‐anal J‐pouch reconstruction. Recently, local vacuum sponge treatment has shown to be effective to treat contained anastomotic leakage after low anterior anastomosis in rectal cancer patients.Method  Two patients (male, 18 years; female, 40 years) who underwent restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis developed localized anastomotic leakage without general peritonitis. This was endoscopically managed by transanal placement of an endo‐sponge (B. Braun Medical B.V., Melsungen, Germany) after a diverting ileostomy was performed.Results  The sponge was frequently replaced until resolution of the sinus was achieved in 35 and 56 days.Conclusion  Vacuum endo‐sponge treatment can help anastomotic leakage after ileo‐anal pouch surgery.