bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparison of reading and listening performance: computer‐controlled speech and printed text presentations
Authors: Junor Lloyd , Junor Paul 
Published: October 2006

AbstractPrint‐handicapped people enrolled at any level of the education system are expected to acquire the same information as their peers who are readers of printed text. Research which compares performance rates of reading print with auding of materials read onto tape generally reports substantially higher performance by readers of print. The different strategies employed by readers and listeners are said to be responsible for the variation in performance.This article describes the development of one method and the associated instrumentation which permits a more exact comparison of reading and listening performance. It ensures that important factors such as word rate, timing, inter‐word pauses, and overall presentation duration are identical for visual or audio presentations. The inclusion of these factors enables a more direct comparison of reading performance with listening performance at a range of presentation speeds, including accelerated presentations from time‐compressed tapes. An investigation which employed this technique for comparing reading and listening performance has provided new findings on how readers and listeners operate. This should provide a more complete understanding of the benefits and limitations of accelerated reading and listening techniques in the educational context.
Initial Experiences of Creating Multimedia Computer Simulations to Replace Pharmacology Practicals
Authors: Stevens Robert , Lewis David , Sewell Robert 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe replacement of traditional practicals by CAL simulations was prompted by a combination of economic factors, a decreased level of technical support and the requirement for a large capital investment to replace old and broken equipment. In an economic climate which promised only further increases in the number of undergraduates and no assured commensurate increase in resources, CAL appeared to be a possible alternative (Brown et al, 1988). Our only previous attempt to produce our own CAL package had been written in Turbo Basic on a 286 PC. It had involved considerable time and effort and the results were not particularly realistic. The increase in computing power offered by the 486 series of PCs, availability of low cost sound and video capture expansion cards, and the emergence of authoring systems, such as Toolbook, Hypercard and Authorware, appeared to provide an opportunity to produce better simulations (Purcell, 1993; Hartley, 1993).
Audit Committees: Is There a Role for Corporate Senates and/or Stakeholders Councils?
Authors: Guthrie James , Turnbull Shann 
Published: October 2006

There is currently increasing pressure for the mandatory establishment of audit committees in both the private and public sectors. Audit committees, as presently conceived, cannot adequately manage the conflicts of interest and loyalty to board colleagues which arise from boards processing information which is used to evaluate their own performance. As a complementary approach, this paper examines the use of binary boards in both the private and public sectors for improving the management of conflicts. The origin, development and use of audit committees in the private and public sectors within the US and Australian context is reviewed. Audit Committees are compared with the use of supervisory boards in Europe, and the development in Australia of a corporate senate in the private sector and client (stakeholder) councils in the public sector.The paper notes that audit committees were initially created in the US to protect outside directors in a different context than currently exists in either the US or Australia. While they may also serve the interest of management and auditors, Audit Committees may not protect shareholders and operational stakeholders. The paper concludes that the audit expectation gap could be minimised through management becoming accountable to a Corporate Senate in the private sector, and a Stakeholder Council in the public sector, with the auditor being engaged by and reporting to these bodies.
Creativity in Japanese Society
Authors: Schwarz‐Geschka Martina 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACT‘The Japanese are not creative, they just copy….’ This prejudice often crops up when you ask Western people about the creativity of the Japanese. However, Japanese industry is at the leading edge in many industrial sectors and one cannot adhere to this prejudice any longer. Japanese creativity is interesting from two points of view. First, Japanese industry is very competitive and the success cannot be explained by a single factor, like low wages or production costs. Secondly, there is a big difference between Japanese and western civilization and a comparison shows cultural influences on creativity in understanding and practice. However, the cultural specialities which are labelled as Japanese are mostly characteristic of other East Asian cultures as well.
The Emerging Political Perception of Organizations: Two Paradigms
Authors: Banner David K. 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTThis article examines the premise that increasing concentration of power in large, multinational organizations will eventually necessitate the political control of such organizations to ensure the interests and well‐being, however defined, of their host countries. This view assumes that centralized control is necessary to prevent abuses of power by private organizations who are not necessarily concerned with the public good. Another view is the anarchist paradigm, where it is assumed that people and groups, left to sort things out among themselves, will eventually produce outcomes beneficial for the whole. Aligned with this approach is the transformational or emerging paradigm. I will examine the assumptions that underlie each paradigm and leave the reader to decide their relative validity.
Entrepreneurial Innovation: Beyond Schumpeter
Authors: Ise Masafumi 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTThe Schumpeterian model of entrepreneurial action has been deeply influential in the study of entrepreneurship. This article examines the response to this model of the Indian researcher Mathew Manimala, published in Creativity and Innovation Management, Volume 2, number 3 and links it to the ‘value chain’ concept advocated by Michael Porter. This provides a scheme for stimulating intrapreneurship (entrepreneurial activities within large corporations), which requires the loosening of traditional boundaries between professional departments, and an acceptance of multi‐function team processes.
TAX‐PRICE REFORM WITH DIRECTLY UNPRODUCTIVE PROFIT‐SEEKING (DUP) ACTIVITIES*
Authors: Mitra Pradeep K. 
Published: October 2006

This paper explores the extent to which insights available from existing writings on directly unproductive profit‐seeking (DUP) activities in international trade modify rules of tax and tariff reform in normative public economics and examines in what way these should affect advice on tax policy usually given to developing countries.The analysis proceeds by developing two models. The first incorporates revenue seeking directly into a standard open economy public finance model and examines whether analysis of policy reform and economic costs of distortionary tariffs must be modified. The second includes a political component in the form of lobbying for subsidies – the expenditure side of the budget – as well as a normative economic component that raises taxes – the revenue side – to finance the social costs of such lobbying. The model can be used to determine the effects of politically determined expenditures on tax setting.The analysis shows that the grammar of welfare‐theoretic arguments that underlies the reform and design of tax and tariff structures is robust to the inclusion of DUP activities of the type considered here. In particular, the latter lend no presumption in favor of uniformity in tax and tariff structures. It is argued that existing policy advice on tax and tariff reform derived from models where DUP activities have traditionally played no role continues to be appropriate when account is taken of formal treatments of DUP‐type phenomena extant in the current literature.
DIMENSIONS, TRANSACTIONS COSTS AND COALITIONS IN LEGISLATIVE VOTING*
Authors: Koford Kenneth 
Published: October 2006

Dimensional studies of Congressional voting have found a single dominant “ideological” dimension, while regression estimates find that constituency variables and party are dominant. Koford (1989b) recalibrated the dimensional studies, and found that several dimensions are important. This study reviews those findings, and then considers additional reasons why dimensional studies might understate the number of dimensions. It then examines the regression estimates for biases that overstate the number of dimensions. Overall, fewer dimensions are found than seem consistent with the wide variety of constituents' preferences on issues.A model is developed in which the transactions costs of building coalitions reduces the number of dimensions visible on roll‐call votes below the underlying dimensionality of preferences in the issue space. When legislative parties build internal coalitions to pass and defeat bills, voting on randomly drawn bills has a single party‐oriented dimension. Natural ideological dimensions are reinforced when parties write bills and logroll along natural lines of cohesion. Numerical examples suggest that these effects could be important, and suggest lines for empirical investigation of the underlying issue space.
Interest rate linkages within the EMS and bank credit supply
Authors: Chen Andrew H. , Mazumdar Sumon C. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe exchange rates between the currencies of European Monetary System (EMS) members are essentially fixed between narrow bands mandated by the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). the intent of such a fixed rate regime is to enhance policy co‐ordination within the EMS. However, it has instead led to German policy dominance within the system according to several recent studies. We examine the optimal dynamic credit policy of a bank in an EMS country that is subject to such German ‘dominance’. Our stochastic control model reveals conditions under which German monetary policies can influence domestic bank lending behaviour. It also suggests that banks may be able to hedge such risk exposure by increasing in size. the model offers ‘credit supply' based explanations for recent regulatory reforms in Europe towards unified banking and the attempts of several EMS members to de‐link their policies from that of the German Bundesbank.
Persistence and mean reversion in UK stock returns
Authors: Poon Ser‐Huang 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis paper re‐examines the issue of persistence and mean reversion in UK stock returns in the light of new developments published in Chow and Denning (1993) the random walk hypothesis is tested using multiple variance ratios for returns on the Financial Times All Share Index and 330 individual stocks for the period January 1965 to June 1994. There is no evidence of reversion in the UK stock market. Persistence only exists in high frequency data and is less strong in more recent times. Moreover, it is a portfolio phenomenon and is related to firm size. There is a possibility that persistence/reversion is also industry‐related.
Sovereign risk assessment and agency credit ratings
Authors: Cantor Richard , Packer Frank 
Published: October 2006

AbstractSovereign ratings are gaining importance as more governments with greater default risk borrow in international bond markets. However, while the ratings have proved useful to governments seeking market access, the difficulty of assessing sovereign risk has led to agency disagreements and public controversy over specific rating assignments. Recognising this difficulty, the financial markets have shown some scepticism toward sovereign ratings when pricing issues.
Equity rights issues: Signalling vs issue price irrelevance hypothesis
Authors: Tsangarakis Nickolaos V. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study examines the relationship between common stock returns and the subscription price level of equity right offerings in Greece during the period 1981–90. the findings show that the associated stock returns are independent of the issue price. This evidence does not support the view that the issue price serves as a signal of the stock's true value.
Trade Transparency and the London Stock Exchange
Authors: Board John , Sutcliffe Charles 
Published: October 2006

AbstractOn the London Stock Exchange the publication of large trades is delayed to give the market‐maker concerned time to unwind the change in their inventory. Using trade and quotations data on 42 stocks for two years, a number of different effects are investigated. These include the association between trade size and the traded bid‐ask spread, the inventory control policies of individual market‐makers around large trades, the size and speed of the price impact of large trades whose publication is delayed, and the effects of delayed publication on the volume and spreads of the traded equity options market.
Symbols, Rituals and Power: The Lost Dimensions of Crisis Management
Authors: Hart Paul 't 
Published: October 2006

There is a systematic deflation in governmental rhetoric of the developments that call attention to the unequal distribution of goods and services and a systematic inflation of the forms of threat that legitimize and expand authority. The latter are defined as crises, the former as problems. As crises recur and problems persist, so does a governmental dramaturgy of coping. (Edelman, 1977: 49)This article proposes a more power‐critical approach to the analysis of crisis management and, in this respect, explores the possible contribution of research on political and organizational symbolism. Viewed in terms of symbolic action, attention is drawn to the opportunity spaces that crises entail for policy makers and other crisis actors. To exploit these, it is important for decision elites to influence collective definitions of the situation in such a way as to highlight preferred courses of action and to selectively obscure alternative interpretations. Three types of symbolic ‘crisis handling devices’ (framing, ritualization and masking) are presented and illustrated. In conclusion, the need for a broader perspective on the nature of the politics of crisis management is emphasised.
What Role to Play? Intermediaries in International Conflict as Negotiators and Facilitators
Authors: Kleiboer Marieke 
Published: October 2006

Mediating Conflict: Decision‐making and Western Intervention in Namibia, V. Jabri, Manchester University Press, Manchester (1990), 198 pp. Intermediaries in International Conflict, T. Princen, Princeton University Press, Princeton (1992) (paperback edition 1995), 263 pp. Ending Mozambique's War: The Role of Mediation and Good Offices, C. Hume, United States Institute of Peace Press, Washington DC (1994), 162 pp.
Producing Technological Innovations
Authors: Stowers Genie N.L. 
Published: October 2006

Innovation in Technology and Organization, P. Clark and N. Staunton, Routledge, London (1989), 242 pp. Corporate Vision and Rapid Technological Change: The Evolution of Market Structure, P. Swann and J. Gill, Routledge, London (1993), 244 pp. New Technologies and The Firm: Innovation and Competition, Edited by P. Swann, Routledge, London (1993), 383 pp. High Technology and the Competition State: An Analysis of the Eureka Initiative, J. Peterson, Routledge, London (1993), 287 pp.
Ebola Virus: From Medical Emergency to Complex Disaster?
Authors: Benini Aldo A. , Bradford‐Benini Janet 
Published: October 2006

Ebola haemorrhagic fever is a fatal disease caused by a new virus which has no known cure. Few outbreaks have been documented. Two major epidemics occurred in Africa in 1976. When a new epidemic was detected in Zaire in the spring of 1995, it was widely perceived as a threat to the West. Public attention was intense. A massive intervention, led by UN and US agencies, followed and put an end to the epidemic within less than two months.The intervention was successful for several reasons. Effective cooperation benefitted from the network which had been initiated by virologists since the 1976 outbreak, NGO activism and international pressure. Cultural under‐currents had prepared the West for the outbreak. The prestige and competency of the international responders – particularly the UN World Health Organization and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention – helped to keep the emergency a simple one; amenable to a disciplined public‐health approach. Initiatives of the Zairian authorities that might have transformed it into a complex disaster were effectively amended.A future outbreak may be harder to cope with. Unless resources are better balanced between scientific work on new viruses and grassroots organizations that play a crucial part in handling most epidemics, the current progress may be short‐lived. The next Ebola outbreak in Zaire might find the country in political turmoil. Access for public health responders may be severely limited and compounded by security and human rights issues. A complex emergency could, then, form easily.
Toxic Waste and Risk Prevention: Rating US Policy
Authors: Clifford Mary 
Published: October 2006

Ecological Politics in an Age of Risk, Ulrich Beck, Polity Press, Cambridge (1995), 216 pp.EcoPopulism: Toxic Waste and the Movement for Environmental Justice, Andrew Szasz, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis (1994), 216 pp.Toxic Debts and the Superfund Dilemma, Harold Barnett, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill (1994), 334 pp.Beyond Superfailure: America's Toxics Policy for the 1990s, Daniel Mazmanian and David Morell, Westview Press, Boulder (1992), 278 pp.
Minimum area requirements of breeding birds in fragmented woodland of Central Argentina
Authors: Dardanelli Sebastián , Nores María Laura , Nores Manuel 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTThe breeding avifauna of 25 woodland fragments (0.85–280 ha) was studied between 1996 and 2004 in Córdoba, Argentina. A distinctive feature of the avifauna of the fragments studied is the low area requirement of most of the species. Of the 54 woodland species recorded, 32 (59.3%) requirec. 1 ha and 43 (79.6%) needed no more than 3 ha. Also noticeable is the relatively high number of individuals of most of the species. Both characteristics suggest a good tolerance to fragmentation. However, nine species (16.7%), the area‐sensitive species, need fragments of 80 ha or larger. Moreover, eight resident species have apparently become extinct in the fragments that were studied, including the five large species that originally inhabited the area. Proportional odds and log linear models were fitted to relate the minimum area requirements of these species to various ecological characteristics (body size, diet, habitat use, migratory status, and nest type). Closed nesters, resident, woodland exterior, and medium‐size species were the groups requiring larger areas. No apparent pattern was observed between area requirements and diet. A recent law prohibits woodland removal, which is a positive step towards the conservation of the fragments. The results suggest that as long as the present amount of woodland is maintained, the situation of the avifauna of the fragments is relatively secure, at least in the short term.
Resolving the native provenance of invasive fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis Poir.) in the Hawaiian Islands as inferred from phylogenetic analysis
Authors: Le Roux Johannes J. , Wieczorek Ania M. , Ramadan Mohsen M. , Tran Carol T. 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTAccurate identification of weedy species is critical to the success of biological control programs seeking host‐specific control agents. Phylogenetic relationships based on internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1, ITS2) DNA sequence data were used to elucidate the most likely origin and taxonomic placement of Senecio madagascariensis Poir. (fireweed; Asteraceae) in the Hawaiian archipelago. Putative S. madagascariensis populations from Madagascar, South Africa, Swaziland, and Hawaii were included in the analysis. Different phylogenetic models (maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood) were congruent in suggesting that Hawaiian fireweed is most closely related to populations from the KwaZulu‐Natal region in South Africa. Phylogenetic divergence and morphological data (achene characteristics) suggest that the S. madagascariensis complex is in need of revised alpha‐level taxonomy. Taxonomic identity of invasive fireweed in Hawaii is important for finding effective biological control agents as native range populations constitute different biotypic variants across a wide geographical area. Based on our phylogenetic results, research directed at biological control of Hawaiian infestations should focus on areas in the KwaZulu‐Natal region in South Africa where host‐specific natural enemies are most likely to be found. Our results show that phylogeographical analysis is a potential powerful and efficient tool to address questions relevant to invasion biology of plants.
Dispersal as a key element of community structure: the case of ground beetles on lake islands
Authors: Zalewski Marcin , Ulrich Werner 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTIn order to study the influence of dispersal ability on community structure of ground beetles (carabidae), 15 lake islands and 2 mainland sites of the lake Mamry archipelago, northern Poland, were sampled by using pitfall traps. Of the 71 ground beetle species detected, 47 were macropterous, 16 wing‐dimorphic and 8 brachypterous. Macropterous species had lower site abundances and occupied fewer sites than dimorphic and brachypterous species. There were trends from macropterous to brachypterous species towards a nested distribution across the sites and towards over‐dispersed (aggregated) species co‐occurrences. Canonical correspondence analysis pointed to site isolation and area as main factors influencing site abundance and spatial distribution. Our results imply that further studies on species co‐occurrences and community assembly have to consider dispersal ability as a key element influencing ecological distributions at the regional scale.