bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of mergers and acquisitions on corporate performance in India
Authors: Kumar Satish , Bansal Lalit K. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeWhile going for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) management smell financial synergy or/and operating synergy in different ways. But actually are they able to generate that potential synergy or not, is the important issue. The aim of this study is to find out whether the claims made by the corporate sector while going for M&As to generate synergy, are being achieved or not in Indian context.Design/methodology/approachThis empirical study is based on secondary financial data and tabulation, ratio analysis, correlation etc. is being used for analysis.FindingsThe results indicate that in many cases of M&As, the acquiring firms were able to generate synergy in long run, that may be in the form of higher cash flow, more business, diversification, cost cuttings etc.Research limitations/implicationsThe research shows that management cannot take it for granted that synergy can be generated and profits can be increased simply by going for mergers and acquisitions. A case study based research parallel to this study could be initiated to get nearer to reality show.Originality/valueThis study is an extension of M&A performance research, which has been conducted mostly in developed nations on their firms, to Indian firms by taking substantially large number of cases.
Internationalisation of Bharat Forge Limited: a case study
Authors: Pillania Rajesh K. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to follow the internationalisation of an Indian company, Bharat Forge Limited. It studies how a small company from India becomes one of the leading players in the global forging industry.Design/methodology/approachThis is a case study approach for studying the process of internationalisation in one particular firm.FindingsBharat Forge Limited has followed the traditional stages model of internationalisation. It started global foray with exports and continued with that for more than three decades before going for acquisitions way. The company has gone for related‐diversified using its strengths in technology to diversify its products, markets and customers over the years and today has a global footprints in terms of sales and manufacturing locations.Practical implicationsIt shows the way for companies even small ones and from developing countries, that how one can go for internationalisation and emerge as a leading global player.Originality/valueIndia is one of the fastest emerging markets and there is growing interests in Indian economy and Indian firms. But there are few case studies on internationalisation of Indian firms and this study tries to fill that gap. Bharat Forge Limited is an Indian multinational company and has become a leading player in global forging industry.
LOEX‐of‐the‐West 2008: a first time attendee finds Greek sunshine in Las Vegas
Authors: Smith Brena 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this conference report is to provide a perspective of the LOEX‐of‐the‐West (LOTW) biennial conference from a first time attendee.Design/methodology/approachReviews the conference from the perspective of a first time attendee and highlights several sessions that especially reflected the conference themes of experimentation and innovation.FindingsThe paper finds the LOTW biennial conference to be a valuable resource to all librarians in general; and especially valuable to new librarians.Originality/valueThe paper shows that the conference is of high value for reference and information literacy practitioners.
Building an information literacy first‐person shooter
Authors: Clyde Jerremie , Thomas Chris 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the feasibility of modifying a commercial off‐the‐shelf video game that incorporates elements of information literacy.Design/methodology/approachThis paper examines six game design elements of educational video games and discusses the resources required to design and build Benevolent Blue, a “modded” video game.FindingsThis paper provides a discussion of the skills, time and funding required to build a “mod” incorporating information literacy.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough modifying commercial videogames is quite popular, very little discussion or work is written about “modding” and its potential use designing video games for libraries. Further research is required to determine if the knowledge transfer of information literacy skills occurs with players. Additional study could look at incorporating information literacy into video games of different genres and well as the impact that video games have on undergraduate student engagement and satisfaction.Practical implicationsThis paper outlines the resources needed to modify a commercial off‐the‐shelf video game and provides suggestions on how others in libraries might do the same.Originality/valueThis paper looks at serious educational games in a new way – the modification of commercial off the shelf games to develop complete game play experiences that sit outside the classroom and emphasize the importance of play.
Innovation – an LO library: reuse of learning objects
Authors: Mardis Lori A. , Jo Ury Connie 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to share the types, uses, and students' recommendations about reusable digital learning objects at Northwest Missouri State University, which can be used or adapted by other libraries in both online and on‐ground information literacy instruction environments.Design/methodology/approachThe rationale for incorporation of learning objects, their application, and uses is discussed. Examples of successful applications of learning objects in online and on‐ground instructional classes are provided. Models for developing one's own learning objects are included. A survey and analysis for soliciting students' opinions about the reuse of learning objects is included.FindingsThe paper provides suggestions for developing and evaluating learning objects. This includes successful applications of digital learning objects in traditional and online information literacy classes. It shares easy to incorporate learning objects that can be used in tutorials or on‐ground bibliographic sessions and includes a student survey about reuse of learning objects, analysis of survey results, and suggestions for survey improvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe survey population was small. The librarians plan to replicate the survey with a larger audience. The survey may be adapted for use by other academic libraries.Practical implicationsThe paper provides links to libraries of digital learning objects that instruction librarians can immediately begin linking to and using in tutorials or information literacy sessions.Originality/valueThe paper illustrates that access to a library of learning objects enables use of learning objects and enhances ideas for locally created prototypes. The survey can be easily adapted to other library environments to gather suggestions for reuse of local learning objects.
Library instruction and information literacy 2007
Authors: Johnson Anna Marie , Jent Sarah , Reynolds Latisha 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.Design/methodology/approachThe paper identifies and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and audiovisual material, in the area of library instruction and information literacy.FindingsThe paper provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.Originality/valueThe information in the paper may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
Is talent management just “old wine in new bottles”?
Authors: Chuai Xin , Preece David , Iles Paul 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore whether talent management (TM) practices are fundamentally different from traditional approaches to human resource management (HRM) and whether TM in China is an element of the struggle by those in the human resource (HR) profession to improve its credibility and status.Design/methodology/approachCase studies are the main method of collecting data. These are supplemented by documentary analysis. Four in‐depth case studies were undertaken in Beijing. The target organizations were chosen from the information technology, health care and education sectors. The interviews were semi‐structured and were conducted with a range of stakeholders in each organization, including at least one HR specialist (normally, the senior HR professional, senior and functional managers as well as non‐managerial staff. In addition, interviews were also conducted in three management consulting firms regarded as being at the cutting edge in order to explore the orientation of such firms to the TM phenomenon.FindingsTM emerges as being different from traditional HRM, incorporating new knowledge rather than being a simple repackaging of old techniques and ideas with new labels. Therefore, TM should not be seen simply as “old wine in new bottles” with respect to the case of China. In addition, this study challenges the idea that TM is yet another struggle by HR professionals to enhance their legitimacy, status and credibility within their organizations.Research limitations/implicationsThis study concerns itself with only well‐established and recognized multinational corporations in Beijing. There might be different conclusions for the other types of enterprises.Originality/valueThis paper offers new research on TM in China.
Entrepreneurs, social networks and work values of ethnic minorities in France
Authors: Senik Claudia , Verdier Thierry 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe objective of the paper is to shed light on theprima faciedivergence of work values of various ethnic minorities in France. The paper aims to evaluate the influence of entrepreneurial capital on labour market values and outcomes for each ethnic minority.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a French survey rich in attitudinal variables, matched with the French 1999 census of the population. It hinges on the regional variability of entrepreneurial ethnic networks in order to identify the impact of the latter on work values and professional integration of ethnic minorities.FindingsIt is shown that the contrasted labour market outcomes and work values of immigrants from North Africa and Southern Europe are, statistically, totally explained away by their different levels of entrepreneurial capital.Originality/valueThis study hinges on a recent survey, which contains unusual information about the immigrant population of the first and second generation in France. Statistical analysis is made possible by the over‐representation of these groups in the sample design. This paper is one of the first studies into the subjective work values of immigrants in France. The results enter an unchartered territory and provide original evidence of the importance of entrepreneurial ethnic networks in France.
Environmental management system certification and its influence on corporate practices
Authors: González P. , Sarkis J. , Adenso‐Díaz B. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the existence of differences in the implementation of environmental practices between companies that possess some form of certified environmental management system (ISO 14001 or EMS) and those that do not have any such system. This study also investigates whether companies with a certified EMS are also making additional environmental demands on their suppliers.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study utilizing survey data from automotive supplier organizations was completed. A total of 157 in‐person interviews were conducted with managers of Spanish companies which are automotive supplier organizations. Logistic regressions and non‐parametric tests are used to evaluate hypotheses.FindingsA positive relation was found to exist between the possession of certified EMS, specifically ISO 14001 and eco‐management and audit scheme, and the environmental demands that these organizations impose on their suppliers. This finding implies that environmental concern spreads upstream in the supply chain. The environmental demands on suppliers increase with customer organization size, but the degree of internationalization, measured by the rates of imports and exports, does not show a significant relationship to these pressures.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to a single (important) industrial sector and cannot be directly extrapolated to other industries.Originality/valueThere is a paucity of research that relates the adoption of certified EMS by companies to the adoption and implementation of environmental practices in their own organizations and in supply chain partners. This is the first such study to be completed for the automotive industry.
Science, technology and risk perception
Authors: Henwood Karen L. , Anne Parkhill Karen , Pidgeon Nick F. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeA longstanding quantitative finding from surveys of public perceptions of hazardous technologies is that women and men respondents tend to express different levels of concern when asked about environmental and technological hazards. Traditional psychometric risk perception research has provided extensive empirical descriptions of this “gender effect”, but is criticised for having less success in developing substantive theory linking observations to socio‐cultural explanations to explicate this effect. The purpose of this paper is to build a theoretical platform to account for the existing empirical findings on gender and perceptions of risk.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a critical synthesis, drawing upon theory in contemporary risk research, gender theory, social studies of science and feminist studies of epistemology.FindingsA theoretical platform is developed concerning the operation of gender as a regulatory process involving norms and discourse. The role is identified of moral discourses, hegemonic masculinities/gender authenticity, and epistemic subjectivities as plausible ways of understanding the gender–risk effect in risk perception.Research limitations/implicationsA novel theoretical exploration is provided of the relationship between gender and risk perceptions. Conceptual development in the gender and risk arena could be further refined by applying the theoretical platform developed here to empirical analyses and, to investigate its relevance to understanding how people discuss, deliberate and reason about risk issues.Originality/valueMuch of the existing literature fails to offer adequately grounded theoretical explanations for the observed empirical finding on gender and risk. This paper is the first to utilise a non‐essentialist reading of the gender‐risk effect by developing the “effects made by gender” approach.
Gender differences in engineers’ burnout
Authors: Ronen Sigalit , Malach Pines Ayala 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate gender differences in burnout, style of coping and the availability of peer support among high‐tech engineersDesign/methodology/approachA longitudinal study investigated gender differences in burnout, style of coping and the availability of peer support among high‐tech engineers, an interesting occupational group from a gender perspective both because of the masculine culture of the engineering profession and the many prejudices against women engineers. Both the masculine culture and the prejudices help explain the paucity of women engineers and predict high levels of burnout among them.FindingsThe paper's findings supported this prediction. They revealed a significant gender difference in burnout, with women engineers reporting higher levels of burnout than men. The gender differences in burnout were interpreted as related to other findings: women's greater tendency to utilize emotion‐focused coping, their smaller peer support and greater work–family conflict.Originality/valueIn addition to their implications for gender theory and research and for burnout theory and research, the paper's findings point to the need to encourage and support the small and unique group of women engineers.
Subjective well‐being in rich and poor countries
Authors: Farid Mamdouh , Lazarus Harold 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss important predictors of subjective well‐being (SWB) that are relevant to explain well‐being as experienced by individuals in developing countries. The paper will use Egypt as example of an economy in transition to free market. Egypt is the largest country in Africa and Middle East and it is an example of an emerging market that struggles to achieve political stability and economic prosperity.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on data from international survey programs such as: Freedom in the World. Available at:www.freedomhouse.org; World Database of Happiness. Erasmus University Rotterdam. Available at:www.worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl/statnat; Political Regimes Characteristics and Transitions. Available at:www.cidcm.umd.edu/inscr/polity/.Findings– The factors of absolute income, relative income and economic justice, freedom, human rights, social capital, and population density help to explain national SWB in developing countries and the SWB differences between rich and poor countries.Research limitations/implicationsBased on the literature findings that well‐being enhances work productivity; this paper strongly argues that managers in developing and in transition to free market countries should adopt the value of enhancing well‐being and happiness among their workers. Managers should create the appropriate conditions and work design and should also turn their attention to understand and monitor well‐being indicators. Some limitations of the existing literature is that it is still not completely understood why some factors, such as religion, and their moderators affect well‐being of societies and which factors are universal and which are cultural contextual.Originality/valueThe concept of well‐being has rarely been discussed in the management literature compared to the emerging attention to this concept in economic, psychology and sociology literature. Published research argues that economic measurements of national progress and people well‐being, by means of gross domestic product or per capita income, are not sufficiently comprehensive and that individuals' subjective satisfaction or SWB may be added as a more encompassing framework for the quality of life factors. In addition, limited research has been done on SWB in developing countries.
Shift of natural frequencies in earthquake‐damaged structures: an optimization approach
Authors: Horta‐Rangel Jaime , Carmona Socorro , Castaño Victor M. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeEarthquakes can produce important damage in civil infrastructure, including buildings and bridges, representing an important impact on the economy of many countries. The damage is particularly severe when the dominant frequency of the quake approaches one of the resonant frequencies of the structure. One typical failure occurs through the weakening of some beam‐column joints, generally along with the presence of cracking. The standard procedure for repairing this is by reinforcing the damaged zone with steel plates, sleeves or by means of a new section of reinforced concrete covering the old one. These arrangements change the mechanical stiffness and the mass of the structure itself. Accordingly, this work aims to study these mass and stiffness changes of structures through a non‐linear optimization of the modal analysis of the structure.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyzes the potential shifts in natural frequencies of the structure and thus proposes the best conditions under which a damaged bridge could be repaired efficiently.FindingsIn the cases analyzed a similar tendency was observed, namely, that the natural frequencies increase (i.e. diminish their period) with the increase of mass of the bottom columns and with the reduction of the uppers ones. The increase of frequencies by increasing the bottom sections seems to be a viable solution. It is observed that by carrying out the presented procedure it is possible to include more variables, in particular to consider not only the first frequency, but also higher orders.Research limitations/implicationsA purely theoretical approach has been taken in this study.Originality/valueIf confirmed by experimentation this study would have considerable interest to engineers undertaking repair works on earthquake damaged structures.
Managing disaster risks through quality infrastructure and vice versa
Authors: Palliyaguru Roshani , Amaratunga Dilanthi 
Published: November 2008

PurposeReality suggests that the whole world is currently facing an unprecedented scale of natural disasters. Sri Lanka fell into this category after being one of the hardest hit countries of tsunami 2004. Irrespective of the major losses that tsunami 2004 resulted in, Sri Lanka is prone to certain natural disasters such as floods, landslides, etc., which frequently bring in severe damage throughout the country. Within the context of continuous occurrence of hazards and growing vulnerability, risk reduction has become one of the important solutions to mitigate disasters and for speedy recovery after a disaster. Disaster risk reduction entails measures to curb disaster losses by addressing hazards and the vulnerability of people, to them. Disaster risk reduction measures can be categorised in various ways. From another perspective, achieving best quality through reconstruction has shown poor results. However, there is a clear two‐way relationship between the concept of disaster risk reduction and quality of infrastructure, but it is not well explored. This paper aims to explore this issue.Design/methodology/approachResearch on which this paper is based focuses on the need for investigating and exploring the relationship between disaster risk reduction and quality of infrastructure. Accordingly, this paper presents the background of the study based on a critical literature review, mainly the rationale behind selection of this particular research and the expected research approach to be adopted.FindingsThe findings suggest the notion that disaster risk reduction has an ability to influence the ultimate quality of a construction project, ultimately the success of the project.Originality/valueThere is a clear two‐way relationship between the concept of disaster risk reduction and quality of infrastructure, which is not yet well explored. This research will be further extended towards investigating this two‐way relationship.