bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Storage solutions in a co‐operative library system
Authors: Kempf Klaus 
Published: February 2005

PurposeAims to highlight how the complex issue of storage problems is managed within the context of German and Bavarian libraries.Design/methodology/approachIntroduces very briefly the main features of the German scholarly library system, focusing on the aspects of storage and archiving. Then, presents the characteristics and peculiarities of the repository concepts realized on the national and the regional level. For the latter, focuses on Bavaria, which provides perhaps the best example of a working co‐ordinated regional archiving system.FindingsIn Germany, establishing a repository library like those in the Scandinavian countries or in the Anglo‐Saxon world seems impossible. In the last few years in the area of storage concepts there has been an avoidance of the idea of central and regional storage libraries. The few existing co‐operative models (examples are to be found in the states of North Rhine Westphalia and Baden‐Württemberg) have failed. In light of experiences thus far, the idea of a more or less self‐sufficient, self‐staffed and independently organized regional storage library must be viewed with scepticism.Originality/valueA storage library is, at least in Germany, currently only conceivable in the sense of a stacks enlargement project, or in the creation of an additional stacks location for an already existing and already archive‐friendly library. The best example is Bavaria.
Telephone survey research for library managers
Authors: Calvert Philip , Pope Adam 
Published: February 2005

PurposeTo explore and evaluate the evidence about the value of using telephone surveys, especially in market research for a library.Design/methodology/approachA critical summary and review of the literature in this field.FindingsThis paper demonstrates that there are five major reasons for using this method of surveying customer preferences: response rates are higher; data can be analysed sooner; the cost of surveys is lower than alternative methods; calls can be monitored for quality; and the telephone offers the benefits of spontaneity.Practical implicationsThe paper contains extensive information on “best practice” of telephone surveying including designing the questionnaire and conducting the interview. There is information on getting a representative sample, plus coping with “no answers”, unlisted numbers and answering machines.Originality/valueLibrary managers with a commitment to using innovative techniques for market research will find telephone surveys offer a useful and cheap alternative to other survey methods. No previous paper has examined the use of, and the value of, telephone surveys in libraries.
Creating a winning board
Authors: Coulson‐Thomas Colin 
Published: February 2005

PurposeTo share the key findings of continuing research programs into successful and unsuccessful approaches to managing change, business development, competing and winning.Design/methodology/approachThe underpinning research compares approaches adopted with outcomes achieved to identify critical success factors for key corporate activities such as winning business, building relationships, managing change and creating and exploiting know‐how.FindingsThe directors and boards of successful and unsuccessful companies behave in very different ways. Corporate performance depends primarily upon what boards actually do and how their members behave. Winning boards are distinguished by the attitudes and conduct of their members and the approaches they adopt. Corporate governance arrangements are often a symptom and consequence rather than a cause of board effectiveness.Practical implicationsThe focus, priorities and preoccupations of many directors and boards need to change if they are to add more value to creating the future.Originality/valueProvides an overview of the main differences between the behaviors of directors and boards of successful and unsuccessful companies.
Fashions of learning: improving supply‐chain relationships
Authors: Preiss Kenneth J. , Murray Peter A. 
Published: February 2005

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a new model of organisational learning that can be used to identify the actual and desired behavioural gaps between firms engaged in supply‐chain relationships. Improved learning implementation is expected to improve significantly the competitive dynamics between supplier‐client‐customer relationships.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the paper discusses the boundary‐spanning chain that takes information from consumers and uses it to tell manufacturers what products to make. For many, transforming down‐side requirements from thought into action has required major reengineering of existing organisational structures, business processes, and the information technology that supports them. The paper discusses why organisational learning is an inherent part of this process. Next, the paper examines various types of organisational learning processes. Third, the paper discusses various strategies for improving learning. The discussion suggests that supply‐chain processes will improve when organisational competencies are tackled by sophisticated learning strategies.FindingsBased on previous empirical work on the relationship between management competencies and learning behaviour, the paper seeks to make a contribution by recognising the theoretical contributions relevant to the field. The model proposed is a new approach in understanding the relationship between learning and supply chain management.Originality/valueThe exploratory nature of the paper will be of significant interest to practitioners in the field.
Trust, commitment and relationships in supply chain management: a path analysis
Authors: Kwon Ik‐Whan G. , Suh Taewon 
Published: February 2005

PurposeThe primary purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between the level of trust and several relevant constructs drawn from transaction cost analysis (such as asset specificity, behavioral uncertainty, and partner's opportunism) and social exchange theory (informational sharing).Design/methodology/approachA comprehensive questionnaire based on various theories on trust and commitment was mailed in 2001 to supply chain practitioners in the Midwest region. A total of 171 valid returns were received out of 1,800 mailings (9.5 percent). A path analysis was used to estimate parameters or relationship between relevant constructs and trust, and trust with the level of commitment.FindingsA firm's trust in their supply chain partner is highly associated with both parties’ specific asset investments and social exchange theory. Information sharing has a primary impact on reducing (improving a partner's uncertainty behavior which, in turn, would improve the level of trust. Finally, the level of commitment is strongly related to the level of trust, supporting Morgan and Hunt's hypothesis.Research limitations/implicationsThis research used supply chain practitioners in one region as a target population. It is highly recommended to duplicate this study in other regions to verify the findings.Originality/valueThis is the first research paper linking various variables to trust and trust to commitment in supply chain management using path model.
Curriculum design and management in theDigital Media U
Authors: Selby Les , Russell David 
Published: February 2005

PurposeTo report on the progress of Digital Media U, a tailor‐made portal, learning environment and management system.Design/methodology/approachDiscusses the design of the learning content domains, acquisition of the content and the systems for managing the curriculum in the future, including the application of a new model of accreditation.FindingsDigital Media U applies the theories and concept of corporate universities to the digital media business sub‐sector, providing continuing professional development that supports regional and individual business strategies. DM‐U creates a “sectoral learning community” in the supply chain of project partners, educational institutions, learners and their organisations. DM‐U curriculum offers choices of topic, delivery, price and location, accommodating the learning needs of micro and SMEs from “just in time/just enough” through to accreditation.Originality/valueProvides information on a new learning community and network for small and medium‐sized enterprises.
A model of values and actions for personal knowledge management
Authors: Zuber‐Skerritt Ortrun 
Published: February 2005

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a “soft methodology” model in knowledge management that addresses the problem of accessing and managing one particular type of knowledge: personal (implicit/tacit) knowledge.Design/methodology/approachThe model is based on the theories and methodologies of grounded theory, adult learning, collaborative action learning and action research. These are the approaches advocated and used actively by some international action learning associations and business schools. Discusses their philosophy and explores how the values and actions that they advocate can be used to access personal knowledge for professional and organizational learning.FindingsThe model presented consists of seven commonly shared values and principles of an action learning and action research (ALAR) culture, captured in the acronym ACTIONS. The paper demonstrates how these seven principles can actually be translated into concrete actions, giving examples from ALAR programs. The matching actions are captured in another acronym – REFLECT. The resulting model, from which are generated seven kinds of personal knowledge, can be used for knowledge management in management education and the workplace.Originality/valueProvides a model for developing individual knowledge management skills, which is a central concern for corporate universities and business schools.
Achieving integrated performance management with the corporate university
Authors: Dealtry Richard 
Published: February 2005

PurposeThis article aims to deliver synoptic perspectives on the evolution taking place in corporate university management best practice.Design/methodology/approachThe insights are based on the author's co‐creative client experience in the design, management and impact studies of this business and organisation development intervention. The text and narrative imagery provide contextual insights into the many challenges and pivotal issues that have to be addressed and resolved if the potential of the corporate university is to be fully realised as a definitive agency for managing the psyche of the learning organisation in knowledge‐intensive environments.FindingsThe article articulates the timeline evolution of the new‐generation corporate university concept and introduces practical frameworks for configuring and upgrading these platforms through higher levels of value‐added design and development.Practical implicationsProvides a breakthrough perspective on the real‐time co‐creative multi‐disciplinary environment, infrastructures and transferable skill sets around which viable new generation company solutions are being designed and sustained.Originality/valueThe article will be of special interest to those career‐minded professional managers and academics who wish to envision the new genre of the corporate university and be well informed about the concepts, practicalities and professionalism required for success.
Designing and managing a strategic academic alliance: an Australian university experience
Authors: Ryan Lindsay , Morriss Ross 
Published: February 2005

PurposeThis article outlines the experience and approach of an Australian university in developing and managing education program partnerships within industry.Design/methodology/approachDescribes how the university has established a specialist Strategic Partnerships unit for managing the customisation and delivery of postgraduate award programs and executive education to industry. Discusses some of the key issues that have contributed to the management of industry partnerships.FindingsSome of the key issues that have contributed to the management of industry partnerships include project management of industry programs and flexibility in developing and delivering education programs to industry from a university perspective.Originality/valueProvides an illustration of the growth of university and corporate education partnerships in an Australian context.
Modelling accessibility to urban services using fuzzy logic
Authors: Thériault Marius , Des Rosiers François , Joerin Florent 
Published: February 2005

PurposeThis paper is an attempt to bridge the gap between, on the one hand, the mobility behaviour of households and their perception of accessibility to urban amenities and, on the other hand, house price dynamics as captured through hedonic modelling.Design/methodology/approachIn order to analyse the mobility behaviour of individuals and households, their sensitivity to travel time from home to service places is estimated so as to assess their perceived accessibility, using “subjective” indices based on actual trips, as reported in the 2001 origin‐destination survey designed for Quebec City. For comparative purposes, both objective and subjective accessibility indices based, in the former case on observed travel times and, in the latter case on fuzzy logic criteria, are computed and used as a complement to a centrality index in a hedonic model of house prices.FindingsFindings indicate that there are statistically significant differences in the way accessibility is structured depending on trip purposes and household profiles. They also suggest that, while an objective measure of accessibility yields good results, resorting to subjective, and more comprehensive, accessibility indices derived from fuzzy logic provides greater insight into the understanding of commuting patterns and travel behaviour of people.Practical implicationsBetter understanding the complexity of individuals’ and households’ mobility behaviour should result in more adequate initiatives and decisions being taken by transportation and city planning authorities.Originality/valueAccessibility to jobs and services has long been known as a major determinant of urban, residential and non residential, rents. Yet, it is more often than not assumed to derive from a rather straightforward process, which this paper shows is not the case.
Discounted cash flow: accounting for uncertainty
Authors: French Nick , Gabrielli Laura 
Published: February 2005

PurposeValuation is the process of estimating price. The methods used to determine value attempt to model the thought processes of the market and thus estimate price by reference to observed historic data. This information is utilised in the discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation model to determine the single point valuation figure. However, the valuation will be affected by uncertainties: uncertainty in the comparable data available; uncertainty in the current and future market conditions and uncertainty in the specific inputs for the subject property. These input uncertainties will translate into an uncertainty with the output figure, the estimate of price. This paper discusses ways in which uncertainty can be incorporated into the DCF model.Design/methodology/approachThis paper looks at the way in which uncertainty can be incorporated into the explicit DCF model. This is done by recognising that the input variables are uncertain and will have a probability distribution pertaining to each of them. Thus by utilising a probability‐based valuation model (using Crystal Ball) it is possible to incorporate uncertainty into the analysis and address the shortcomings of the current model.FindingsThe outcome of introducing uncertainty in the inputs is to produce a range of different answers. The central tendency of this distribution is very close to the single point estimate of the static model, yet the user of the technique now benefits from an understanding of the upside and downside risk pertaining to this single point estimate.Originality/valueThis study contributes significantly to the practical application of probability‐based models to valuation. In particular, the findings from the study will be useful for clients to understand better the context in which a valuation figure is provided to them.
Reduced expression of Dicer associated with poor prognosis in lung cancer patients
Authors: Karube Yoko , Tanaka Hisaaki , Osada Hirotaka , Tomida Shuta , Tatematsu Yoshio , Yanagisawa Kiyoshi , Yatabe Yasushi , Takamizawa Junichi , Miyoshi Shinichiro , Mitsudomi Tetsuya , Takahashi Takashi 
Published: February 2005

Emerging evidence suggests that microRNA, which are well‐conserved, abundant and small regulatory RNA, may be involved in the pathogenesis of human cancers. We recently reported that expression of let‐7 was frequently reduced in lung cancers, and that reduced let‐7 expression was significantly associated with shorter patient survival. Two members of the double‐stranded RNA‐specific endonuclease family, Dicer and Drosha, convert precursor forms of microRNA into their mature forms using a stepwise process. In the present study, we examined expression levels of these genes in 67 non‐small cell lung cancer cases, and found for the first time that Dicer expression levels were reduced in a fraction of lung cancers with a significant prognostic impact on the survival of surgically treated cases. It should be noted that multivariate COX regression analysis showed that the prognostic impact of Dicer (P = 0.001) appears to be independent of disease stage (P = 0.001), while logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the higher incidence of reduced Dicer expression in poorly differentiated tumors remained significant even after correction for other parameters (P = 0.02). Given the fundamental and multiple biological roles of Dicer in various cellular processes, our results suggest the involvement of reduced Dicer expression in the development of lung cancers, thus warranting further investigations of the underlying mechanisms, which can be expected to enhance understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of this fatal cancer. (Cancer Sci 2005; 96: 111–115)
Throwing new light on lung cancer pathogenesis: Updates on three recent topics
Authors: Tomida Shuta , Yatabe Yasushi , Yanagisawa Kiyoshi , Mitsudomi Tetsuya , Takahashi Takashi 
Published: February 2005

Lung cancers have become the leading cause of cancer deaths in Japan, claiming more than 55 000 lives annually. Unfortunately, substantial improvement in terms of cure rates has not been achieved over the last two decades, although during the same period of time in‐depth basic knowledge of the molecular mechanisms, which underlies carcinogenesis and progression of this deadly group of neoplasms, has accumulated at an amazing pace. It has consequently become evident that they have many shared but also distinct features, when comparisons are made not only with other common epithelial cancers of adults, such as colon cancer, but also within the various histologic types of lung cancers themselves. This review article provides an up‐date on cutting‐edge research into the following three different topics, from which important new insights have been obtained. The first concerns genetic instability, especially chromosome instability, and checkpoint failure in lung cancers. Second, we deal with EGFR mutations, which shows revealing specificities in various aspects. Finally, advances in the expression profiling analysis of both transcriptomes and proteomes of lung cancers are summarized. (Cancer Sci 2005; 96: 63–68)
Symptomatic efficacy of beidellitic montmorillonite in irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized, controlled trial
Authors: Ducrotte P. , Dapoigny M. , Bonaz B. , Siproudhis L. 
Published: February 2005

SummaryBackground : Beidellitic montmorillonite is a purified clay containing a double aluminium and magnesium silicate.Aim : To assess the efficacy and the safety of beidellitic montmorillonite (3 g, t.d. for 8 weeks) in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).Methods : A multicentre, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomized study with parallel groups, was performed in IBS patients selected according to ROME I criteria. Patients were included after a 1‐week washout period to confirm that abdominal pain and/or discomfort was rated at least 2 on a 0–4 graded Likert scale. Patients were then randomized and stratified according to their predominant bowel habit profile into three groups. The use of rescue medication was allowed: polyethylene glycol 4000 (10–20 g/day) as a laxative agent in case of stool absence for three consecutive days, phloroglucinol (80 to a maximum of 320 mg/day) as a spasmolytic agent for no more than 8 days. The main end‐point was the improvement of abdominal pain and/or discomfort by at least 1 point on the Likert scale.Results : A total of 524 patients constituted the overall intent‐to‐treat population (ITT), 263 were assessed in the beidellitic montmorillonite group, i.e. 93 diarrhoea‐predominant IBS (D‐IBS), 83 constipation‐predominant IBS (C‐IBS), 87 alternating constipation/diarrhoea‐IBS (A‐IBS); 261 in the placebo group, i.e. 81 D‐IBS, 92 C‐IBS and 88 A‐IBS. Initial analysis in the ITT population demonstrated a higher rate of success with beidellitic montmorillonite (51.7%) when compared with the placebo group (45.2%); however, the difference was not statistically significant. Improvement was significant in C‐IBS both in ITT (beidellitic montmorillonite group = 49.4%, placebo group = 31.5%, P < 0.016) and per protocol populations (59.4% vs. 37.8%) (P < 0.01). The time to improvement of abdominal pain and/or discomfort (log Rank test) was also significantly in favour of beidellitic montmorillonite, (P < 0.04). The average number of stools per day was not different from baseline, either in all patients or in C‐IBS patients. Spasmolytic and laxative agent intakes were not different between the two groups. Subjective evaluation by patients of treatment efficacy and visual analogue scale test of treatment efficacy by investigators were significantly better in the beidellitic montmorillonite group (P < 0.05). Tolerance of beidellitic montmorillonite was considered optimal without any significant adverse event.Conclusions : Although pain or discomfort was not significantly improved in the entire IBS population treated with beidellitic montmorillonite in comparison with placebo, this study demonstrates that beidellitic montmorillonite is efficient for C‐IBS patients (P < 0.016). This effect of beidellitic montmorillonite on pain cannot be explained by changes in bowel habits. The efficacy of this well‐tolerated therapy warrants further confirmatory therapeutic trials in C‐IBS patients.