bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Process metaphor and knowledge management
Authors: Rowe James 
Published: July 2005

PurposeThis paper attempts to develop a metaphor to explain knowledge and perhaps the basic construct of knowledge management, in a way that might add to the practical understanding of organisational knowledge.Design/methodology/approachThe paper explores the notion of knowledge, fact and memory in relation to Parmenidian and Heraclitean approaches to stasis and flux.FindingsThat remembering and imagining can be the same basic process, such that knowledge is created in the present not necessarily retrieved from our technology.Research limitations/implicationsTo consider cybernetic approaches to knowledge management based on learning and self‐organisation as well as “knowledge based” technology.Practical implicationsWhilst in information systems we collect, store and retrieve information, in knowledge systems we create, recreate and recreate the recreating. Here, knowledge management relies more on individual and collective learning than the power of the technology.Originality/valueThe paper attempts to consider knowledge as a process of engagement rather than a resource to be “utilised”.
Appropriation of funds for anti‐ballistic missile defense: a dynamic model
Authors: Tsaganea Doru 
Published: July 2005

PurposeThe results of the November 2004 US elections suggest that the initial missile defense capabilities fielded in 2004 will be developed and expanded during the next 4 years. This process will require a significant amount of money, and therefore, the problem of optimal allocation of funds becomes relevant.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the author presents a theoretical dynamic model for appropriation of funds for developing and deploying defensive systems and maintaining/modernizing offensive systems such as the country's security to be optimized. The offensive systems are regarded as state variables, and the defensive systems as control variables. The criterion of performance consists in the minimization of the number of incoming missiles which cannot be destroyed by the defensive systems. The optimal solutions are calculated by using the Pontryaguine principle.FindingsOne observes that depending on the impact of the development of missile defense systems on the modernization of offensive systems, different policies of fund appropriation should be considered. One also remarks that under given circumstances only one (in theory), or a couple of very close policies (in practice) may be regarded as optimal.Originality/valueThe relationship between the development of missile defense systems and the modernization of offensive systems (or the creation of new offensive systems) is studied by using dynamic systems theory. The optimal appropriation of financial funds is done by applying the principle of Pontryaguine.
Systemic mechanism of organizing and assembling information
Authors: Lerner Vladimir S. 
Published: July 2005

PurposeThe goal is to find a systemic information assembling mechanism, which would describe not only a human being's way of organizing the accepted information but also the general information regularities of this process, applied to different information objects.Design/methodology/approachMathematical formalism of Informational Macrodynamics is employed for system modeling of the object's regularities and the main systemic mechanisms. The developed systemic assembling mechanism joins a chaotic oscillation of incoming information frequencies, initiating a chaotic resonance, into a cooperative attractor. A chain of sequentially built attractors generates a collective information dynamic network (IN), whose hierarchy models the multiple information contributions. An information structure of the IN node's attractors is memorized by the key‐lock connections of resonance frequencies.FindingsThe results indicate that formalized functions of the assembling cooperative information mechanisms represent a general attribute of a system.Practical implicationsA wide area of applications includes behavior analysis, cognition, artificial intelligence, data organization and management, social systems, and education.Originality/valueThe considered results bring together the formal systemic model of the regularities of collective macrodynamics and the mathematical evaluation of a complex individual's behavior in a collective environment.
Describing social systems using social free energy and social entropy
Authors: Stepanić Josip , Sabol Gabrijela , Stjepan Žebec Mislav 
Published: July 2005

PurposeConstant question in determination of a social system state is how to obtain a sufficient quantity of information with a small enough, manageable indicator set.Design/methodology/approachThe concept is developed in a thorough analysis of strengths and weaknesses of existing approaches, and in thorough contrasting the proposed solutions with these.FindingsThe social free energy and social entropy overcome the gap between the meta‐theoretically founded quantities and indicators related to social system state description. The social free energy measures the totality of resources used for social system preservation during changes in environment. The social entropy measures the number of different realisations of a particular state.Practical implicationsCombination of social free energy and social entropy is on the one hand a set of quantities easily determinable from available data, and on the other hand a set of indicators intuitively connected with social system states. We relate the system social free energy and levels of organisation and adaptation. From these measures we derive the measure of social system adaptation.Originality/valueThe use of social free energy in describing the social system states adds a significant value in forming the small set of representative indicators. It is of importance for all researchers; theoreticians and practitioners.
Uniformity tests under quantile categorization
Authors: Marhuenda M.A. , Marhuenda Y. , Morales D. 
Published: July 2005

PurposeIn statistical inference, goodness of fit techniques are frequently used to decide if an observed sample X1=x1, … ,Xn=xn can be considered as independent realizations from a proposed cumulative distribution function F0(x). When goodness of fit tests are based on categorized data, they usually rely on relative frequencies of intervals or on sample quantiles. In this paper, comparisons between frequency‐based and quantile‐based power divergence test statistics are presented to test the hypothesis of uniformity in the interval (0,1) against different families of alternatives and some recommendations are given.Design/methodology/approachDivergence test statistics proposed by Cressie and Read are used and Monte Carlo simulation experiments are carried out. Both methods of categorization are applied separately to test the hypothesis of uniformity in the interval (0,1) and power comparisons are done for the families of alternatives proposed by Stephens. Next, a combined analysis is performed with the test statistics which have given the best results in each kind of categorization.FindingsResults obtained by using quantile categorization are better due to the fact that quantile categorization uses selected exact sample observations. On the other hand, frequency categorization is based on relative frequencies of intervals. For the last type of categorization, there are many samples with the same value at the test statistic, so its discrimination power is reduced.Research limitations/implicationsThe recommendation is limited to the power divergence test statistics introduced by Cressie and Read with parameter λ=−2,−1,−1/2,0,2/3,1,2 and several values of m and n.Practical implicationsAmong the two types of categorizations, quantile categorization is recommended for testing uniformity.Originality/valueThe paper gives useful recommendations to applied statisticians when testing for uniformity.
Solder joint reliability in AgPt‐metallized LTCC modules
Authors: Nousiaianen Olli , Rautioaho Risto , Kautio Kari , Jääskeläinen Jussi , Leppävuori Seppo 
Published: July 2005

PurposeTo investigate the effect of the metallization and solder mask materials on the solder joint reliability of low temperature co‐fired ceramic (LTCC) modules.Design/methodology/approachThe fatigue performance of six LTCC/PCB assembly versions was investigated using temperature cycling tests in the −40‐125°C and 20‐80°C temperature ranges. In order to eliminate fatigue cracking in the LTCC module itself, large AgPt‐metallized solder (1 mm) lands with organic or co‐fired glaze solder masks, having 0.86‐0.89 mm openings, were used. The performance of these modules was compared to that of AgPd‐metallized modules with a similar solder land structure. The joint structures were analysed using resistance measurements, scanning acoustic microscopy, SEM/EDS investigation, and FEM simulations.FindingsThe results showed that failure distributions with Weibull shape factor (β) values from 8.4 to 14.2, and characteristic life time (θ) values between 860 and 1,165 cycles were achieved in AgPt assemblies in the −40‐125°C temperature range. The primary failure mechanism was solder joint cracking, whereas the AgPd‐metallized modules suffered from cracking in the ceramic. In the milder test conditions AgPd‐metallized modules showed better fatigue endurance than AgPt‐metallized modules.Originality/valueThis paper proves that the cracking in ceramic in the harsh test condition can be eliminated almost completely by using AgPt metallization instead of AgPd metallization in the present test module structure.
Taking Lulu seriously: what we can learn from To Sir with Love
Authors: Shouse Roger C. 
Published: July 2005

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine ways in which the film To Sir with Love illustrates several longstanding issues and tensions related to the sociology of education. It is also aims to show how this film (and, by implication, other popular films) can be used to advance understanding among students of educational leadership, organization theory, and the sociology of education.Design/methodology/approachApproaching its 40th anniversary, To Sir with Love is generally considered to be a classic portrayal of a teacher's struggle to engage a group of disengaged and rebellious students in a working class London school. Yet the film also highlights longstanding issues and tensions peculiar to schooling and teaching. From sociological and social‐psychological perspectives, this paper examines this film's underlying meanings and suggests how it can be used to advance understanding among students of educational leadership, organization theory, and the sociology of education.FindingsAlthough the paper focuses on teacher‐student‐peer social interaction, it largely leaves issues of race and class for others to address.Practical implicationsImplicitly and explicitly, the paper highlights the value of using popular film to promote understanding of problems related to educational policy and leadership.Originality/valueA lively discussion, an attempt to construct (rather than deconstruct) new meanings from a classic text.
Riding the wave of administrator accountability: a portfolio approach
Authors: Johnston Marilyn , Thomas Michael 
Published: July 2005

PurposeThis paper aims to describe a qualitative study of a four‐year, state‐wide portfolio evaluation system for new principals. The State of Ohio (USA) was one of five states that participated in a field test of the Portfolio Assessment for School Leaders designed by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS).Design/methodology/approachThe central research question was: Does the Portfolio Assessment for School Leaders process benefit or burden the practice of school leaders? The participants were a subset of the 70 principals who completed the portfolio in Ohio between September 1999 and January 2002. The data included focus group interviews, phone interviews, surveys, and the principals' completed portfolios.FindingsFrom analysis of the data three levels of benefits from level 1 are desribed, where the portfolio was seen primarily as extra work and had little benefit for the leadership in the principals' schools, to level 3, where there was a reciprocal benefit between the portfolio process and the principals' growth and developed as leaders.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was limited to one state in the USA, a particular portfolio system, and data were collected from only a subset of principals who completed their portfolios (26 out of 70).Practical implicationsThe results of this research indicated that the portfolio work was seen as professional development by principals only if it was contextualized in a larger supportive social network of professional practice. It was the use of the portfolio to promote professional development that allowed the portfolio to be a learning tool, and not just a tool of policy compliance.Originality/valueThis research adds to the literature on professional development for principals by providing evidence that portfolios can be used with novice principals to support their development as leaders in their schools. It also indicates the kinds of social and professional support necessary to make this work.
School organizational structures: effects on teacher and student learning
Authors: Jack Lam Y.L. 
Published: July 2005

PurposeThe present study attempted to explore the relationship between teacher learning and student learning under different school structural conditions.Design/methodology/approachSome 1,330 teachers from 29 secondary schools of different community backgrounds and student academic abilities in Hong Kong were surveyed, using instruments from diverse conceptual sources.FindingsFindings emerging from the data supported two propositions: First, high flexible structure fostered conditions that were more conducive to teachers' learning than working conditions which were perceived as “medium” or “rigid” structures. Second, the three structural conditions that elevated greater teacher learning as reported. i.e. having greater control, higher motivation and more collective learning opportunities, exerted a definitive impact on students' progress in diverse aspects of their development.Originality/valueThe results highlight the significance of structural impact on school performance. In so doing, it underscores the need for broadening the scope of investigation of other equally salient internal school environmental features for a better understanding of how school organizational self‐propelled improvement can be sustained.
Domestic inter‐cultural service encounters: an integrated model
Authors: Hopkins Shirley A. , Hopkins Willie E. , Hoffman K. Douglas 
Published: July 2005

PurposeProposes to provide practicing managers and academic researchers with a framework that will help them to understand better the nature of domestic inter‐cultural service encounters.Design/methodology/approachSocial identity theory is used to demonstrate how salient identity cues such as physiognomy, linguistic, and behavioral differences are likely to influence customer expectations during initial and subsequent encounters between domestic customers and culturally distant service providers.FindingsThe framework developed, and the associated propositions, provide practicing managers with insights into how domestic service customers are likely to respond to domestic inter‐cultural service encounters.Practical implicationsDomestic intercultural service encounters have special practical implications for staffing policy and training requirements in service organizations (e.g. there may be ethical and legal challenges for service organizations that refuse to hire service providers unless they can demonstrate competence in the domestic language, customs, etc., or because of visible salient cultural identity cues).Originality/valueExisting service encounter frameworks do not address the role that cultural identity plays in service exchange relationships. The value of this paper is that it uses cultural identity theory to extend an existing model that examines the nature and determinants of customer expectations of service. This extension enhances managers' understanding of service exchange relationships.
Strategic imperatives and the pursuit of quality in the US airline industry
Authors: Rhoades Dawna L. , Waguespack Blaise 
Published: July 2005

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the changing face of airline quality by analyzing the reported service and safety data for the traditional and low cost carriers.Design/methodology/approachData were gathered from Department of Transportation records on service and safety quality from 1996‐2004. A safety rate was calculated for each carrier by adding accidents, incidents, near mid‐air collisions, and pilot deviations and dividing the total number by yearly departures. The service rate was calculated by adding all complaint categories and dividing by yearly departures. Averages and confidence intervals were calculated. Analysis of variance was performed on group means.FindingsThe findings of this study indicate that the low cost carrier group examined here has closed the gap on its traditional rivals in the area of safety quality, posting safety rates that are not statistically different from the traditional carriers over the period of this study. On the other hand, it has not as a group yet addressed the problem of basic service quality, posting a statistically lower level of quality (as measured by consumer complaints).Research limitations/implicationsThe study did not specifically examine airline amenities such as seat pitch, schedule, meals, or in‐flight entertainment.Practical implicationsLow cost airlines appear well placed to continue taking market share away from their traditional rivals who continue to struggle with high costs.OriginalityThis paper is the first to examine the changing dynamics between traditional and low cost carriers following September 11.
Impediments to improvements in service quality in luxury hotels
Authors: Presbury Rayka , Fitzgerald Anneke , Chapman Ross 
Published: July 2005

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to identify the key factors that impede service quality delivery in the context of luxury hotels (four‐ and five‐star properties) in Sydney, Australia.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical dataset for this qualitative study was collected through 22 individual semi‐structured interviews with senior hotel managers of ten luxury hotels in Sydney, Australia. The technique used for analysing the data was progressive comparative analysis, after which constant comparative methodology was applied. The key themes emerging from these techniques have been categorised to form conclusions.FindingsAnalysis of the data revealed a number of impediments to developing and maintaining distinguishable, superior service. These impediments fell into four broad areas: Budget constraints, Staff attitude, Lack of mentoring and High customer expectations.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations with the current study are primarily related to the scope of the research in terms of the number of hotel properties participating, and the fact that it incorporates the views of managers only. Furthermore, the focus of this study was on the hotel sector, and thus the findings cannot be accepted as being necessarily relevant and applicable to services across the tourism/hospitality industry as a whole. Future research needs to be conducted to incorporate the views of all stakeholders in service quality, including non‐management staff and customers.Originality/valueThe findings of this research can inform hotel sector researchers and practitioners of identified impediments to service quality, whether current strategies are addressing these impediments and, if not, how strategies may be modified to address to achieve this.
Quality management in service firms: sustaining structures of total quality service
Authors: Gupta Atul , McDaniel Jason C. , Kanthi Herath S. 
Published: July 2005

PurposeProposes developing a conceptual model that can be used in understanding the relationships between sustaining structures that support the total quality service (TQS) philosophy and customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachIntegrating the SERVQUAL instrument and other work in the service quality literature, especially the Deming management model, this paper develops a model for understanding the interactions between customer satisfaction and sustaining structures.FindingsThis conceptual paper develops three constructs: leadership, organizational culture and employee commitment, which are very important in achieving total quality service objectives. The proposed model links these three constructs with business processes and total quality service.Research limitations/ implicationsIt is not an empirical investigation of customer satisfaction and sustaining structures. The paper does not review in detail the impact of the three constructs on business processes. A researcher who plans to do a customer satisfaction study could benefit from the proposed model as it will provide valuable insights about the interactions between customer satisfaction and sustaining structures.Originality/valueThis paper provides an important conceptual framework for evaluating the relationships between customer satisfaction and sustaining structures.
An analysis of online gaming crime characteristics
Authors: Chen Ying‐Chieh , Chen Patrick S. , Hwang Jing‐Jang , Korba Larry , Song Ronggong , Yee George 
Published: July 2005

PurposeTo arouse the public awareness of online gaming‐related crimes and other societal influences so that these problems can be solved through education, laws and appropriate technologies.Design/methodology/approachA total of 613 criminal cases of online gaming crimes that happened in Taiwan during 2002 were gathered and analyzed. They were analyzed for special features then focusing on the tendency for online gaming crime. Related prosecutions, offenders, victims, criminal methods, and so on, were analyzed.FindingsAccording to our analysis of online gaming characteristics in Taiwan, the majority of online gaming crime is theft (73.7 percent) and fraud (20.2 percent). The crime scene is mainly in internet cafés (54.8 percent). Most crimes are committed within the 12:00 to 14:00 time period (11.9 percent). Identity theft (43.4 percent) and social engineering (43.9 percent) are the major criminal means. The offenders (95.8 percent) and victims (87.8 percent) are mainly male and offenders always proceed alone (88.3 percent). The age of offenders is quite low (63.3 percent in the age range of 15‐20), and 8.3 percent of offenders are under 15 years old. The offenders are mostly students (46.7 percent) and the unemployed (24 percent), most of them (81.9 percent) not having criminal records. The type of game giving rise to most of the criminal cases is Lineage Online (93.3 percent). The average value of the online gaming loss is about US$459 and 34.3 percent of criminal loss is between $100 and $300.Research limitations/implicationsThese criminal cases were retrieved from Taiwan in 2002. Some criminal behavior may have been limited to a certain area or a certain period.Practical implicationsProvides a useful source of information and constructive advice for the public who will sense the seriousness and influence of online gaming crimes. Further, this topic may have implications on e‐commence, e‐services, or web‐based activities beyond gaming.Originality/valueSince there is little published research in this area, this paper provides the public with a good and original introduction to a topic of growing importance.