Showing papers by "City University London published in 2005"

Strategy Research in Emerging Economies: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom

Abstract: This review and introduction to the Special Issue on 'Strategy Research in Emerging Economies' considers the nature of theoretical contributions thus far on strategy in emerging economies. We classify the research through four strategic options: (1) firms from developed economies entering emerging economies; (2) domestic firms competing within emerging economies; (3) firms from emerging economies entering other emerging economies; and (4) firms from emerging economies entering developed economies. Among the four perspectives examined (institutional theory, transaction cost theory, resource-based theory, and agency theory), the most dominant seems to be institutional theory. Most existing studies that make a contribution blend institutional theory with one of the other three perspectives, including seven out of the eight papers included in this Special Issue. We suggest a future research agenda based around the four strategies and four theoretical perspectives. Given the relative emphasis of research so far on the first and second strategic options, we believe that there is growing scope for research that addresses the third and fourth.

Requirements engineering paper classification and evaluation criteria: a proposal and a discussion

Abstract: In recent years, members of the steering committee of the IEEE Requirements Engineering (RE) Conference have discussed paper classification and evaluation criteria for RE papers. The immediate trigger for this discussion was our concern about differences in opinion that sometimes arise in program committees about the criteria to be used in evaluating papers. If program committee members do not all use the same criteria, or if they use criteria different from those used by authors, then papers might be rejected or accepted for the wrong reasons. Surely not all papers should be evaluated according to the same criteria. Some papers describe new techniques but do not report on empirical research; others describe new conceptual frameworks for investigating certain RE problems; others report on industrial experience with existing RE techniques. Other kinds of papers can also be easily recognized. All of these types of papers should be evaluated according to different criteria. But we are far from a consensus about what classes of paper we should distinguish, and what the criteria are for each of these classes.

Corporate Social Performance and Stock Returns: UK Evidence from Disaggregate Measures

Abstract: This study examines the relationship between corporate social performance and stock returns in the UK. Using a set of disaggregated social performance indicators for environment, employment and community activities, we are able to more closely evaluate the interactions between social and financial performance than would be the case for an aggregate measure. While scores on a composite social performance indicator are significantly negatively related to stock returns, we find that the poor financial reward offered by such firms is attributable to their good social performance on the employment and to a lesser extent the environmental aspects. Interestingly, we find that considerable abnormal returns are available from holding a portfolio of the socially least desirable stocks. These relationships between social and financial performance cannot be rationalised by multi-factor models for explaining the cross-sectional variation in returns or by industry effects.

From Intended Strategies to Unintended Outcomes: The Impact of Change Recipient Sensemaking

Abstract: The tendency for intended strategies to lead to unintended consequences is well documented. This longitudinal, real-time analysis of planned change implementation provides an explanation for this phenomenon. We focus on the social processes of interaction between middle managers as change recipients as they try to make sense of the change interventions. We show the extent to which lateral, informal processes of inter-recipient sensemaking contribute to both intended and unintended change outcomes, and therefore the unpredictable, emergent nature of strategic change. The findings raise the issue of the extent to which it is possible to manage evolving recipient interpretations during change implementation.

Bank Competition, Concentration and Efficiency in the Single European Market

Abstract: The deregulation of financial services in the European Union, together with the establishment of the Economic and Monetary Union, aimed at the creation of a level-playing-field in the provision of banking services across the EU. The plan was to remove entry barriers and to foster competition and efficiency in national banking markets. However, one of the effects of the regulatory changes was to spur a trend towards consolidation, resulting in the recent wave of mergers and acquisitions. To investigate the impact of increased consolidation on the competitive conditions of EU banking markets, we employ both structural concentration ratios) and non-structural (Panzar-Rosse statistic) concentration measures. Using bank level balance sheet data for the major EU banking markets, in a period following the introduction of the Single Banking License (1997-2003), this paper also investigates the factors that may influence the competitive conditions. Specifically, we control for differences in efficiency estimates, structural conditions and institutional characteristics. The results seem to suggest that the degree of concentration is not necessarily related to the degree of competition. We also find little evidence that more efficient banking systems are also more competitive. The relationship between competition and efficiency is not a straightforward one: increased competition has forced banks to become more efficient but increased efficiency is not resulting in more competitive EU banking systems.

A Network Analysis of the Italian Overnight Money Market

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to analyze, by employing methods of statistical mechanics of complex networks, the network topology of the Italian segment of the European overnight money market. We investigate differences in the activities of banks of different size and the evolution of their connectivity structure over the maintenance period. The main objectives are to understand potential implications of current institutional arrangements on the stability of the banking system and to assess the efficiency of the interbank market in terms of absence of speculative and preferential trading relationships.

Attitudes, women’s employment and the domestic division of labour: a cross-national analysis in two waves

Abstract: This article draws on a repeat of a 1994 survey, carried out in 2002, in three contrasting countries: Britain, Norway and the Czech Republic.The 1994 survey demonstrated that there was a significan...

Dimer Models from Mirror Symmetry and Quivering Amoebae

Abstract: Dimer models are 2-dimensional combinatorial systems that have been shown to encode the gauge groups, matter content and tree-level superpotential of the world-volume quiver gauge theories obtained by placing D3-branes at the tip of a singular toric Calabi-Yau cone. In particular the dimer graph is dual to the quiver graph. However, the string theoretic explanation of this was unclear. In this paper we use mirror symmetry to shed light on this: the dimer models live on a T^2 subspace of the T^3 fiber that is involved in mirror symmetry and is wrapped by D6-branes. These D6-branes are mirror to the D3-branes at the singular point, and geometrically encode the same quiver theory on their world-volume.

Gay men who look for sex on the Internet: is there more HIV/STI risk with online partners?

Abstract: Objective: To examine whether the excess risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) seen among gay men who look for sex through the Internet occurs with men they meet online (through the Internet) rather than offline (in bars, clubs, etc).Methods: In 2002-2003, 4225 London gay men were surveyed in an HIV treatment clinic, HIV testing clinic, gyms and on UK Internet sites (gaydar and gay.com). All men completed a self-administered questionnaire concerning Internet use and sexual risk behaviour. Unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) with a partner of unknown or discordant HIV status was classified as non-concordant.Results: Between 40 and 50% of men surveyed in the clinics and gyms used the Internet to look for sex. HIV-positive men who looked for sex through the Internet were more likely to report UAI with HIV-positive casual partners they met online rather than offline (clinic sample: met online only 9.9%, met offline only 3.8%, McNemar P < 0.05). Regardless of HIV status, however, men who looked for sex through the Internet were no more likely to report UAI with non-concordant casual partners they met online than offline (eg, HIV-negative men, Internet sample: met online only 9.71%, offline only 11.1%, McNemar P = 0.6).Conclusions: In London, HIV-positive gay men appear to meet casual UAI partners of the same status through the Internet. This presents a risk for STI transmission. However, gay men were no more likely to meet casual UAI partners of unknown or discordant HIV status - which presents a risk for HIV transmission - online rather than offline. (c) 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Research-derived web design guidelines for older people

Abstract: This paper presents the development of a set of research-derived ageing-centred Web design guidelines. An initial set of guidelines was first developed through an extensive review of the HCI and ageing literature and through employing a series of classification methods (card sorting and affinity diagrams) were employed as a means for obtaining a revised and more robust set of guidelines. A group of older Web users were then involved in evaluating the usefulness of the guidelines. To provide evaluation context for these users, two websites targeted to older people were used. This study makes several contributions to the field. First, it is perhaps the first manuscript that proposes ageing-friendly guidelines that are for most part backed by published studies. Second, the guidelines proposed in this study have been thoroughly examined through a series of expert and user verifications, which should give users of these guidelines confidence of their validity.

Prenatal Hormones and Postnatal Socialization by Parents as Determinants of Male-Typical Toy Play in Girls With Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

Abstract: Toy choices of 3- to 10-year-old children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and of their unaffected siblings were assessed. Also assessed was parental encouragement of sex-typed toy play. Girls with CAH displayed more male-typical toy choices than did their unaffected sisters, whereas boys with and without CAH did not differ. Mothers and fathers encouraged sex-typical toy play in children with and without CAH. However, girls with CAH received more positive feedback for play with girls' toys than did unaffected girls. Data show that increased male-typical toy play by girls with CAH cannot be explained by parental encouragement of male-typical toy play. Although parents encourage sex-appropriate behavior, their encouragement appears to be insufficient to override the interest of girls with CAH in cross-sexed toys.

Is google enough? comparison of an internet search engine with academic library resources

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of the study was to compare an internet search engine, Google, with appropriate library databases and systems, in order to assess the relative value, strengths and weaknesses of the two sorts of system.Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach was used, with detailed analysis and failure checking of results. The performance of the two systems was assessed in terms of coverage, unique records, precision, and quality and accessibility of results. A novel form of relevance assessment, based on the work of Saracevic and others was devised.Findings – Google is superior for coverage and accessibility. Library systems are superior for quality of results. Precision is similar for both systems. Good coverage requires use of both, as both have many unique items. Improving the skills of the searcher is likely to give better results from the library systems, but not from Google.Research limitations/implications – Only four case studies were included. These were limited to the kind of q...

Cost X-Efficiency in China's Banking Sector

Abstract: Employing the stochastic frontier approach, this paper investigates cost X-efficiency in China's banking sector over the period 1985-2002. The objective is to assess whether different ownership types and banking reforms affect X-efficiency. A two-stage regression model is estimated to identify the significant variables influencing X-efficiency. The results show that on average, banks are operating 50-60% below the X-efficiency frontier. The jointstock banks are found to be more X-efficient than the state-owned commercial banks, and it appears that X-efficiency was higher during the first phase of bank reform.

Mutual Fund Performance: Skill or Luck?

Abstract: Using a comprehensive data set on (surviving and non-surviving) UK mutual funds (April 1975 - December 2002), we use a bootstrap methodology to distinguish between 'skill' and 'luck' for individual funds. This methodology allows for non-normality in the idiosyncratic risks of the funds - a major issue when considering those funds which appear to be either very good performers or very bad performers, since these are the funds which investors are primarily interested in identifying. Our study points to the existence of genuine stock picking ability among a small number of top performing UK equity mutual funds (i.e. performance which is not solely due to good luck). At the negative end of the performance scale, our analysis strongly rejects the hypothesis that poor performing funds are merely unlucky. These funds demonstrate 'bad skill'. Recursive estimation and Kalman 'smoothed' coefficients indicate temporal stability in the performance alpha of winner and loser portfolios.

Psychiatric nurses' experiences with inpatient aggression

Abstract: Using a survey instrument, the experiences of psychiatric nurses with inpatienaggression were investigated in East London, U.K. On this Perceptions of Prevalence Of Aggression Scale (POPAS), annual experiences with 15 types of disruptive and aggressive behavior were rated anonymously. Staff members were also asked to disclose the number of days missed from work due to inpatient violence. On the basis of these POPAS forms, internal consistency of the instrument, mean reported aggression frequencies, and days missed from work due to violence were calculated. Internal consistency of the POPAS appeared to be reasonable. Verbal abuse and threats were experienced by most of the psychiatric nurses during a one-year period (i.e., by about 80-90 percent of nurses). Sexual harassment or intimidation was also experienced relatively often on an annual basis (68 percent), particularly by female and young staff members. A minority of staff members (i.e., 16 percent) had experienced severe physical violence. Although not prevalent, this type of behavior was most strongly connected with reporting sick. In particular, staff members working with involuntarily admitted patients experienced much (severe) violence during their work. Although the validity of estimates of aggression prevalence with the POPAS instrument needs to be investigated further, such a survey may be helpful in gaining insight rather quickly into the level of day-to-day contact with aggressive behavior. Also, since information on verbal, physical, and sexual violence, and on days missed from work, can be provided anonymously, this rather delicate, but essential management information, may be accessed relatively easily with the POPAS.

Fifteen years of research with the Staff Observation Aggression Scale: a review.

Abstract: Objective: Research on the prevalence and causes of in-patient aggression has been hindered by the use of different methods for measuring aggression. Since Palmstierna and Wistedt presented the Staff Observation Aggression Scale (SOAS) in 1987, this data collection method has been used in various studies, which may make comparisons more useful. Method: Studies with SOAS aggression data were compiled using MEDLINE, the Internet, and references from SOAS papers. Results: Reviews of studies on psychometric properties suggest fair to good inter-rater reliability and validity for SOAS assessments. The number of aggressive incidents per patient per year found on acute admissions wards (n = 38) considerably varied, with a range of 0.4–33.2 incidents (mean = 9.3). Conclusion: Although the aggression data included in the present review were obtained in highly comparable ways, substantial differences in aggression rates between wards were still found. Some countries (e.g. the Netherlands) appear to have a relatively high incidence of aggression on acute wards.

Quantitative Information Flow, Relations and Polymorphic Types

Abstract: This paper uses Shannon's information theory to give a quantitative definition of information flow in systems that transform inputs to outputs. For deterministic systems, the definition is shown to specialize to a simpler form when the information source and the known inputs jointly determine all inputs uniquely. For this special case, the definition is related to the classical security condition of non-interference and an equivalence is established between non-interference and independence of random variables. Quantitative information flow for deterministic systems is then presented in relational form. With this presentation, it is shown how relational parametricity can be used to derive upper and lower bounds on information flows through families of functions defined in the second-order lambda calculus.

Treatment of unilateral amblyopia: factors influencing visual outcome.

Abstract: PURPOSE To identify factors that influence the outcome of treatment for unilateral amblyopia, as a part of the Monitored Occlusion Treatment of Amblyopia Study (MOTAS). METHODS This was an intervention study consisting of three nonoverlapping phases: "Baseline", "refractive adaptation" (18 weeks of full-time spectacle wear), and "occlusion" (6 hours of patching per day, objectively monitored). Condition factors: type of amblyopia, age of participant, initial severity of amblyopia, fixation, and binocular vision status; treatment factors: refractive adaptation and occlusion (total dose [hours] and dose rate [hours per day]) were assessed for their influence on visual outcome. Visual outcome was expressed in three ways: logMAR (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) change, residual amblyopia, and proportion of the deficit corrected. RESULTS The study included 85 participants (mean age, 5.1 +/- 1.4 years) with amblyopia associated with strabismus (n = 32) or anisometropia (n = 20) or associated with both anisometropia and strabismus (n = 33). Treatment factors: cumulative occlusion dose exceeding 50 hours, and dose rates > or =1 hour per day resulted in (P < or = 0.01) lower residual amblyopia and a greater proportion of the deficit corrected. Condition factors associated with poor outcome (high residual amblyopia) were presence of eccentric fixation, severe initial amblyopia, and no binocular vision. CONCLUSIONS Factors influencing outcome with treatment for amblyopia are occlusion dose (the rate of delivery and cumulative dose worn), the initial severity of the amblyopia, binocular vision status, fixation of the amblyopic eye, and the age of the subject at the start of treatment.

Do you know I have Asperger's syndrome? Risks of a non-obvious disability.

Abstract: In this paper the risks of having a non-obvious disability, Asperger's syndrome [AS], are explored. The key focus is the riskiness associated with being on the margins of normality, where personal experience (and theoretical concepts) of being ‘different’ and ‘normal’ merge. When labelling people in any way other than normal is unpopular, those on such margins remain at risk of being misunderstood and neglected. With AS there continues to be controversy over the diagnostic label, as well as a theoretical tension between the negative versus positive effects of applying such a diagnosis. The basis for this discussion is the findings of a qualitative study exploring the experiences of young adults with AS and those of their parents. Methods used include purposive sampling, unstructured interviews and constant comparative analysis – whereby analysis became organised around the core emergent category of ‘not quite fitting’ – and the kinds of risk associated with the subjectively felt experience, the perception...

Managing Demand Risk in Tactical Supply Chain Planning for a Global Consumer Electronics Company

Abstract: We consider the problem of managing demand risk in tactical supply chain planning for a particular global consumer electronics company. The company follows a deterministic replenishment-and-planning process despite considerable demand uncertainty. As a possible way to formally address uncertainty, we provide two risk measures, “demand-at-risk” (DaR) and “inventory-at-risk” (IaR) and two linear programming models to help manage demand uncertainty. The first model is deterministic and can be used to allocate the replenishment schedule from the plants among the customers as per the existing process. The other model is stochastic and can be used to determine the “ideal” replenishment request from the plants under demand uncertainty. The gap between the output of the two models as regards requested replenishment and the values of the risk measures can be used by the company to reallocate capacity among different products and to thus manage demand/inventory risk.

The importance of consumers' perceived risk in retail strategy

Abstract: – Gaining and sustaining a strategic competitive advantage in retailing requires knowledge of the attributes consumers value and use to discriminate between stores and why those attributes are important. Although many store image studies define discriminant attributes, few have attempted to explain either how these attributes lead to the satisfaction of personal shopping motives or how knowledge of these can be used to focus and reinforce a strategic position. The purpose of this article is to propose and examine a method to help retailers understand grocery consumers' store choice processes as a function of the linkages between store attributes, shopping motives and risk dimensions which can help them develop a more coherent and clearer positioning strategy., – Means‐end chain analysis is used to explore how grocery customers build a mental link between store attributes, the consequences of not having those attributes, and the motives for seeking them., – The findings suggest that shoppers' motives are linked to only four main risk dimensions, namely time, financial, psychosocial and physical, and we present evidence for reassessing store positioning strategies, giving more emphasis to the risks involved., – The article suggests that the prime heuristics that consumers use to compare grocery stores are the four main risk dimensions. While consumers may think heuristically (i.e. deal in general perceptions of stores rather than comparing stores in every detail), retailers act in detail, and knowledge of how store attributes are related to these risk dimensions is therefore useful to retail marketers in developing and positioning stores. The findings also confirm the usefulness of means‐end chain analysis as a methodology for assessing retail store motivations, because it allows researchers to define all the store attributes which are important to respondents, gain responses in the respondent's language, and examine the underlying motives to which tangible and intangible attributes are related. Furthermore, the constructs/elements elicited can be used to feed into Kelly's repertory grid analysis, which is useful in positioning studies for determining a company's competitive position on one of the four main positioning dimensions., – The work extends the theory of means‐end chains by highlighting the relationship between the terminal values it produces and risk dimensions. The research is relevant to retail marketers in terms of store development and personnel training, and to consumer researchers interested in risk measurement.

Ordering Top Pay: Interpreting the Signals*

Abstract:  Boardroom reward continues to attract controversy, despite the structural changes in corporate governance arrangements over the past decade. This study responds to Pettigrew’s (1992) call to eschew over-ambitious attempts to demonstrate causality in the area of executive management and firm performance, in favour of redressing the overwhelmingly prescriptive bias in the literature. A simple but important task is to ‘begin to provide some basic descriptive findings about boards and their directors’, and open up ‘the black box of board behaviour’ ‐ in this case, that of board remuneration committees. Interpretations of comparative market signals play a part in deliberations between the leading actors responsible for determining executive directors’ salary, bonuses and other emoluments. But the position is more deeply textured than the reified influence of (global) market forces sometimes implied in the normative literature. The study reported, based on qualitative interviews, taps in to the nuances of decision taking in respect of boardroom reward management, including remuneration committee members’ reactions to corporate governance reforms. Such initiatives locate non-executive directors in the role of intermediaries in the principal-agent relationship, explicitly assigned to resolve the conflict of interest inherent in boardroom remuneration systems, while simultaneously they are expected to play a team role as board members responsible for the overall strategy and operation of the company. The study is indicative: an attempt to open up research questions around the context and process of boardroom reward management that earlier analyses may have ignored or overlooked.

Keeping warm and staying well: findings from the qualitative arm of the Warm Homes Project

Abstract: This paper presents findings from the qualitative arm of the Warm Homes Project, a programme of research concerned with the nature of fuel poverty, its alleviation and its relationship to family health. Much of the research into fuel poverty, which results from various combinations of low income and fuel inefficiency, has drawn upon quantitative paradigms. Experiences of, and coping with, fuel poverty have not been well explored. Data for the present study were obtained through qualitative interviews with household members about the above issues. The findings suggest that the expectations of those in fuel poverty about staying warm, and their beliefs about the relationship between warmth and health, vary considerably. Fuel poverty often had wider ramifications, impacting on quality of life in complex ways. The respondents took steps to alleviate cold, but their strategies varied. Coping was affected by informational limitations as well as cost constraints. Measures designed to alleviate fuel poverty should take into account its wider social meaning within the lives of household members.

Sensory sensitivity, attachment experiences, and rejection responses among adults with borderline and avoidant features

Abstract: Both avoidant and borderline personality disorder (APD and BPD) are theoretically associated with temperamental vulnerabilities, adverse attachment experiences, and negative (pessimistic or catastrophic) reactions to the threat of perceived rejection; however, more work is needed to differentiate how these processes account for the etiology and maintenance of both disorders. In this study, 156 adults completed questionnaires measuring APD and BPD features, temperament (sensory-processing sensitivity), mood, and attachment experiences. A vignette task was devised to examine pessimistic cognitive-affective reactions in situations signaling potential rejection. Both APD and BPD were associated with temperamental sensitivity, but BPD was uniquely linked with a subscale measuring sensitivity to mental and emotive stimuli, whereas APD was uniquely linked with a subscale measuring the control and avoidance of aversive stimulation. Compared to APD, BPD was more strongly linked with negative moods (anxiety, anger, sadness) and insecure attachment to parents, whereas APD was more strongly linked (than BPD) to pessimistic cognitive-affective responses to rejection-related situations.

Sex differences and individual differences in cognitive performance and their relationship to endogenous gonadal hormones and gonadotropins.

Abstract: Sexually dimorphic cognitive performance in men (n=42) and women (n=42) was related to testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and sex hormone binding globulin, measured in 10-ml blood samples collected between 0900 and 1030 and, among women, during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Significant sex differences favored men on spatial tasks (Mental Rotation and Judgment of Line Orientation) and on an inhibition task and favored women on a verbal task (category fluency). However, there were no significant relationships between any of the hormones and cognitive performance, suggesting that there are few, if any, consistent, substantial relationships between endogenous, nonfluctuating levels of gonadal hormones or gonadotropins and these cognitive abilities in men or women.

Kernel Density Estimation for Heavy-tailed Distributions using the Champernowne Transformation

Abstract: When estimating loss distributions in insurance, large and small losses are usually split because it is difficult to find a simple parametric model that fits all claim sizes. This approach involves determining the threshold level between large and small losses. In this article a unified approach to the estimation of loss distributions is presented. We propose an estimator obtained by transforming the data set with a modification of the Champernowne cdf and then estimating the density of the transformed data by use of the classical kernel density estimator. We investigate the asymptotic bias and variance of the proposed estimator. In a simulation study, the proposed method shows a good. performance. We also present two applications dealing with claims costs in insurance.

Regulatory Effectiveness : The Impact of Regulation and Regulatory Governance Arrangements on Electricity Industry Outcomes

Abstract: The authors review a number of studies on the effectiveness of utility regulatory agency and governance arrangements for the electricity industry, particularly for developing countries. They discuss governance criteria and their measurement, both legal frameworks and surveys of regulatory practice. They also discuss the results from econometric studies of effectiveness for regulatory agencies in the electricity and telecommunications industries and compare these with the results from econometric studies of independent central banks and their governance. The authors conclude with a discussion of policy implications and of priorities for information collection to improve understanding of these issues.