Showing papers by "University of Stirling published in 1995"
489 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that what distinguishes the postmodern from the modem is a "style of thinking" which eschews the uncritical use of common organizational terms such as "organizations", "individuals", "environment", "structure", and "culture", etc.
Abstract: The terms 'modem' and 'postmodern' have become common currency in intel lectual debates within organization studies. The postmodern is variously inter preted as an 'epoch', a 'perspective', or a new 'paradigm' of thought. In this paper the author argues that what distinguishes the postmodern from the modem is a 'style of thinking' which eschews the uncritical use of common organizational terms such as 'organizations', 'individuals', 'environment', 'structure', and 'culture', etc. These terms refer to the existence of social entit ies and attributes within a modernist problematic. This is because a modernist thought style relies on a 'strong' ontology (the study of the nature and essence of things) of being which privileges thinking in terms of discrete phenomenal 'states', static 'attributes' and sequential 'events'. Postmodern thinking, on the other hand, privileges a 'weak' ontology of becoming which emphasizes a transient, ephemeral and emergent reality. From this thought style, reality is deemed to be...
462 citations
392 citations
TL;DR: This article showed that a significant proportion of individuals refuse to make trade-offs which require the substitution of biodiversity for other goods, raising concerns over a reliance on stated preferences, as revealed in contingent valuation studies, for decision-making on this issue.
383 citations
358 citations
TL;DR: Comparing the resolution and applicability of allozyme, mitochondrial DNA and minisatellite markers for studies on population structuring, genetic variation within populations, and the impact of the accidental and deliberate introduction of non-native salmonids on the genetic make-up of natural populations is compared.
Abstract: The main molecular techniques which can be used to generate genetic markers, and the applications of these markers to studies of fish populations are outlined. Published and ongoing studies, in the authors' laboratories, on brown trout and Atlantic salmon are used to compare the resolution and applicability of allozyme, mitochondrial DNA and minisatellite (variable number of tandem repeats) markers for studies on population structuring, genetic variation within populations, and the impact of the accidental and deliberate introduction of non-native salmonids on the genetic make-up of natural populations.
237 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the importance of audit firm characteristics and the factors motivating auditor change based on questionnaire responses from 210 listed UK companies and identified nine potentially desirable auditor characteristics from the extant literature and their importance elicited.
Abstract: This paper explores the importance of audit firm characteristics and the factors motivating auditor change based on questionnaire responses from 210 listed UK companies (a response rate of 70%). Twenty-nine potentially desirable auditor characteristics are identified from the extant literature and their importance elicited. Exploratory factor analysis reduces these variables to eight uncorrelated underlying dimensions: reputation/quality; acceptability to third parties: value for money: ability to provide non-audit services: small audit firm: specialist industry knowledge; non-Big Six large audit firm: and geographical proximity. Insights into the nature of ‘the Big Six factor’ emerge. Two thirds of companies had recently considered changing auditors; the main reasons cited being audit Ice level, dissatisfaction with audit quality and changes in top management. Of those companies that considered change. 73% did not actually do so. the main reasons cited being fee reduction by the incumbent and av...
231 citations
TL;DR: Levels of xyloglucan incorporation, the presence and lengths of cross-bridges, and the modification of cellulosic molecular organization are all similar to those found in plant cell walls, suggesting that A. xylinum is a more useful model for primary plant cell Walls and their assembly than has previously been appreciated.
Abstract: Features of the interaction between cellulose and xyloglucan have been studied using the cellulose-producing bacterium Acetobacter aceti ssp. xylinum (ATCC 53524) and tamarind seed xyloglucan. Direct microscopic evidence is provided for the generation of cross-bridges between cellulose ribbons produced in the presence of xyloglucan but not carboxymethyl-cellulose. Cross-bridge lengths are very similar to those observed for de-pectinated onion cell walls. Similar cross-bridge lengths are observed following mixing of isolated A. xylinum cellulose and xyloglucan, showing that network formation can be an abiotic process. The level of incorporation of xyloglucan in an actively growing system (ca. 38% of cellulose) is an order of magnitude higher than that observed in mixtures of isolated polymers and is comparable with cell wall levels. NMR spectroscopy suggests that 80–85% of incorporated xyloglucan is segmentally rigid with the backbone adopting an extended ‘cellulosic’ conformation and probably aligned with cellulose chains. The remaining xyloglucan is more mobile and is assigned to cross-bridges with, on average, a twisted backbone conformation. No evidence for specific involvement of side-chain residues in binding is found, and the observation of cross-bridges with a non-fucosylated xyloglucan shows that fucose residues are not essential for network formation. Xyloglucan causes cellulose ribbons to become more amorphous and to have a decreased 1α/1β crystallite ratio without any significant alteration in ribbon diameter. Based on the findings that levels of xyloglucan incorporation, the presence and lengths of cross-bridges, and the modification of cellulosic molecular organization are all similar to those found in plant cell walls, we suggest that A. aceti ssp. xylinum is a more useful model for primary plant cell walls and their assembly than has previously been appreciated.
219 citations
TL;DR: The SERVQUAL approach as mentioned in this paper has been the subject of considerable academic scrutiny and extensive private sector service application, and merits serious consideration by local government managers as a robust, adaptable, diagnostic instrument to measure service quality.
Abstract: Local government in the UK is not immune from the pressures driving successful organizations towards top quality services that delight their customers. Outlines some of the special features of local government service provision and the way in which these might affect the assessment of service quality. Highlights some of the limitations of conventional customer satisfaction surveys which lead the authors to consider the SERVQUAL approach. This method, which has been the subject of considerable academic scrutiny and extensive private sector service application, merits serious consideration by local government managers as a robust, adaptable, diagnostic instrument to measure service quality.
197 citations
TL;DR: Experiments with the alga Chlorella vulgaris and using compounds differing in charge supported the hypothesis that pollutant-induced feeding inhibition in the cladoceran Daphnia magna was dependent on this mechanism, and suggested that for those compounds capable of causing feeding inhibition at sublethal concentrations, this inhibition would be a key mechanism impairing reproduction and growth.
Abstract: Particles in water ubiquitously carry a net negative charge. It was hypothesised that the interaction between suspended particles and pollutants in water results in a process of adsorption that can be related to the charge of the pollutant concerned, and that this is a potential route of pollutant uptake by aquatic animals such as particle-grazing zooplankton. Experiments with the alga Chlorella vulgaris were conducted to test the hypothesis that pollutant-induced feeding inhibition in the cladoceran Daphnia magna was dependent on this mechanism. Using compounds differing in charge, results supported the hypothesis that, while all compounds were capable of causing feeding inhibition, electropositive species such as cadmium induced effects close to the chronic no-effect concentration, whereas electronegative species such as vanadium induced effects only at or close to lethal levels. It was suggested that for those compounds capable of causing feeding inhibition at sublethal concentrations, this inhibition would be a key mechanism impairing reproduction and growth, with potential consequences for grazing animals at population and community levels in natural ecosystems.
188 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed data from 373 fresh nest-sites (containing 2435 nests) of lowland gorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla) during a 4-year period in the Lope Reserve, Gabon, to determine whether the observed variability in nest building was due to environmental influences.
Abstract: We analyzed data from 373 fresh nest-sites (containing 2435 nests) of lowland gorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla)during a 4-year period in the Lope Reserve, Gabon, to determine whether the observed variability in nest building was due to environmental influences. We recognized and defined seven types of nest in terms of the degree of construction and the raw materials used. Overall, nests built on the ground from herbaceous plants are the most common type (40%), followed by tree nests (35%). Frequencies of the different nest-types vary significantly between eight habitat-types. In habitat-types with high densities of understory herbs, ground nests predominated, but when herbs were rare, the majority of nests were in trees. A general preference for sleeping in herbaceous ground nests is indicated since trees are abundant in all habitat-types, except savanna. The frequency of nesting in trees shows a significant positive correlation with rainfall, but effects of climate are confounded by seasonal variation in use of different habitat-types. When elephants were attracted to the same localized food sources as gorillas, many tree nests were built even when herbs were available. We conclude that different nest-types reflect a variety of solutions to maximize comfort, depending on available raw materials and the probability of rainfall or disturbance by elephants or both factors. Nests are a powerful tool for population censuses and demographic studies of great apes, but problems exist in interpreting data on lowland gorilla nests. Results from this analysis show that only a third of nest-sites accurately reflects group size (of weaned individuals) and that 26% of all gorilla nest-sites could be mistaken for those of chimpanzees, as all nests, or all those visible from a transect, were in trees. Gorilla nests at Lope were nonrandomly distributed with respect to habitat-types, and nest construction varied seasonally, thereby introducing sources of bias to transect nest counts. We discuss these problems and ones related to assessing the decay rate of nest-sites and make recommendations relevant to census work.
TL;DR: The European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods, a recognised validation authority, now proposes to introduce this prevalidation scheme into its validation strategy.
Abstract: Experience has shown that the outcome of large and expensive validation studies on alternative methods can be compromised if their managers do not insist that optimised test protocols and proof of ...
TL;DR: The main problems are caused by engineering works, industrial and domestic pollution, acidification, fishing and fishery management, and land use practices as discussed by the authors, and the major conservation objective must be habitat restoration and management, but short-term programs can usefully involve translocations, captive breeding and cryopreservation.
TL;DR: In this paper, the presence of nonlinear dependence and chaos in real-time returns on the U.K. FTSE-100 Index using a six-month sample of about 60,000 observations was tested.
Abstract: This paper tests for the presence of nonlinear dependence and chaos in real-time returns on the U.K. FTSE-100 Index using a six-month sample of about 60,000 observations. Since there is clear evidence of nonlinearity, the authors follow other researchers in this field by applying the same tests to the residuals from a GARCH process fitted to the data in order to find out whether or not the nonlinearity can be explained by this type of model. In the event, their results suggest that GARCH can explain some but not all of the observed nonlinear dependence. Copyright 1995 by Royal Economic Society.
TL;DR: Dietary DHA must exceed 1% of dry weight to satisfy the requirements of the developing neural system in juvenile turbot, as similar dietary induced changes in AA, EPA and DHA concentrations occurred in the phospholipids of heart, gill and kidney.
Abstract: Five purified diets containing AA (20:4n-6) at 0.02–0.78% dry weight and DHA (22:6n-3) at 0.93–0.17% dry weight were fed to duplicate groups of juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) of initial weight 0.87 g for a period of 11 weeks. The dietary DHA:AA ratio ranged from 62 to 0.2. Incorporation of AA into liver phospholipids increased with increasing dietary AA input. Phospholipids from fish fed diets containing 0.02, 0.06 and 0.11% of dry weight as AA generally contained less AA compared to fish fed fish oil while those fed diets containing 0.35 and 0.78% of dry weight as AA had higher AA levels in their phospholipids. The highest levels of AA were found in PI but the greatest percentage increase in AA incorporation was in PE and PC. Brain phospholipid fatty acid compositions were less altered by dietary treatment than those of liver but DHA content of PC and PE in brain was substantially lower in fish fed 0.93% pure DHA compared to those fed fish oil. This suggests that dietary DHA must exceed 1% of dry weight to satisfy the requirements of the developing neural system in juvenile turbot. In both tissues, (20:5n-3) concentration was inversely related to both dietary and tissue PI AA concentration. Similar dietary induced changes in AA, EPA and DHA concentrations occurred in the phospholipids of heart, gill and kidney. PGE2 and 6-ketoPGF1α were measured in homogenates of heart, brain, gill and kidney. In general, fish fed the lowest dietary AA levels had reduced levels of prostaglandins in their tissue homogenates while those fed the highest level of AA had increased prostaglandin levels, compared to fish fed fish oil. In brains, the PGE2 concentration was only significantly increased in fish fed the highest dietary AA.
TL;DR: Results demonstrate that circulating melatonin profiles always reflect the prevailing daylength and hence have the potential to provide the Atlantic salmon with accurate information on daily and calendar time, which could be utilised to time daily and seasonal events.
TL;DR: An experiment was conducted to investigate the claims made by Bruce and Young (1986) for the independence of facial identity and facial speech processing, and results show that subjects who are familiar with the faces are less susceptible to McGurk effects than those who are unfamiliar with the Faces.
Abstract: An experiment was conducted to investigate the claims made by Bruce and Young (1986) for the independence of facial identity and facial speech processing. A well-reported phenomenon in audiovisual speech perception—theMcGurk effect (McGurk & MacDonald, 1976), in which synchronous but conflicting auditory and visual phonetic information is presented to subjects—was utilized as a dynamic facial speech processing task. An element of facial identity processing was introduced into this task by manipulating the faces used for the creation of the McGurk-effect stimuli such that (1) they were familiar to some subjects and unfamiliar to others, and (2) the faces and voices used were either congruent (from the same person) or incongruent (from different people). A comparison was made between the different subject groups in their susceptibility to the McGurk illusion, and the results show that when the faces and voices are incongruent, subjects who are familiar with the faces are less susceptible to McGurk effects than those who are unfamiliar with the faces. The results suggest that facial identity and facial speech processing are not entirely independent, and these findings are discussed in relation to Bruce and Young’s (1986) functional model of face recognition.
TL;DR: Novel technology is used to investigate the relative contributions of shape and superficial colour information to simple categorization decisions about the sex and ‘race’ of faces and the results show that both shape and colour provide useful information for these decisions.
Abstract: Theories of object recognition have emphasized the information conveyed by shape information, whereas theories of face recognition have emphasized properties of superficial features. In the experiments reported here we used novel technology to investigate the relative contributions of shape and superficial colour information to simple categorization decisions about the sex and 'race' of faces. The results show that both shape and colour provide useful information for these decisions; shape information was particularly useful for race decisions while colour dominated sex decisions. When both sources of information were combined, the dominant source depended on viewpoint, with angled views emphasizing the contribution of shape and the full-face view colour. The results are discussed within the context of theories of face recognition and their implications for telecommunication applications are considered.
TL;DR: Shell length and tissue growth, biomass and production of 1–2-year-old mussels suspended from salmon sea cages, mussel rafts and long-lines were monitored and growth of mussels was relatively rapid from May to October and very slow or absent during the rest of the year.
TL;DR: A semantics for Message Flow Graphs (MFGs), which play the role for interprocess communication that Program Dependence Graphs play for control flow in parallel processes, is given and the expressive power of MFGs is described by mimicking an arbitrary Büchi automaton by means of a set of M FGs.
Abstract: We give a semantics for Message Flow Graphs (MFGs), which play the role for interprocess communication that Program Dependence Graphs play for control flow in parallel processes. MFGs have been used to analyse parallel code, and are closely related to Message Sequence Charts and Time Sequence Diagrams in telecommunications systems. Our requirements are firstly, to determine unambiguously exactly what execution traces are specified by an MFG, and secondly, to use a finite-state interpretation. Our methods function for both asynchronous and synchronous communications. From a set of MFGs, we define a transition system of global states, and from that a Buchi automaton by considering safety and liveness properties of the system. In order easily to describe liveness properties, we interpret the traces of the transition system as a model of Manna-Pnueli temporal logic. Finally, we describe the expressive power of MFGs by mimicking an arbitrary Buchi automaton by means of a set of MFGs.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate post purchase dissatisfaction levels of consumers of domestic and major electrical appliances, and find that electrical goods generate a high ratio of public to private complaints, due to their nature, complexity, life expectancy and price of the product.
Abstract: Consumer complaint behaviour has been the topic of much academic research. Aims to contribute to this process empirically by investigating post purchase dissatisfaction levels of consumers of domestic and major electrical appliances. The findings show that electrical goods generate a high ratio of public to private complaints. The nature, complexity, life expectancy and price of the product are factors causing a high public action ratio; smaller, inexpensive electrical goods generated the fewest complaints. Furthermore, consumer dissatisfaction was seen to intensify as they sought redress, owing to poor customer service levels of electrical retailers.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify three generic approaches to relevant management accounting which are collectively termed accounting for strategic positioning, discuss the range of techniques which presently exist within these approaches and consider some of the difficulties involved in ensuring their widespread adoption.
Abstract: SUMMARY
Recent diagnoses of a debilitating crisis within management accounting have quickly given way to the development and dissemination of many new techniques intended to restore the lost relevance of the discipline. Some of these techniques promise to have significant consequences for the future nature not only of management accounting but accounting in general. This paper identifies three generic approaches to relevant management accounting which are collectively termed accounting for strategic positioning, discusses the range of techniques which presently exist within these approaches and considers some of the difficulties involved in ensuring their widespread adoption. The paper concludes with some brief thoughts on how best to realize the full potential of accounting for strategic positioning.
TL;DR: In this article, a pragmatic framework of analysis is developed to identify and clarify corporate social responsibilities, focusing on the contribution of stakeholder models and highlighting the limitations of this approach and developing an ethical framework focused on concepts of responsibility.
Abstract: Managers encounter difficulties in developing corporate social responsibility programmes. These difficulties arise from conflicting interests and priorities. Pressures may be both internal and external and corporate social responsibility programmes usually evolve from a combination of proactive and reactive policies. The first experiences of a company are likely to be reactive, in response to requests for equipment, sponsorship or charitable donations but companies soon become aware of the benefits of planned programmes. Planning implies objectives, performance criteria and evaluation, and a rational framework for decision-taking. This paper attempts to highlight problem areas for managers and to develop a pragmatic framework of analysis which will help identify and clarify corporate social responsibilities. The paper, which is written from a UK perspective discusses the contribution of stakeholder models and highlights limitations of this approach. It develops an ethical framework focused on concepts of responsibility.
TL;DR: It is shown that multi-stream networks in which feature discovery and associative learning interact cooperatively at the level of the local processors can discover linear functions of their inputs that are predictably related across streams.
Abstract: We study multi-stream networks in which feature discovery and associative learning interact cooperatively at the level of the local processors. These processors select and recode the information in their receptive field (RF) inputs that is predictably related to the context within which it occurs. To enable them to do this they are provided with local contextual input in addition to their receptive field input. This input guides both learning and processing to the RF information that is related to the context, but without confounding the information that the processor transmits about the RF. We show that these nets can discover linear functions of their inputs that are predictably related across streams. They can do so whether or not these variables are the most informative within streams, and when there is no evidence within streams as to the existence of these variables. They discover the relevant variables concurrently with, and because of, discovering the predictive relations between them. Two-stage m...
TL;DR: The distribution of 38 nests of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) on beaches on Sanibel and Captiva islands, south-western Florida (26°26'N 82°16'W), and of 70 first digging attempts by green turtles (Chelonia mydas) on Ascension Island (7°57'S 14°22'W) was quantified as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The distribution of 38 nests of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) on beaches on Sanibel and Captiva islands, south-western Florida (26°26'N 82°16'W), and of 70 first digging attempts by green turtles (Chelonia mydas) on Ascension Island (7°57'S 14°22'W), was quantified. For loggerhead turtles on Sanibel and Captiva, nests were clumped close to the border between the open sand and the supra-littoral vegetation that backed the beaches. This spatial pattern of nests was closely reproduced by assuming simply that turtles crawled a random distance above the most recent high water line prior to digging. In contrast, green turtles on Ascension Island clumped their first digging attempts on the uneven beach above the springs high water line, crawling up to 80 m to reach this beach zone.
TL;DR: The population dynamics of tick-borne disease agents and in particular the mechanisms which influence their persistence are examined with reference to the flavivirus that causes louping-ill in red grouse and sheep.
Abstract: The population dynamics of tick-borne disease agents and in particular the mechanisms which influence their persistence are examined with reference to the flavivirus that causes louping-ill in red grouse and sheep. Pockets of infection cause heavy mortality and the infection probably persists as a consequence of immigration of susceptible hosts. Seroprevalence is positively associated with temporal variations in vectors per host, although variation between areas is associated with the abundance of mountain hares. The presence of alternative tick hosts, particularly large mammals, provides additional hosts for increasing tick abundance. Grouse alone can not support the vectors and the pathogen but both can persist when a non-viraemic mammalian host supports the tick population and a sufficiently high number of nymphs bite grouse. These alternative hosts may also amplify virus through non-viraemic transmission by the process of co-feeding, although the relative significance of this has yet to be determined. Another possible route of infection is through the ingestion of vectors when feeding or preening. Trans-ovarial transmission is a potentially important mechanism for virus persistence but has not been recorded with louping-ill and Ixodes ricinus. The influence of non-viraemic hosts, both in the multiplication of vectors and the amplification of virus through non-viraemic transmission are considered significant for virus persistence.
TL;DR: Basal metabolic rates were measured for 11 species of North Atlantic seabirds, ranging in size from the Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla to the Gannet Sula bassana, and they were higher than those predicted from the allometric equations.
Abstract: Basal metabolic rates (BMR) were measured for 11 species of North Atlantic seabirds, ranging in size from the Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla to the Gannet Sula bassana. BMRs for all species were higher than those predicted from the allometric equations of Lasiewski and Dawson (1967), Aschoff and Pohl (1970) and Ellis (1984). The equations of Ellis (1984), incorporating a latitude correction, and of Bennett and Harvey (1987), involving deviations by seabird families from a general avian trend line, gave predictions for BMR which were closer to, but respectively lower and higher than, those observed in this study. BMR for seabirds in Scotland (55–60oN) is described by the equation: BMR (kj/d) = 2.30W0774. The principal sources of variability in BMR amongst seabirds and the selective forces shaping the differences between seabirds and most other birds with lower BMRs remain unclear but deserve further study.
TL;DR: In this article, mixed-sex tilapia (O. niloticus) fingerlings were fed the appropriate diets at a rate of 5% of body weight per day, twice daily, for 30 days in a recirculated water system with water temperature maintained at 27°C.
TL;DR: A revised method of calculating resource constrained float is presented, together with a discussion of its use in project management, and a number of other measures of an activity's importance in a network are described and compared in an application to an aircraft development.
Abstract: Project managers readily adopted the concept of the critical path as an aid to identifying those activities most worthy of their attention and possible action. However, current project management packages do not offer a useful measure of criticality in resource constrained projects. A revised method of calculating resource constrained float is presented, together with a discussion of its use in project management. While resource constrained criticality appears to be a practical and useful tool in the analysis of project networks, care is needed in its interpretation as any calculation of such float is conditional on the particular resource allocation employed. A number of other measures of an activity's importance in a network are described and compared in an application to an aircraft development. A quantitative comparison of the measures is developed based on a simulation of the process of management identifying the key activities and directing their control efforts. Resource constrained float appears to be a useful single measure of an activity's importance, encapsulating several useful pieces of management information. However, there are some circumstances in which other measures might be preferred.