30 April 2008

Call for papers: Financial Reporting, Transparency and Corporate Governance: Issues in Volatile International Markets

Call for papers: Financial Reporting, Transparency and Corporate Governance: Issues in Volatile International Markets

A special issue of International Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Performance Evaluation

Papers are invited for a special issue on how corporate governance developments in the past decade have changed the face of corporate financial reporting and transparency. The special issue’s prime objective is to increase a healthy debate and dialogue on the impact of corporate governance reforms during the decade on corporate financial reporting practices. Via this special issue, a greater in-depth of understanding of issues on this key topic is sought. Given the enormous volatility in the international capital markets, the demand and need for adequate transparency and suitable corporate financial reporting is essential. Corporate governance advocates would postulate sound corporate governance mechanisms are paramount in maintaining proper corporate financial reporting practices, thereby, aiding in easing tensions in international markets. Others, however, would maintain corporate governance mechanism may be of limited, if any, use.

Countless high profile international corporate financial accounting scandals at the turn of the millennium prompted many national regulators and capital market institutions to introduce new corporate governance requirements to improve standards. Revisions and additional reforms since have led to further complexity on the corporate governance landscape in many nations. Escalating volatility in international capital markets since end of 2006 is placing further demands on sound corporate governance practices and the demand for improved financial reporting and transparency to reassure investor nerves.

Corporate governance reformists frequently suggest that changes in international corporate governance requirements will lead to major improvements in corporate financial accounting practices. It follows then that these changes should aid in overcoming issues arising in the wake of present capital market volatility. Despite assurances, there appears considerable division in the popular business press and scholarly literature on whether changes in corporate governance practices indeed have had a positive, neutral or detrimental impact on corporate financial accounting practices. Some argue the enormous focus on corporate governance matters have prompted corporate management away from full disclosure of corporate financial details pertinent to the decision making of investors. Furthermore, it has been suggested in some quarters disclosures related to corporate governance are placing a significant burden on firms with limited, if any, benefit resulting. Finally, increasing reporting of corporate governance details is thought be cluttering the financial reporting process rather than aiding in improving transparency. Question marks arise, therefore, on how corporate governance reforms and their impact on financial reporting will aid in address concerns with the current volatility of international capital markets.

Despite the importance of corporate governance in general, and its alleged significance to corporate financial reporting, scholarly research on the impact corporate governance changes during the decade on reporting practice is still underweighted, particular via an international lens. This special issue seeks, in part, to bridge this gap fostering greater debate and understanding of the association between corporate governance and corporate financial accounting. Papers across a broad range of approaches and/or those incorporating other disciplinary backgrounds (e.g., economics, finance, management or sociology) aside from accounting are encouraged. In accordance with the mission of IJAAPE, research that is both rigorously undertaken and completed, and relevant to practitioners, user and/or policy-makers is encouraged. Whilst papers of a theoretical nature may be submitted, papers of a strong empirical and quantitative basis are particularly welcome.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following questions:
  • Did corporate governance reforms lead to better corporate financial measurement and reporting, and /or enhance financial performance?
  • Which corporate governance reforms have the most significant influence on changing the corporate financial reporting landscape since the turn of the millennium?
  • Has the same corporate governance reform introduced in multiple nations lead to a convergence or divergence in international corporate financial reporting practices?
  • Is disclosure of corporate governance information a complement to overall corporate financial accounting transparency? Or is the disclosure of corporate governance information supplementing traditional disclosure?
  • Did the approach taken in different nations to introducing corporate governance reforms lead to different changes in corporate financial reporting practices?
  • Should corporate governance be a driving force of corporate financial accounting transparency? Or is corporate governance a fundamental component of corporate financial accounting transparency?
  • Is there any nation (or region) setting the standard benchmark for disclosure of corporate governance information?
  • What mechanisms are being utilised by corporations to disseminate information about the entity's corporate governance practices and standards?
  • How comparable is the reporting of corporate governance information across international accounting boundaries?
  • Corporate governance codes of practices - are they an assistance or hindrance in improving corporate financial accounting transparency and reporting practices?
  • The attempt/move toward a principle-based accounting under new corporate governance regimes is more effective in improving corporate financial reporting?
  • Are persistent differences in US GAAP and IFRS undermining benefits of corporate governance reforms in improving corporate financial reporting practices internationally?
  • Have reforms to audit committees been effective in improving financial reporting practices and transparency?
  • Are boards of directors increasingly responsible for changes in transparency? Or are key board sub-committees having a great impact?
  • Have improvement in the quality of the internal and/or external auditor been influential in determining changes in corporate financial reporting and transparency?
  • What features of the internal and external auditor have a bearing on corporate financial reporting and transparency?
Important Date
Deadline for Submission: 31 October, 2008

Call for papers: European Union, Innovation and SMEs

Call for papers: European Union, Innovation and SMEs

A special issue of International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business

In the European Union there is currently a debate concerning the necessity to enhance SMEs’ competitiveness through tools fostering technological and strategic-organisational innovation. This attention is explained by the evidence that SMEs have always been playing – and still do – a key role in the economy of some European countries. The improvement of SMEs’ competitiveness, as a consequence, would be likely to have a positive influence on the overall continental industry and this might generally help Europe to match the pace of the USA and Asia.

In the light of the depicted framework, the European Union is currently focusing on the exploration and exploitation of SMEs’ experiences in order to improve knowledge. On one hand, this is aimed at increasing the probability for these firms to survive the growing market pressures; on the other hand, this is aimed at specifically promoting cases of business excellence in some industrial sectors.

We invite contributions to this special issue that aims to explore the dynamics of innovation affecting SMEs in the European Union. In this regard, the goal of the special issue is to collect a number of valuable papers analysing the various aspects of SMEs’ technological innovations (e.g. product or process) and strategic-organisational ones (e.g.: corporate governance, global/local networks, internationalisation, supply chain management, corporate social responsibility, etc.).

Both theoretical and research papers are welcomed. Topics that would be considered for publication include, but are not limited to:
  • The influence of the European Union on SMEs' strategic and organisational changes
  • European Union, information and communication technologies and SMEs
  • European Union, corporate governance and SMEs
  • European Union, human resource management and SMEs
  • European Union, service management and SMEs
  • European Union, knowledge management and SMEs
  • European Union and SME's global or local networks
  • European Union, sustainable development and SMEs
  • European Union, corporate social responsibility and SMEs
  • European Union, IAS/IFRS and the accountability of SMEs
  • European Union, corporate restructuring and SMEs
  • European Union, supply chain management and SMEs
  • European Union, marketing management and SMEs
  • European Union and the internationalisation of SMEs
Important Dates
Submission of extended abstracts (max. 500 words): 1 June 2008
Notification of acceptance of abstracts: 1 July 2008
Submission of full papers following acceptance: 1 December 2008
Notification of acceptance, refusal or revision: 1 January 2009
Submission of accepted and revisited final papers: 1 March 2009

Call for papers: Fostering Out-of-the-Box-Creativity in New Product Development

Call for papers: Fostering Out-of-the-Box-Creativity in New Product Development

A special issue of International Journal of Product Development

The high innovative capability of companies – the capability to develop new products and successfully introduce them into the market – is generally accepted as a source of competitive advantage. Many new products are based, to a great extent, on existing skills and knowledge, knowledge about product technologies, product structures, customer requirements, development routines, and so on. Companies can profit from being aware of their so-called core competencies (Prahalad and Hamel (1990)) and applying them in the market, such as in product development. As Leonard-Barton (1992) points out, core competencies can become core rigidities if companies fail to extend their competencies. Prahalad (1998) mentions creativity and imagination as a starting point for competence progression. However, what is creativity?

Creativity is broadly understood as finding new and useful solutions to problems (see Amabile (1996); Feist (2005); Sternberg (1988)). There are different ways of looking at creativity (the different aspects of creativity have already been named by Rhodes (1961) as person, process, press, and product):
  • creativity as the ability of a person (Feist (2005) summarises the extensive research done on the correlation of creativity and other personality traits)
  • creative action, which refers to people acting in a creative way and thereby creating new knowledge (as described by Ford and Ogilvie (1996))
  • research on the creative thinking process investigates the different steps of creative action (described by Wallas (1926)), every step can be enhanced by creativity methods (e.g. Osborn (1953))
  • creative climate, because the interaction of the person and the situation results in creativity (Hunter et al. (2007)) give a literature review on creative climate)
  • and creativity as a characteristic of the created product (a piece of art or a product concept prototype, a scale for evaluating creative products has been developed e.g. by Besemer and Oquin (1986)).
In this special issue, we focus on big-step creativity in new product development. Within this context, we understand creativity to be those activities resulting in the creation of new and useful knowledge embodied in product concepts. The two criteria of “new” and “useful” can be concretised as follows:
  • New knowledge: following the knowledge spiral of Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995), Chapter 3 knowledge is created by socialisation, externalisation, combination, and internalisation. This means that knowledge is created by individuals and groups, and builds on pre-existing knowledge. Although new knowledge can be generated by simply combining and applying pre-existing knowledge, the term “creativity” claims to go beyond the straightforward application of pre-existing knowledge in an out-of-the-box way of thinking.
  • Useful knowledge: Knowledge is useful in the context of product development when it can be applied to develop a new product which has good potential for market success. The knowledge is especially useful when it can be used for multiple products in multiple markets. In the case of big-step creativity, it may happen that the market potential is not realised because the product concept is rejected by the organisation long before it enters the market.
The goal of this special issue is to collect different approaches of how to foster big-step, out-of-the-box creativity in the context of new product development – the level of creativity is operationalised as the distance of pre-existing and resulting knowledge in the organisation as well as the usefulness of the knowledge for the organisation. These approaches may include choosing the right people, developing the creative abilities of people involved in product development, creating a good creative climate, giving room for creativity in the innovation and development processes, and making sure that new knowledge and resulting product concepts are not rejected by the organisation. Empirical studies, case studies, best practices, and theoretical contributions are welcome.

Amabile, T. M. (1996) Creativity in Context: Update to the "Social Psychology of Creativity", Boulder, Colorado, Westview Press Inc.
Besemer, S. & Oquin, K. (1986) Analyzing Creative Products - Refinement and Test of a Judging Instrument. Journal of Creative Behavior, 20, 115-126.
Feist, G. J. (2005) The Influence of Personality on Artistic and Scientific Creativity. In Sternberg, R. J. (Ed.) Handbook of Creativity, 5th ed. Cambridge University Press.
Ford, C. M. & ogilvie, d. (1996) The Role of Creative Action in Organizational Learning and Change. Journal of Organizational Change Management 9, 54 - 62.
Hunter, S. T., Bedell, K. E. & Mumford, M. D. (2007) Climate for Creativity: A Quantitative Review. Creativity Research Journal, 19, 69-90.
Leonard-Barton, D. (1992) Core Capabilities and Core Rigidities: a Paradox in Managing New Product Development. Strategic Management Journal, 13, 111-125.
Nonaka, I. & Takeuchi, H. (1995) The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation, London, Oxford University Press.
Osborn, A. (1953) Applied Imagination, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons.
Prahalad, C. K. (1998) Managing Discontinuities: The Emerging Challenges. Research Technology Management, 41, 14.
Prahalad, C. K. & Hamel, G. (1990) The Core Competence of the Corporation. Harvard Business Review, 68, 79-91.
Rhodes, M. (1961) An Analysis of Creativity. Phi Delta Kappan, 42, 305-310.
Sternberg, R. J. (1988) A Three-Facet Model of Creativity. In Sternberg, R. J. (Ed.) The Nature of Creativity. Cambridge, University Press.
Wallas, G. (1926) The Art of Thought, London, UK, re-issued 1931 by Jonathan Cape Ltd.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to:
  • Environments fostering creativity in product innovation
  • Creativity assessment
  • Creativity training
  • Idea management
  • Implementation of innovation and development processes
  • Creative processes in product development
  • Networked, team, and individual creativity
  • Fostering creativity in engineering, product development, and product innovation education
Important Dates
Full paper due: 1 September 2008
Notification of acceptance: 1 December 2008
Final version of paper due: 1 February 2009

Special issue: Dual organisational capabilities: the next challenge for continuous innovation

International Journal of Technology Management 42(1/2) 2008
  • Dual organisational capabilities: from theory to practice – the next challenge for continuous innovation
  • Exploration and exploitation: the interplay between knowledge and continuous innovation
  • Dealing with discontinuous innovation: the European experience
  • A case study of an organisation development of duality
  • Development and validation of a survey instrument for measuring organisational renewal capability
  • Unlearning as a driver of sustainable change and innovation: three Australian case studies
  • The influence of learning in collaborative improvement
  • Examining the role of human resource management in continuous improvement
  • Managing knowledge transfer as a strategic approach to competitive advantage
  • Do companies with a competitive advantage make better use of IT? Evidence from Italian enterprises
  • From ICT outsourcing to strategic sourcing: managing customer–supplier relations for continuous innovation capabilities

29 April 2008

Call for papers: Public Affairs Informatics Research – V

Call for papers: Public Affairs Informatics Research – V

A special issue of International Journal of Public Policy

The objective of this special issue is to assemble research and scholarly works that contribute to the theoretical and empirical knowledge base for identifying policy and informatics programs that will improve the performance of service organisations and enhance the well-being of communities. The specific aims of this issue are to:
  • Explicate an interdisciplinary focus in public affairs informatics and performance improvement research
  • Establish a close collaboration and partnership with the public service sector that will enhance the development of innovative research
  • Transfer knowledge developed from interdisciplinary research, pertaining to public affairs informatics and performance improvement, to evidence-based public service management and practice
Since the turn of the 21st century, the global political arena has faced various challenges from terrorist insurgents that prevent nation-building to the debate on global warming. Social science theorises that these events depress economic growth and global development. As world events become ever more unpredictable and harmful to world peace, the need for strong leadership continues to take high importance. World leadership faces unparalleled challenges in the fight for effective global development. Public health issues such as HIV/AIDS and the Asian Bird Flu continue to occupy concerns of medical and government professionals worldwide. As strategies are developed to prevent the spread of life-threatening diseases and viruses, leaders must understand how to adapt, communicate and protect their respective populace. Not only do publicly-elected officials and academicians need to understand challenges that impact global development, but businesses need to understand how public health challenges impact local economics. Furthermore, it is imperative to identify mechanisms to foster the development of social capital and transformation in a turbulent world.

The integration of the principles and methodological approaches of diverse disciplines in conducting scientific studies may lead to the creation of evidence-based knowledge for improving public services and to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of service organisations. This special issue will bring together leading practitioners and scholars in global development to share their scholarship and strategic agenda for resolving the most urgent public policy issues of our time. The call for papers invites scholars and researchers to address best-practice solutions for perfecting global development and cultural change.

Subject Coverage
  • The development of theoretically informed and empirically validated models to improve performance of public service problems
  • Informatics research and its application to the investigation of determinants and consequences of public services
  • The interdisciplinary collaboration contributing to the theoretical and knowledge base for improving the performance of service organisations
  • Evidence-based management and practice in public affairs
  • Scientific knowledge on how to enhance equity, efficiency, quality, and effectiveness of public service organisations, using confirmatory approaches
  • The development and use of decision support systems in public affairs
Important Dates
Deadline for submission: 31 December, 2008
Notification of Acceptance: 31 March, 2009
Camera-ready final copy: 1 June, 2009

Special issue: Sponsored search

International Journal of Electronic Business 6(2) 2008
  • Sponsored search: an overview of the concept, history, and technology
  • Navigational behaviour and sponsored search advertising
  • Advertising academia with sponsored search: an exploratory study examining the effectiveness of Google AdWords at the local and global level
  • Equilibrium analysis of dynamic bidding in sponsored search auctions
  • Evaluating the comparative efficiency of e-tailing ventures using Data Envelopment Analysis

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Process Systems Engineering

International Journal of Process Systems Engineering - to begin publication in 2009 - will cover aspects of process systems engineering, lifecycle engineering and enterprise engineering, at the nano, micro and macro levels of industrial production plants in all types of engineering application.

28 April 2008

Special issue: Advanced design, manufacturing and materials for product engineering

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology 31(2/3/4) 2008
  • Research on parametric optimum design for a multi medium coupling shock absorber based on dual demand for resisting violent impact and attenuating vibration
  • Study and statistical modelling of Green Sand Mould properties using RSM
  • A new approach to silicon wafer edge treatment by Ultrasonically Assisted Polishing (UAP)
  • Ultrasonic-aided Electrochemical Finishing of female screw using completely inserted electrode
  • Research on component relation network of product family and its application
  • A study on tool performance to determine the optimal cutting conditions for dry end milling of an aeroengine material: Ti-6242S
  • Effect of additional supports on surface errors in the peripheral milling of a flexible workpiece
  • Integrated CAD/CAM and numerical simulation based on subdivision methods
  • An analytic approach to the relationship of axiomatic design and robust design
  • VR collaborative and interactive design over the web: a MEMS case study
  • Parametric resonance analysis on simplified Planetary Gear Trains
  • Effect of notch size and fibre content on the tensile strength of fabric reinforced hybrid composites
  • Research on parametric analysis for stress of Plastic Ball Grid Array solder joint under shock load
  • Development of copper:alumina Metal Matrix Composite by Powder Metallurgy method
  • A new way to produce aluminised layer on austenitic refractory steel by electrolytic activated flux technique
  • Preparation and characterisation of ZnO:Ga films deposited on polyimide substrate by r.f. magnetron sputtering
  • A finite element model for micro machining considering size effect of material behaviour and tool geometry
  • Effect of temperature on nano-scale adhesion for MEMS
  • AFM/FFM study of micro/nano-tribological properties of Diamond-Like Carbon film
  • Micro machining process of high temperature pressure sensor gauge chip based on SIMOX SOI wafer
  • Dynamic characteristics of MEMS inertial devices under high g-force
  • Synthesis and characterisation of MS2 (M = Nb, Ta) nanostructures

Special issue: Biomass energy in developing countries

International Journal of Global Energy Issues 29(3) 2008
  • Kinetics of the low-temperature pyrolysis of walnut shell
  • The techno-economic assessment of biomass pyrolysis gasification system for central gas supply: a case study of Jinzhou
  • Background of biogas technology and its recent developments in Iran
  • Effects of anaerobic fermentation residue of biogas production on the yield and quality of Chinese cabbage and nutrient accumulations in soil
  • Pilot design of biomass energy resources inquiry system based on MapX: a case of Liyang city in China
  • The effects of biodiesel usage on the components of an engine
  • Combustion and emission characteristics of diesel engine fuelled with methyl esters of pungam oil and rice bran oil
  • Experimental investigations on diethyl ether as fuel additive in biodiesel engine
  • A study on the development and exports outlook of palm biodiesel in Malaysia

26 April 2008

Call for papers: Application of Digital Human Modelling Tools in User Centred Design Processes

Call for papers: Application of Digital Human Modelling Tools in User Centred Design Processes

A special issue of International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation

The movement towards virtual product and production development processes leads to a situation where it is both possible and important to represent future product and workplace users as digital human models. These digital human models are at the disposal of design engineers, as one of many design tools that can be employed, and hence the functionality and method of application of the tools influence the quality of the design work.

This special issue will focus on the application, functionality and usability of digital human modelling (DHM) and other human visualisation and simulation techniques in industrial and other professional development processes. The aim of the special issue is to present the current state of the field in terms of application examples and research and to inspire discussion on the future direction of DHM. This in turn should identify the research needed in order to meet the objectives for DHM tools to successfully contribute to user centred design processes and fit within the overall goal of enhanced quality of life and a sustainable development.

Possible topics:
  • Application of digital human modelling (DHM) and other visualisation and simulation techniques in product design, such as in vehicle, clothing, healthcare and sports equipment design
  • Application of DHM in workspace design, such as in manufacturing, manual assembly, building design and office workplace design
  • Application of DHM for inclusive design (universal design/"design for all"), such as in consumer products, hand tools, transport, interior and urban environments design
  • User representation techniques in DHM, such as for signifying anthropometric, mobility, personality, or other, diversity
  • Integration of physical and cognitive, and other human representation models, for augmented digital human model functionality
  • Application and evaluation methods development for the implementation of DHM in industrial development and quality assurance processes
  • Strategies for the implementation of DHM in CAD, CAE, knowledge-based engineering and expert systems
Important Date
The deadline for submissions is : 1st January 2009

Special issue: Three dimensional nanomanufacturing

International Journal of Nanomanufacturing 1(6) 2007

Expanded versions of papers from the 4th International Symposium on Nanomanufacturing (ISNM) held on 1–3 November 2006, at MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  • 2D and 3D growth of carbon nanotubes on substrates, from nanometre to millimetre scales
  • Design of an on-chip microscale nanoassembly system
  • Investigation of the dimensional variation of microstructures through the µMIM process
  • Molecular dynamics simulations of laser ablation: the Morse potential function approach
  • Stochastic control for nanoparticle manipulation using electric fields
  • Construction of 2D and 3D biomolecules structures using fs lasers
  • Design of six degree of freedom hybrid active–passive vibration isolator using voice coil actuator
  • Magnetic nanocomposites obtained using high evaporation rate magnetic nanofluids
  • Shortening carbon nanotube-tipped AFM probes
  • Nanoparticle coalescence and sintering: molecular dynamics simulation
  • Femtosecond laser-triggered electrical discharges at nanoprobe tips for nanoprocessing

Special issue: KDD for decision making and optimisation

International Journal of Business Intelligence and Data Mining 3(1) 2008

Expanded versions of papers from the “Data mining and knowledge discovery” stream at EURO XXII held on 8–11 July, 2007 in Prague, Czech Republic.
  • Internal quality measures for clustering in metric spaces
  • A stochastic nature inspired metaheuristic for clustering analysis
  • Fuzzy clustering of intuitionistic fuzzy data
  • Efficient clustering technique for regionalisation of a spatial database
  • Traffic mining in a road-network: How does the traffic flow?
  • Improving the accuracy of continuous aggregates and mining queries on data streams under load shedding

Special issue: Biological utilisation of biomass or organic waste materials

International Journal of Biotechnology 10(1) 2008
  • Dynamic characteristics of bacterial community in a sulphate-reducing bioreactor fed with acetate and intermittent ethanol
  • Influence of Fe(II) addition on heavy metal bioleaching from sewage sludge with mixed inocula
  • Ultrasonic pre-treatment of biosolid
  • Influence of catalyst on the yields and properties of products from biomass liquefaction in subcritical water
  • Consumption of nitrogen and phosphorus in human urine by Spirulina platensis
  • Isolation and identification of the sulphate-reducing bacteria strain H1 and its function for hydrolysed polyacrylamide degradation
  • Waste activated sludge reduction using sonication and cryptic growth
  • Disposal of seaweed wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) in composting process by marine bacterium Halomonas sp. AW4
  • Biotransformation of rice straw by Phanerachaete chrysosporium and the related ligninolytic enzymes
  • Effect of feeding efficient microbial community on aerobic composting of municipal waste and excrement
  • Natural essential oils from lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) to control postharvest anthracnose of mango fruit

Special issue: Sustainability and education: towards a culture of critical commitment

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development 2(3/4) 2007
  • As the heating happens: Education for Sustainable Development or Education for Sustainable Contraction?
  • Understanding the connections between double bind thinking and the ecological crises: implications for educational reform
  • Changing the story: 'Cradle-to-cradle' thinking as a compelling framework for ESD in a globalised world
  • Pedagogies for persistence: cognitive challenges and collective competency development
  • Implications of quantum theory on education: a critical review of the literature
  • Science, spirituality and holism within higher education
  • We comprehend that which comprehends us: an exploration of hermeneutic Gaia
  • Common wisdom: cultivating logic and intuition in science education
  • Spirits of ecological thinking
  • Whose emergencies and who decides? Insights from emergency education for a more anticipatory Education for Sustainable Development
  • Missing links: gender and education for sustainable development
  • Spires, plateaus and the infertile landscape of Education for Sustainable Development: re-invigorating the university through integrating community, campus and curriculum
  • Educating for sustainability: A double-edged sword?
  • Book Review: Environmental Principles and Policies: an Interdisciplinary Introduction by Sharon Beder
  • Book Review: Social Learning Towards a Sustainable World: Principles, Perspectives and Praxis by Arjen E.J. Wals
  • Book Review: Teaching Business Sustainability Volume 2: Cases, Simulations and Experiential Approaches by Chris Galea

First issue: International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences

The first issue of International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences has just been published. It covers the combination of functional and behavioural areas of business with concepts and methodologies of the decision sciences and information systems. It is a business journal with an explicit focus on modelling and applied decision-making.

There is a free download of the papers from this issue.

24 April 2008

Call for papers: Organizational Learning

Call for papers: Organizational Learning

A special issue of the International Journal of Collaborative Enterprise

Organizational learning is an important strategy in the 21st century corporate climate. A company's competitive advantage depends on the level of learning and how efficiently it is done. Organizations are now forced to use different strategies to improve performance and to adapt to the 21st century global market. It is considered that the price of investing in organizational learning is high, but it has been proven that the price of using the old practices is much higher.

Organizational learning can be simply defined in terms of identifying and mapping best practice. This includes work routine identification, process mapping, standardizing processes, implementation of the best practices and finally re-engineering the process. Organizational learning means implementing effective steps for change. The core of corporate learning lies in the ability of the organization to continually improve its processes with every project and through lessons learned (e.g. hurricane evacuation). The goal of this special issue is to address and publish the latest articles on a variety of topics related to organizational learning.

Topics include but are not limited to:
  • How organizations learn
  • Effective learning
  • Competence building
  • Benchmarking methods
  • Performance measures
  • Knowledge managements
  • Lean organizations
  • Learning tools
  • Complex organizations
  • Change management
  • Project network structure (PNS)
  • Organizational strategy learning
  • Case studies and other related topics
Important Dates
Abstract of proposed articles: 30 September, 2008
Full paper submission for the invited articles: 15 December, 2008
Notification of reviews: 1 February, 2009
Revised manuscript submission: 31 March, 2009
Notification of acceptance: 2 May, 2009
Final Paper: 30 May, 2009

Call for papers: Knowledge-intensive Service Industry in China

Call for papers: Knowledge-intensive Service Industry in China

A special issue of the International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management

The knowledge-intensive service industry provides consumers with knowledge-based services, mainly relying on high technology, expertise, information and experience. The service process includes knowledge production, knowledge dissemination and knowledge use. Knowledge proliferates in the process of service, while the employees in knowledge-intensive service industry are mostly high-quality personnel. This industry is supported by science, engineering, technology and other industries, including communication services, financial services, business services (computer software, computer and data processing, research and development, engineering services and related services), education services and health care.

China's service industries have developed rapidly in the past 27 years, from 1978 to 2005 the average growth rate of service industries was more than 10%, higher than the average gross domestic product growth rate in the same period, but compared with developed countries, the output value of China's tertiary industry is low - most of the industries are labour-intensive, and the knowledge-intensive service industry is correspondingly lagging behind in China.

The knowledge of the organisation that offers service is different from the knowledge of the organisation that accepts service, which, as well as knowledge uncertainty in the service process, results in difficulties of effective organisation in the service process, long cycle services, quality instability of service, high cost of service, and relatively low customer satisfaction.

This special issue deals with issues revolving around organisational culture and management, business service models, service innovation, standardisation of service processes, human resources, client management, government policies, service industry clusters, etc.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Survey of China's knowledge-intensive service industry
  • Organisational culture and management of knowledge-intensive service firms
  • Development strategies of knowledge-intensive service firms
  • Customer relation management
  • Human resource training and management
  • Quality management and standardisation of service process
  • Knowledge-intensive service industry clusters
  • Managing core technology and competence
  • Innovation environment establishment
  • Government policies
  • Case studies
Important Dates
Contact with Guest Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 15 September, 2008
Notification to authors: 30 October, 2008
Final versions due: 15 November 2008

Call for papers: Chinese Book Publishing Industry: Development and Management

Call for papers: Chinese Book Publishing Industry: Development and Management

A special issue of the International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management

In nearly 30 years from the reform and opening of 1978, the book publishing industry in China has developed rapidly. However, this growth was largely achieved through designated ways and quantitative approaches. In the 21st century, some deep-rooted contradictions concealed by the way of growth begin to emerge.

Although Chinese publishing industry is currently in a new phase of growth compared with the first phase, the rate of growth is slowing down, especially book net sales and profits, which indicates that the actual sales and profitability for the publishing industry are declining or even moving to a negative growth rate. This phenomenon shows that while China's publishing industry continues to grow quantitatively, at the same time some of the internal factors prevalent in the past are now shifting. Furthermore, the external environment for the growth of the book publishing industry has also undergone great change. With the involvement of the WTO and the Chinese government gradually fulfilling its commitments about opening the market of cultural products to the outside world, China's cultural market is becoming a part of the global cultural market, with foreign capital access and information technology impacting on China's publishing industry. Internal and external factor changes means that China’s publishing industry is faced with a great challenge; such changes are also the main force in promoting the transformation of the growth mode of Chinese book publishing industry.

The publishing industry in China is one of the most dynamic industries in recent years. However compared with the developed countries in the world, there are still many inadequacies. There is an urgent need to strengthen China's publishing industry norms and to pay more attention to product varieties, technology, quality and innovation in order to ensure the development of publishing industry rapidly and healthily.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Branding, marketing and strategic management
  • Internationalisation of China's book publishing
  • Book publishing industry clusters
  • Collectivisation, industrialisation and the book publishing industry chain
  • Human resource traning and management
  • Intellectual property disputes
  • Digital publishing and informationisation
  • Management mechanism and government polices
  • Case studies
Important Dates
Contact with Guest Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 15 September, 2008
Notification to authors: 30 October, 2008
Final versions due: 15 November 2008

23 April 2008

Call for papers: Education Innovation and Personnel Training

Call for papers: Education Innovation and Personnel Training

A special issue of International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital

Knowledge is the main resource for the knowledge society; in other words, the knowledge society is such a society which creates value by knowledge application. In traditional society, the application of knowledge was still at the level of thinking application until the 18th century, when knowledge began to be applied to tools, processes and products, and created the industrial revolution. In the past several decades, with the rapid advances of technology, knowledge in the fields of energy, electronics, information, communications, biotechnology and others has developed largely because of the active input of enterprises, research institutions and universities, and increasingly knowledge is rapidly converted into products with economic value.

Along with the advent of the knowledge-based economy, knowledge and innovation have been the core elements of national competitive power. Education plays an important role in improving individual and/or organisational creativity and innovation power, as well as culture, society and system reform.

The arrival of the era of the knowledge-based economy brings new opportunities to school education, because knowledge will be used creatively, directly, actively, instead of bring applied repeatability. In other words, we are shifting to a period of relying on knowledge from a period when information could be profitable. Knowledge is an actionable asset, and the competitive advantage that other organisations cannot copy and imitate. Knowledge also becomes the schools’ important intangible assets, and the organisational intellectual capital demanded by school organisational development.

Under this environment of the knowledge-based economy, school education and training have to be strengthened with many capabilities, such as professional knowledge and techniques, the application of informative technology, communication skills, teamwork, problem solving, lifelong learning and foreign languages. Therefore, in personnel training, systems should emphasise applied strategy, enforce the cultivation of technicians, use modelled training structures as well as cooperation between industry and school, so as to improve the practical techniques of the students.

This special issue deals with issues revolving around the school innovative management, organisational learning, knowledge management, industry and school cooperation, educational informationisation, etc.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Education innovation and management
  • Intellectual capital management, organisation learning, knowledge management, knowledge transfer
  • Industry-school cooperation
  • Human capital and personnel training
  • Managing core technology and competence
  • Education informationisation
  • Education policies and mechanism
  • Case study
Important Dates
Contact with Guest Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 15 September, 2008
Notification to authors: 30 October, 2008
Final versions due: 15 November 2008

Call for papers: Multinational Corporations’ R&D Transfer and Intellectual Capital Management

Call for papers: Multinational Corporations’ R&D Transfer and Intellectual Capital Management

A special issue of International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital

Along with economy globalisation and the arrival of the knowledge-based economy, multinational corporations pursue an R&D globalisation stratagy to support market exploitation overseas in order to improve competitive power by using overseas science and technology resources. Multinational corporations’ R&D organisations, with strong capital advantage, establish laboratories and research institutions across the world to reduce production costs and improve localisation and diversity of product design by using local human resources, technical resources and market information.

The global R&D transfer of multinational corporations rose in the 1980s, and in the 1990s created an upsurge, its main distribution being in developed countries. At the end of the 20th century, an emerging tendency saw multinational corporations transferring R&D institutions to developing countries with rapid economic development. Asia-Pacific countries, such as China, South Korea, Singapore, India, and China Taiwan are committed to attracting multinational corporations’ R&D transfer.

The special issue deals with issues revolving around the characteristics and models of multinational corporations’ R&D transfer, the influence on local firms’ innovation and regional competitive power, R&D cooperation between multinational corporations and local academic institutions, the establishment of an innovation environment, intellectual property protection, Government policies, etc.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Survey of multinational corporations' R&D transfer
  • Multinational corporations' R&D influence on cooperating countries
  • Human resource training and management
  • Innovation environment establishment
  • Industry-academia R&D alliances
  • Multinational corporations' R&D outsourcing and local firm innovation management
  • Intellectual capital management, organisation learning, knowledge management, knowledge spiller-over, technology diffusion
  • Managing core technology and competence
  • Science and technology intermediary service
  • Intellectual property protection
  • Technology transactions
  • Government policies
  • Case studies
Important Dates
Contact with Guest Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 15 September, 2008
Notification to authors: 30 October, 2008
Final versions due: 15 November 2008

Call for papers: Chinese Internet Culture and Management

Call for papers: Chinese Internet Culture and Management

A special issue of International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management

From a global perspective, the Internet is entering to the main media list because of its dynamic attitude and fast pace. At the end of 2002, the total number of China’s Internet users surpassed Japan, and was second only to the United States. Almost everyone using the Internet has found intuitively what the internet brings to them is not only network technology, but also a new lifestyle and cultural phenomenon labeled by information and bit logo. The Internet provides the scientific and cultural arena, by which humans and computers communicate and interact so that people can transcend time and space to meet online. Electronic information networks are developing at an alarming rate, and having a tremendous and far-reaching effect on the ways of production, lifestyles and thinking.

The Internet industry has an important significance in Chinese cultural development. It became the birthplace of cultural industry content such as the Internet portal, online games, network literature, network music, blogs, podcasts, personal space, flash, and other Internet services platform, so that everyone can easily display their creativity to the public, while, at the same time, the Internet provides peolpe with the conditions to exchange and promote each other. Therefore, the rapid development of the Internet has greatly promoted China's cultural industry.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Internet culture management and mechanism
  • Internet portal and e-commerce
  • Online games market and operation modes
  • Industrialisation and industry chain
  • Human resource management and training
  • Intellectual property disputes
  • Government polices
  • Case study
Important Dates
Contact with Guest Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 15 September, 2008
Notification to authors: 30 October, 2008
Final versions due: 15 November 2008

Call for papers: Cultural and Creative Industry in China

Call for papers: Cultural and Creative Industry in China

A special issue of International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management

Culture becomes a main resource of economic development during the era of knowledge-based economy, and the cultural and creative industries become an important pillar of industry. According to international experience, modernisation progress is at a critical point of the transition stage from the investment-oriented phase to the innovation-oriented phase, and economic development mainly depends on independent innovation to enhance the industrial added value after the average per person GDP breaks through 5000 USD. Therefore, cultural creativity is industrialized, combining science and technology with culture and service, which is a key point for China to expand internal demands, create employment opportunity, and develop the economy in the future.

The cultural and creative industry is defined as an industry cluster with intrinsic connections between firms to provide the public with the cultural experience, taking creation, creativity, innovation as the fundamental means, taking cultural content and creative results as core values, taking intellectual property achievement or consumption as transaction characteristics. It includes arts and culture; press and publication; radio, television, film; software, networking and computer services; advertising and exhibition; art transactions; design services; tourism, leisure entertainment; and other ancillary services.

The service industries have increasingly enhanced in China. In 2007, the added value of China's service industries is 9.6 trillion Yuan RMB, up 11.4 per cent on 2006. The cultural and creative industry is an important component of service industries.

This special issue deals with problems of China’s cultural and creative industry, revolving around venture capital, cultural management mechanism, human resource, intellectual capital, industry zone, industry chain, government policies.

Subject Coverage

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Culture management and mechanism
  • Strategic management
  • Internationalisation of China's cultural and creative firms
  • Cultural and creative industry clusters and zones
  • Cultural and creative industry chain and extension strategy
  • Human resource management and training
  • Film and television culture management
  • Book publishing and audio-visual creative model and management
  • Advertising design
  • Computer animation and cartoon creative design
  • Art collection, art investment and auction
  • Sports and events creativity and management
  • Cultural tourism and creativity
  • Consumers' cultural and creative experience
  • Intellectual property disputes
  • Trademark register
  • Protection of cultural heritage
  • Government policies
  • Case study
Important Dates
Contact with Guest Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 15 September, 2008
Notification to authors: 30 October, 2008
Final versions due: 15 November 2008

Call for papers: China’s Film and Television Culture and Management

Call for papers: China’s Film and Television Culture and Management

A special issue of International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management

China's film and television industry development path is basically a gradual integration process with national culture under the guidance of the Western industrialised theoretical model. From simple imitation to adaptation to the local culture, China’s film and television industry is on the road of variety development. With growing diversity of the people's spiritual and cultural product needs, the rapid development of science and technology, particularly digital technology, network technology’s rapid development and extensive application, the film and television industry has a broader space and the strong driving force to develop.

However, realistically, China's film and television industry system has not been established fully and effectively, and it survives under long-term policy protection. After China's entry into the WTO, and thus facing economic globalisation, China’s film and television industry is having to deal with the impact of strong competition from foreign film and television industries. Therefore, the film and television industry, as the forefront of the cultural industry, will be facing unprecedented changes and innovations.

The report of 17th National Congress of Communist Party of China clearly suggests that building an innovation-oriented country is an important strategy for China. The film and television industry is one part of national innovation system, containing not only scientific and technological innovation, but also more cultural innovation. Facing the opportunities and challenges of the new century, it is necessary to revisit the cultural identity of the film and television industry, re-position China’s profound culture foundation, adapt to the modern audience’s level of taste and consumption habits, study the characteristics of film and television industry from the perspectives of issued publicity systems, brand building, large-scale operation, and discuss the market mechanisms, cultural environment, as well as the application of new media technologies, for the future development of film and television industry.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Culture innovation and management
  • Branding, marketing and strategic management
  • Internationalisation of China's film and television industry
  • Industrialisation and industry chain of film and television
  • Human resource exploitation and management
  • WTO and China's film and television culture industry
  • Capital market
  • Intellectual property disputes
  • Digital film and television
  • Management mechanism and government polices
  • Case studies
Important Dates
Contact with Guest Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 15 September, 2008
Notification to authors: 30 October, 2008
Final versions due: 15 November 2008

Call for papers: Recent Advances in Applications of Adaptive, Robust and Hybrid Control Techniques

Call for papers: Recent Advances in Applications of Adaptive, Robust and Hybrid Control Techniques

A special issue of International Journal of Advanced Mechatronic Systems

This special issue focuses on recent advances in applications of advanced control techniques to real systems. Original research articles are invited for submission, which should deal with applications of new adaptive, robust and hybrid control techniques and their integration into a wide range of application areas, including mechatronics, industrial processes, robotics, automotive systems, biological systems, etc. Articles from the industrial side are especially welcome.

Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Advanced controller design method for practical applications
  • System modelling and identification techniques for real systems
  • Applications of adaptive, robust and hybrid control techniques
  • Applications of intelligent control techniques
Important Date
Submission deadline: 1 July 2008

Special issue: Research innovation in New Zealand in the sustainability space

International Journal of Sustainable Development 10(4) 2007
  • Reducing terrestrial greenhouse gas emissions: a human dimensions contribution
  • Investigating the direct and indirect environmental pressures of New Zealand's food and fibre industries
  • Mediated modelling, strong transdisciplinarity and sustainable resource management in the Motueka Catchment of New Zealand
  • The community outcomes process and mediated modelling
  • Participatory modelling with an influence matrix and the calculation of whole-of-system sustainability values
  • Sustainable development and technology: genetic engineering, social sustainability and empirical ethics

22 April 2008

Special issue: Citizens and governance for sustainable development

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development 7(1) 2008
  • Governance as a barrier to mainstreaming sustainable development in Riga, Latvia
  • The socioeconomic aetiology of suicide mortality in Russia
  • Towards sustainable development: a complex process
  • The assessment of sustainability in political environment of balanced social field: possibilities of electoral method
  • Influencing individual sustainability: a review of the evidence on the role of community-based organisations
  • Social responsibility and sustainability in motorway corporate governance

Special issue: 10th International Conference on Corporate Governance and Board Leadership

International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics 4(1) 2008

Selected papers from the 10th International Conference on Corporate Governance and Board Leadership held at the Centre for Board Effectiveness, Henley Management College, UK, from 2–4 October 2007.
  • Social impact as a measure of fit between firm activities and stakeholder expectations
  • Company growth and Board attitudes to corporate social responsibility
  • Diving for pearls: the importance of Board induction and re-induction
  • Corporate governance practices of small cap companies and their financial performance: an empirical study in New Zealand
  • Engaging the Board: integrity, values and the Board agenda
  • Current practice of FTSE 350 Boards concerning the appointment, evaluation and development of directors, boards and committees post the Combined Code

Call for papers: FACTS Technology Applications in Power System Studies

Call for papers: FACTS Technology Applications in Power System Studies

A special issue of International Journal of Power and Energy Conversion

In recent years, power demand increased substantially while the expansion of power generation and transmission has been severely curtailed due to limited resources and environmental restrictions. As a consequence, some transmission lines are more heavily loaded than before. This situation has necessitated a review of the traditional power system concepts and practices in order to achieve a larger stability margin, greater operating flexibility, and better utilisation of existing power systems.

The rapid development of power electronics technology has led to the development new Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) devices for better utilisation of existing systems. During the last two decades, a number of FACTS devices have been proposed to solve different power system problems such as power flow control, loop-flow control, load sharing among parallel corridors, voltage regulation, enhancement of transient stability, and mitigation of system oscillations. In addition, FACTS technology has gained greater interest during the last few years due to the deregulation and restructuring strategies of power systems.

The special issue focuses on of FACTS technology applications to solve different power system steady state and dynamic problems. The topics include, but are not limited to:
  • Series compensation FACTS devices
  • Shunt compensation FACTS devices
  • Series-shunt compensation FACTS devices
  • Thyristor based FACTS devices
  • GTO-based FACTS devices
  • FACTS applications to voltage stability
  • FACTS applications to low frequency stability
  • FACTS applications to transient stability
  • FACTS applications to power flow control
  • FACTS applications to congestion management
  • FACTS applications to power quality
  • Real-world installations of FACTS technology
Important Date
Deadline for submission: 30 September 2008

21 April 2008

Special issue: Monitoring of the marine environment: new perspectives and new instrumental approaches

International Journal of Environment and Health 1(3) 2007
  • Handling of a large dataset: application of Time Series Analysis to oceanographic studies
  • Mathematical modelling of sediment chemicophysical parameters in a coastal lagoon to estimate high density seagrass meadow (Ruppia cirrhosa) distribution
  • Aeolian dust in sediment: a re-examination of methods for identification and dispersal assessed by diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry
  • Marine sediment components: identification and dispersal assessed by diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry
  • New approaches for monitoring the marine environment: the case of antifouling paints
  • Monitoring of brine discharges from seawater desalination plants in the Mediterranean
  • On storm surges induced by the Bora wind in the Lagoon of Venice
  • Harmful algal blooms: new methods of control and management
  • Temporal distribution of Dinophysis spp. in relation to diarrhetic shellfish poisoning shellfish toxicity
  • Macroalgal standing crop estimate – fast method using ultralight aircraft

Special issue: The Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare and the Genuine Progress Indicator

International Journal of Environment, Workplace and Employment 3(2) 2007
  • The need for 'convention' in environmental valuation
  • Is the Genuine Progress Indicator really genuine? Considering well-being impacts of exports and imports
  • Simplifying the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare: methodology, data sources and a case study for The Netherlands
  • On income, sustainability and the 'microfoundations' of the Genuine Progress Indicator
  • Opportunities and challenges in applying the Genuine Progress Indicator/Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare at local scales
  • The Sustainable Net Domestic Product of Cambodia, 1988–2004

Special issue: Advanced technologies for environmental remediation and management

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management 9(1) 2008
  • Evaluating alkaline microcapsules for pH control and reductive dechlorination of trichloroethylene in sediment
  • The removal of organic pollutants from industrial effluents via tapered bed adsorption columns
  • Dye-sensitised photocatalytic degradation of PVC-ZnO composite film
  • Biofiltration of hydrophobic VOCs pretreated with UV photolysis and photocatalysis
  • Fluoride removal from drinking water by adsorption using bone char as a biosorbent
  • Sorptive removal of Cr (III) ions from aqueous solution onto beach sand
  • Catalytic wet oxidation of ferulic acid
  • Decontamination of a natural multicomponent aqueous liquid waste by titania photocatalysis
  • Performance improvement of TiO2 supported on adsorbents for photocatalytic degradation of MEK in air
  • Water quality in healthcare

20 April 2008

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education

Key elements of pluralism, which is rapidly gaining currency among economists, include respect for diversity and alternative views, toleration, willingness to learn, curiosity and friendliness – all necessary to enable students to forge solutions to today’s complex problems. International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education - to begin publication in 2009 - will
  • provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, thereby fostering communication within the growing pluralist community
  • advance the techniques and concepts of pluralist economics by providing practical suggestions to incorporate pluralism into the classroom
  • offer teachers and educators interested in pluralism an outlet for their research
  • to change the emphasis of economic education by making pluralism a central feature

Special issue: Trade secrets and IPR protection

International Journal of Intellectual Property Management 2(1) 2008
  • Protecting business methods in South Africa and Zimbabwe
  • Fundamental rights in cyberspace and internet customary law
  • The war against P2P: Has it gone too far?
  • Re-examining the exclusive rights principle in optimising information and technology under the intellectual property regime: an Indonesian perspective
  • Regulating the right of information communication in China
  • Registrability of colours and smells as a trademark
  • Same issues, different treatment: common law and civilian approaches to the copyright treatment of freelance works

Special issue: Optimisation methods and applications

International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering 3(3) 2007
  • Streaming cache placement problems: complexity and algorithms
  • Sequential constraint augmentation with variable neighbourhood search for the multidimensional assignment problem
  • A hybrid global optimisation algorithm based on locally filled functions and cluster analysis
  • A class of multi-level balanced Foundation-Penalty cuts for mixed-integer programs
  • On greedy construction heuristics for the MAX-CUT problem
  • Computational enhancement of large scale environmental imagery: aggregation of robust numerical regularisation, neural computing and digital dynamic filtering
  • A branch-and-cut algorithm for two-stage stochastic mixed-binary programs with continuous first-stage variables

Special issue: Nanofabrication of novel carbon nanostructures and nanocomposite films

International Journal of Nanomanufacturing 2(1/2) 2008
  • Pyrolytic carbon-coated silicon/Carbon Nanotube composites: promising application for Li-ion batteries
  • Fabrication of Co nanostructures in carbon films
  • Nanocrystalline carbon coatings and powders for medicine
  • Growth of Carbon Nanotubes via Rapid Thermal Processing from sputtered amorphous carbon
  • Motion of Carbon Nanotubes in suspension under AC electric field
  • SnO2/ZnO double layer thin films: a novel economical preparation and investigation of sensitivity and stability of double layer gas sensors
  • Bias-Enhanced Nucleation of NCD on high-adherent diamond/Ti6Al4V films
  • Fabrication and thermal stability of Co nanopillars in diamondlike carbon films
  • Polycrystalline diamond coatings on steel substrates
  • Nanofabrication of vertically aligned Diamond Rods and Carbon Nanotubes
  • A non-probe/lithography approach to nanotrench/nanochannel fabrication
  • Clinical applications of Titanium dental implants coated with glass-reinforced Hydroxyapatite composite (Bonelike®)
  • Synthesis of zinc oxide nanopowder and nanolayer via chemical processing
  • Micromachining M42 tool steel using nanostructured titanium coatings
  • Microfinishing quenched and tempered M42 tool steels

18 April 2008

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing

International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing - to begin publication in 2009 - has an international orientation, and will publish high-quality conceptual and empirical papers that advance knowledge in the areas of leisure activities, travel, hotels, tourism management, events and destinations, highlighting marketing issues. It will include research that incorporates the concepts of the inter-relationship of structures and processes in tourism and leisure activities and provides a global medium for applied research papers, case studies, short communications and reviews.

17 April 2008

Special issue: Legal quandary in the virtual world

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation 4 (2/3/4) 2007
  • The importance of live link in child abuse cases (incest)
  • Immediate rewards for no physical attendance at a meeting of shareholders
  • Legal and technological developments concerning e-Government services in Poland
  • Erroneous execution of payment transactions according to the new payment services Directive
  • Virtual criminal law in boundless new environments
  • Doing LPO business in India
  • Elimination of anonymity in regard to liability for unlawful acts on the internet
  • Biosorption technology: starting up an enterprise
  • Exploring the impact of national culture on the outcome of international technology transfer projects
  • An exploratory study of Japanese company Research and Development links with British universities
  • Technology transfer and catch-up; lessons from the commercial aircraft industry

16 April 2008

Call for papers: E-business Development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Call for papers: E-business Development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

A special issue of International Journal of Electronic Business

For more than a decade now, firms in countries with appropriate infrastructures in place have generally been able to exploit emerging Internet technologies for business purposes. The diffusion process has been very rapid. However, with regard to e-business adoption, several studies have shown that firm size is an important factor in driving a development in which small and medium-sized enterprises lag behind large firms in their intent and decision to adopt.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are an important growth engine in the global economy. Small and medium-sized enterprises account for a major proportion of employment in the economy. For example, according to OECD, 90% of the firms in Europe are categorised as small. An increasingly improved infrastructure of ICT enables and facilitates for the small and medium-sized enterprise manager to turn to e-business. Given the promise that e-business development holds for the small and medium-sized enterprise manager, and although much has been written on e-commerce and e-business in recent years, there is yet much work left to be done.

This special issue aims to stimulate the creation of academic papers focused on the study of development of e-business in small and medium-sized enterprises, ultimately advancing the understanding of how the process of adoption of e-business evolves in the small business context. The special issue will provide an insight on where we are now within the field including research overviews and current state-of-the-art research and also at where we are heading by proposing a future research agenda.

Potential contributions may include:
  • Papers investigating the process of adoption of e-business among small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Theoretical and conceptual papers that focus on the development of e-business in small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Case studies of both successful and unsuccessful e-business development in small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Methodologies for the study of e-business development in small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Papers that investigate the diffusion of e-business among small and medium-sized enterprises
Some of the topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
  • E-business adoption and non-adoption among small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Drivers and barriers of e-business development in small and medium-sized enterprises
  • The role of external parties in e-business development in small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Post-adoption challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises
  • E-business diffusion in small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Region, sector or industry specific studies on e-business among small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Extent of e-business use among small and medium-sized enterprises
  • The benefits of e-business among small and medium-sized enterprises
  • E-business and corporate culture in small and medium-sized enterprises
  • E-business and business renewal among small and medium-sized enterprises
  • International aspects of e-business for small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Trust, privacy and security issues in e-business for small and medium-sized enterprises
  • E-business and supply chains integration in small and medium-sized enterprises
  • E-commerce and distribution in small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Development of e-marketing for small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Emerging business models for e-business in small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Development of e-procurement for small and medium-sized enterprises
  • E-business and performance
  • Future e-challenges in small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Future directions for research on e-business development in small and medium-sized
Important Dates
Submission of papers: 1 October 2008
Notification of acceptance: 1 February 2009

Call for papers: Organisational Learning and The Knowledge Society: Models and Challenges

Call for papers: Organisational Learning and The Knowledge Society: Models and Challenges

A special issue of International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital

Organisational learning theory has made great progress from its early concepts by Cangolosi and Dill (1965), and Argyris and Schon (1978). While early scholars established strong links between thinking and action (Argyris, 1993), and the relationships between individual and organisational learning (Fiol and Lyles, 1985; Kim, 1993), more contemporary inquiry has advanced the field from strategic renewal (Crossan, Lane, and White, 1999), to dynamic capabilities (Prieto and Easterby-Smith, 2006; Eisenhardt and Martin, 2000), to leadership (Vera and Crossan, 2004), and improvisation (Vera and Crossan, 2004:2005).

Indeed, organisational learning has now become a contemporary linking pin (so it appears) between cognitive thinking, behavioural action, and organisational strategy and change, and a foundation for understanding organisational processes. Contextual influences thus appear to be many but remain somewhat elusive and fuzzy as a unifying whole and in terms of their influence on the organisational learning process.

This special issue seeks to address the various learning contexts that influence organisational learning processes. Of particular interest is how contexts influence the quality of learning, learning routines and capabilities, and the capacity of the firm to embed them (if at all) within the 4I framework and learning outcomes. At the expense of a more discursive and interpretive perspective, to what extent are scholars using structure and prescription as a reductionist fallacy that glosses over contextual effects? To what extent is the field grounded in contextual fact and how does this influence learning processes and outcomes?

Papers from a variety of perspectives are welcomed, consistent with the theme. We welcome theoretical pieces that link context to theory, empirical works, and case studies. While many contextual influences are a matter of interpretation, scholars might particularly examine those that influence cognition, behavioural routines, and organisational processes. These might be drawn from a variety of fields such as strategic capability, organisation change, leadership, and strategy. We welcome inquiries from broader but related fields including organisational psychology and organisational studies, as a basis for extending organisational learning frameworks and typologies.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • The knowledge society
  • Individual and organisational capabilities
  • Time and improvisation
  • Strategic capabilities
  • Power and control
  • Technical and operating core
  • Psychology of learning
  • Change
  • Learning routines
  • Cognition
  • Fiction and Story telling
  • Culture
  • Leadership
Important Dates
Contact with Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 15 June 2008
Notification to authors: 1 July 2008
Final versions due: 15 July 2008

Call for papers: Intellectual Capital Measuring and Reporting: Challenges for the Future

Call for papers: Intellectual Capital Measuring and Reporting: Challenges for the Future

A special issue of International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital

The very first internal intellectual capital report was prototyped in 1992 and externally published for the first time in 1994. The Swedish stock and Fortune 500 listed the financial and insurance service company Skandia. This company drew up the first intellectual capital report or statement to be published anywhere in the world. It was based on the Skandia development of the intellectual capital navigator and the newly launched taxonomy of IC, under the leadership of Leif Edvinsson, to visualise the hidden value for a more systematised cultivation.

This publication represented an important milestone in the field of intellectual capital. At that time, the attention of the academic and corporate world centred on this pioneering company and the intellectual capital statement that it produced. The great expectation generated by this innovative report resulted in a small group of European companies beginning to prepare and publish this type of statement in 1998. These included the Danish companies Carl Bro, Coloplast, Cowi and Systematic, Spanish companies BBVA, Bankinter and Unión Fenosa and the Swedish company Celemi.

In 2000, the Danish Agency for Trade and Industry (DATI) published, based on work of, among others, Professor Jan Mouritsen (Copenhagen Business School), the document entitled Intellectual Capital Statement - Towards a Guideline, which represented an initial effort with respect to developing directives for quantifying intellectual capital and the preparation of intellectual capital statements using the results of these quantifications. Later, in 2001 and 2003, the DATI published a series of new directives and also the first law in the world for the preparation of intellectual capital statements.

In 2002, under the support from The Nordic Investment Bank, NORDIKA – a term that stands for "Nordic Project for the Measurement of Intellectual Capital” - published the Intellectual Capital: Managing and Statement.

Since 2003 the Bundesministerium fur Wirtschaft und Arbeit in Germany has been prototyping, with significant success, a project called Wissensbilanz (www.akwissensbilanz.org) as a systematised process for generating IC. This is already approaching one hundred applications in Germany and has also made available a free download of software from its website. On the other hand, the Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry (METI) in Japan is also involved in prototyping intellectual asset (IA) reporting for some years now. They introduced guidelines in 2005. Now, five of the largest Japanese companies are publishing intellectual assets based management report. These guidelines aim to help corporations (managers) that prepare intellectual assets-based management reports and those who assess them.

What is the state of the art of intellectual capital reports? Which are the leading countries? What is the impact of building intellectual capital reports in universities? Is the intellectual capital report working towards harmonisation? In this Special Issue, we will try to shed light into these and other issues.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
  • Human capital indicators
  • Relational capital indicators
  • Structural capital indicators
  • Intellectual capital models
  • Intellectual capital guidelines for reporting
  • Intellectual capital reports and universities
  • Intellectual capital reports of countries and regions
  • Auditing the intellectual capital reports
  • Old versus modern intellectual capital reports
  • Financial versus intellectual capital reports
Important Dates
Contact with Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 15 June 2008
Notification to authors: 1 July 2008
Final versions due: 15 July 2008

Call for papers: Innovation and Knowledge Management: Challenges for the Firm

Call for papers: Innovation and Knowledge Management: Challenges for the Firm

A special issue of International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital

The subjects of innovation and learning are receiving increased interest both from the academic community and from companies because of the influence of innovation and learning on the achievement of a sustained competitive advantage for the firm in the knowledge-based economy. Literature on innovation and learning suggest that competitive advantage flow from the creation, ownership, protection and use of certain knowledge-base organisational resources. Superior organisational performance depends on the firm’s ability to be good at innovation, learning, protecting, using and amplifying these strategic intangible resources.

That being so, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has fuelled interest in innovation, designating it as one of the nine research areas in their initiative agenda.

The aim of this Special Issue is to offer a holistic view of the resources, tools, techniques, strategies and technologies necessary for the effective implementation of innovation and learning in organisations.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Dynamic capabilities and routines
  • Human capital, relational capital, social capital and organizational capital
  • Intangible resources and sustained competitive advantage
  • Innovation and knowledge management
  • Innovation and leadership
  • OrganiSational learning
  • Product and process innovation
  • Technology and innovation management
Important Dates
Contact with Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 15 July 2008
Notification to authors: 30 July 2008
Final versions due: 15 September 2008

Call for papers: Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management: a European View

Call for papers: Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management: a European View

A special issue of International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital

While human capital has always been a primary focus in human resource management research, a recent trend has witnessed increased consideration of intellectual capital rather than a focus solely on human capital. Intellectual capital can be broadly conceptualised as the sum of all knowledge an organization is able to leverage in the process of conducting business to gain competitive advantage. More specifically, intellectual capital may comprise at least three forms of capital – human, social, and organisational.

Human capital refers to individual employee capabilities – their knowledge, skills and abilities. Social capital, in contrast, does not reside with any individual. Rather, it reflects the aggregate of resources embedded within, available through, and derived from, the network of relationships. Finally, organisational capital refers to institutionalised knowledge and codified experience stored in processes, routines, databases, patents, manuals, structures, and the like.

While still in its infancy, this growing focus on social and organisational capital in conjunction with human capital presents a much different understanding for the role of HRM in organisations and raises many important questions such as:
  • If intellectual capital involves relationships and institutionalised knowledge, as well as human capital, how should HRM systems be designed to maximize the potential of a firm's intellectual capital?
  • What are the relationships among human capital, social capital, and organisational capital?
  • Intellectual capital often implies a focus on knowledge management - with an increased focus on knowledge, how do we encourage learning, knowledge creation, and knowledge sharing among employees?
  • Where does intellectual capital reside? Is it within a company, across companies, across countries? How is knowledge from disparate locations coordinated and leveraged?
  • How does the management of intellectual capital influence innovation, value creation, performance, and competitive advantage? What are the global implications of these effects?
This Special Issue aims to address these questions from a European perspective.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Human resource management
  • Innovation
  • Intellectual capital management
  • Intellectual capital reports
  • Knowledge management
  • Organisational learning
  • Social capital
Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 15 June 2008
Notification to authors: 1 July 2008
Final versions due: 15 July 2008

Call for papers: Business Culture and Management in China

Call for papers: Business Culture and Management in China

A special issue of International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management

offers a unique window to observe the state of the art of business culture and management that will chart the course of the future in this region of the world.

The Special Issue aims to analyse the relationship between problems of management in the People's Republic of China and Chinese culture. Five problem areas are outlined:
(i) organizational structure
(ii) management skills and succession
(iii) Party/management relations
(iv) operational
(v) motivation and labour discipline.

Chinese culture is seen to have four main features affecting organisations:
(i) respect for age and hierarchy
(ii) group orientation
(iii) face
(iv) the importance of relationships.

It is argued that these can reinforce management problems arising from a planned economy, as well as undermining the legitimacy of formal organisation. In the future, it is likely that moves towards Western management methods may not have the desired effects as a result of cultural influences.

Chinese management has experienced a dramatic change in recent years. In many areas, established ideas about how Chinese management operates are oversimplified and outdated. This Special Issue sets out to provide a more realistic portrait of Chinese management today, and how it has changed dramatically over the past ten years.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Business etiquette
  • Human resource management
  • Internationalisation
  • National culture and management
  • Organisational culture and management
  • Social corporate responsibility
  • Strategic management
Important Dates
Contact with Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 1 June 2008
Notification to authors: 15 June 2008
Final versions due: 10 July 2008

Call for papers: Information and Communication Technologies in China

Call for papers: Information and Communication Technologies in China

A special issue of International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management

China's domestic ICT industry will be strong over the next five years as China continues to upgrade its telecoms infrastructure in its drive toward global levels of productivity in its industrial output. The forecasts imply a high level of productivity from China's ICT investments, particularly as they relate to overall GDP growth. Vendors, users and government agencies should monitor these trends closely to ensure that their business and policy assumptions are valid. In particular, vendors need to understand the dynamics of the enterprise IT market to ensure proper investment, marketing strategy and distribution channel development.

No company can afford to ignore China. Every day brings more news of its dramatic economic advance and the impact it is having on the world. It seems as though practically every IT supplier must have a China strategy. However, the actual market for many IT products and services in China is surprisingly small. Despite being the world's fourth-largest economy (when measured in U.S. dollars), the Chinese market for many IT solutions designed for enterprise use can be very disappointing. For many IT suppliers, especially in advanced software or IT services, China is a potential market rather than a real one. As a general rule, the more sophisticated the level of software, the harder it will be to sell in China. Barely any Chinese organisation uses advanced business intelligence tools or knowledge management systems.

China must address critical issues if it is to achieve the goals of the current five-year plan. Education institutions, the Science and Technology Academy, research laboratories, and related government ministries are playing critical roles in shaping and implementing the policies of China's ICT industry, as well as developing a workforce possessing the skills to meet the demands of the industry.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Collaborative working environments
  • Future and emerging technologies
  • ICT for networked businesses
  • ICT research for innovative government
  • ICT and universities
  • Information society and media
  • Semantic-based knowledge and content systems
  • Technology-enhanced learning
Important Dates
Contact with Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 30 May 2008
Notification to authors: 30 June 2008
Final versions due: 15 July 2008

Call for papers: Technology Management and Innovation in China

Call for papers: Technology Management and Innovation in China

A special issue of International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management

With China’s importance on the global scale set to grow faster than ever, this Special Issue offers a unique window to observe the state of the art of innovation and technology management that will chart the course of the future in this region of the world.

The access of China into the World Trade Organization (WTO) has led to opportunities and challenges to international communities. However, the sophistication of technology transfer has resulted in some misunderstandings in the operations of international joint venture projects in China. The many failed international joint ventures indicate that, to some extent for foreign firms, operating in China is risky. Strategic decision makers, practitioners and international organisations increasingly recognise the importance of practical know-how, based on sound theoretical and empirical grounds, for managing social connections, networks and collaborations, technology management, technology and knowledge transfer within China.

The OECD says China still has a long way to go to build a modern, high-performance national innovation system. R&D spending has increased at an annual rate of 19% since 1995 to reach USD 30 billion (at current exchange rates) in 2005, the sixth worldwide. China has made very impressive investments in R&D, human resources and R&D infrastructure to date, but at the same time, China has still a long way to go to build a full-fledged and mature national innovation system. However, much of this focuses on the high-technology sector, updating equipment and facilities, and experimental research for new products rather than on basic research, the foundation of long-term innovation. More investment is needed in sectors such as services, energy, environmental technology and basic research.

Despite a series of reforms since the mid-1980s, the innovative capabilities of the Chinese business sector remain weak. Further reform of China’s financial system which is still dominated by state-owned banks would help business innovation. Fostering more open and efficient capital markets would also enable entrepreneurs to take greater risks and invest in sectors, such as biotechnology, which require long-term investments.

To encourage domestic firms to innovate and benefit more from closer ties with R&D centres of foreign companies, the government should enforce intellectual property rights (IPRs) more effectively and strengthen competition.

Universities play a key role in China’s innovation system. They run more than one in ten Chinese science and technology (S&T) firms, account for one in five patents granted each year and provide venture capital to promising start-ups. Further reform of these public research organisations would help increase the quality and efficiency of researchers: this is important because current demand for talented managers or highly qualified researchers exceeds supply. China should also improve its governance of science and innovation policy.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Total innovation management
  • Managing open innovation
  • Managing indigenous innovation capability
  • Innovation policy
  • National/regional innovation systems
  • Knowledge management
  • Globalisation of R&D and Technology Transfer
  • Managing core technology and competence
  • Measurement of R&D performance
  • Managing the human side of innovation
  • IT innovation and e-commerce
  • Managing service innovation
  • Entrepreneurship, venture capital and innovation
  • Universities
Important Dates
Contact with Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 30 June 2008
Notification to authors: 15 July 2008
Final versions due: 30 July 2008

Call for papers: Innovation and Technology Management in the Arab Region

Call for papers: Innovation and Technology Management in the Arab Region

A special issue of International Journal of Arab Culture, Management and Sustainable Development

Research and development, particularly as performed by central R&D institutions, is considered the main source of technological innovation in the Arab region. R&D activities in the Arab countries have been popular and effective in the more traditional disciplines. Indeed, the prevalence of research organisations that specialise in agriculture and related subjects, including forestry, water and irrigation research, is noteworthy. Equally significant are the research organisations that specialise in health and related disciplines, as well as education, management and economics.

However, research organisations in the field of engineering, including computer engineering, microelectronics and energy technologies, have a lesser share of R&D activity. Moreover, there is modest R&D capacity in such areas as oil and gas, and water desalination in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), even though these sectors constitute a major proportion of GNP in those countries.

Egypt leads the Arab countries with regard to the total number of research organisations, followed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Within the context of affiliations of R&D organisations in the Arab region, the majority of institutes are Government-funded, followed by university institutes and, trailing far behind, private R&D institutes.

So, R&D activity in the region is very fragmented. There is a clear need to coordinate and streamline science and technology activities in order to reduce duplication and conserve R&D resources. These issues are expressed in almost all policy documents and related pronouncements. In some countries, coordination committees have been set up for this purpose, and efforts have been made to undertake joint R&D at national and regional levels. However, these efforts remain insufficient.

This Special Issue offers a unique window to observe the state of the art of innovation and technology management that will chart the course of the future in the Arab region.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Total innovation management
  • Managing open innovation
  • Managing indigenous innovation capability
  • Innovation policy
  • National/regional innovation systems
  • Knowledge management
  • Globalisation of R&D and Technology Transfer
  • Managing core technology and competence
  • Measurement of R&D performance
  • Managing the human side of innovation
  • IT innovation and e-commerce
  • Managing service innovation
  • Entrepreneurship, venture capital and innovation
Important Dates
Contact with Editors: ASAP
Submission of manuscripts: 1 June 2008
Notification to authors: 15 June 2008
Final versions due: 10 July 2008