27 December 2017

Research Picks Weekly – 27 December 2017

Chemistry, a Nobel pursuit
The Nobel Prize is often considered the highest of achievements in the various fields of endeavour in which it is offered. Research into the adolescence of Chemistry laureates suggests that the existence of a “nuclear” family, extended family, and an outstanding teacher are present in the teenage years of those winners. The research also suggests that an early interest in science is critical as is an interest in three other pursuits: reading, sports, and music.
Shavinina, L.V. (2017) ‘What lessons can innovation education learn from childhood and adolescent education of the Nobel Prize winners in chemistry?‘ Int. J. Innovat. Educ., Vol.4, No.2/3, pp. 191-213

Are you board in maths class?

Board games could be a useful adjunct to traditional mathematics elementary school teaching methods according to new research. A small-scale study over the course of a month showed that creativity improved in the board gamers compared to those young students who did not have board games incorporated into their lessons. They found that free-play group students’ flexibility, a part of creativity, improved significantly. Teacher intervention in those with lower scores helped and for higher-achieving students benefits were seen even without teacher interventions.
Park, J. and Lee, K. (2017) ‘Using board games to improve mathematical creativity‘, Int. J. Knowledge Learning, Vol 12, No. 1, pp 49-58.

Nanocellulose

Researchers from Malaysia review the state of the art when it comes how nanocellulose might be exploited as a novel material in engineering. They point out that nanocellulose can be harvested from abundant natural sources, such as algae, bacteria, wood, and other plant materials and has an “excellent” range of properties. The presence of hydrophilic groups means that to develop it further as a polymer-type material there is a need to carry out surface modifications that allows it to be used in a wide variety of composites.
Ya’acob, W.M.H.W. and Aziz, F.A. (2017) ‘Nanocellulose: a promising material for engineering – an overview’, Int. J. Materials Engineering Innovation, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp.71–86.

Spice of life
Curcumin, also known as turmeric, is a mild-tasting yellow spice. Much research has been carried out into its putative medicinal properties although there is little strong evidence of any particular benefits to any natural product component of the spice. Nevertheless, docking studies with different target proteins implicated in Alzheimer’s disease suggest that it, or a pharmaceutical product derived from turmeric, might be an avenue of research worthy of pursuit. The most pertinent protein target in Alzheimer’s disease is acetylcholinesterase, and also cholinesterase and inducible nitric oxide synthase. Given that any interaction might be exploited to modulate the activity of an enzyme, this research takes a step towards further investigation of curcumin in this fatal disease.
Saha, N.G., Roy, S., and Sriraman, S., (2017) ‘Interaction of curcumin with different target proteins of Alzheimer’s disease: docking and MD simulation studies‘ Int. J. Computat. Biol. Drug Design, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 315-330

23 December 2017

International Journal of Economic Policy in Emerging Economies to publish expanded papers from Emerging Markets International Conference 2018

Extended versions of papers presented at the Emerging Markets International Conference 2018 (24-26 May 2018, Moscow, Russian Federation) will be published by the International Journal of Economic Policy in Emerging Economies.

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development added to Emerging Sources Citations Index

Inderscience Publishers are pleased to announce that the International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development has been accepted by and added to Clarivate Analytics' (formerly Thomson Reuters) Emerging Sources Citations Index. The journal is now included in the ESCI journals list.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Procurement Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Procurement Management are now available here for free:
  • Ranking the barriers of supplier development using fuzzy AHP approach
  • Concurrent sourcing and supplier opportunism
  • Estimation of costs in the Russian public procurement system
  • Green supply chain agility in EMS ISO 14001 manufacturing firms: empirical justification of social and environmental performance as an organisational outcome
  • A longitudinal outlook of violations of Ghana's Public Procurement Law, Act (663) 2003
  • Purchasing of knowledge-intensive business services: a case study of relevant factors
  • An empirical examination of the procurement-led supply chain in the construction industry

Special issue published: "Environmental Justice and Sustainability"

Interdisciplinary Environmental Review 18(3/4) 2017
  • Sustainability education: how evolving STEM benefits underserved populations
  • Place-based education: a look at its potential benefits to our students and our places through case study research and the literature
  • Navigating the difficult: teaching for sustainability, activism, and the recognition of modern slavery
  • Greening the debate: timing, locality and participation in predicting success of environmental justice campaigns
  • Just sustainability arts: a vibrant convergence
  • Environmental justice frameworks in student affairs assessment practice
  • Extinction and democracy: wildness, wilderness, and global conservation
  • Is weeding defensible? Moral consideration for crabgrass
  • Psychology's contribution to water conservation: barriers and success stories

22 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Business Forecasting and Marketing Intelligence

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Business Forecasting and Marketing Intelligence are now available here for free:
  • Arithmetic operations of trapezoidal fuzzy variable using credibility theory
  • Green supply chain inventory model for deteriorating items with variable demand under inflation
  • Moderation effect of culture on the relationships among hedonism, product information, social integration and attitude towards advertising: an empirical study
  • Consumer preference for electronic consumer durable goods in India: a conjoint analysis approach
  • Exploring fast food outlets food quality in India - an exploratory study on consumer dining expectations and industry performances

International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics added to Emerging Sources Citations Index

Inderscience Publishers are pleased to announce that the International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics has been accepted by and added to Clarivate Analytics' (formerly Thomson Reuters) Emerging Sources Citations Index. The journal is now included in the ESCI journals list.

Special issue published: "Advances in Inventory Management Under Uncertainty"

International Journal of Inventory Research 4(2/3) 2017
  • Optimal replenishment policy for price dependent demand in different financial scenario under fuzzy environment
  • An economic production quantity inventory model with a defective production system and uncertain uptime
  • Optimal consignment stocking policy for a vendor-buyer supply chain system with periodic inventory audit and in-transit holding cost
  • Supply chain network design under uncertain demand: robust and stable optimisation approaches
  • Coordination with no risk sharing and risk sharing discount contracts in two echelon supply chains
Additional papers
  • Capacity planning on key work stations in a hybrid MTO-ETO production system: a case-study on Siemens AG
  • Replenishment policy in a logistics system with environmental considerations

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences are now available here for free:
  • An analysis of the electricity market and power needs in Shandong using vector autoregression
  • Cooperative mechanism based on data envelopment analysis and artificial neural network to measure efficiency: case study of Iranian ports
  • The development and application of cycle economic early warning system based on fuzzy comprehensive evaluation
  • The complexity of the tourism development industry based on AHP and ZZ City
  • Policy-based unit commitment problem: a case in a peaking power generation plant

21 December 2017

Call for papers: "New Realities for Emerging Markets"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Economic Policy in Emerging Economies.

This special issue aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas, to identify emerging challenges and problems during instability in the world economy, and to present the results of the analysis of new trends, structural changes and strategies for the development of economic systems in emerging markets in a "new normal" in determining the impact of these processes on the modernisation and innovative development of economic systems, economic growth and overcoming the consequences of the global crisis. 

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the Emerging Markets International Conference 2018, but we also strongly encourage researchers unable to participate in the conference to submit articles for this call. 

Suitable topics include, but are not limited, to the following:
  • Instability of the world economy and macroeconomic policy of emerging markets countries
  • New trends and structural changes in the economies of emerging market countries
  • Modernisation and innovative development of the economies in emerging markets
  • International trade and trade policy of countries with emerging markets
  • International economic integration
  • Capital flows to emerging markets
  • Problems of international business in Russia and other countries with emerging markets
  • Global value chains and emerging markets countries
  • Regional development in emerging markets
  • Energy efficiency and new trends in the energy sector

Important Date
Manuscripts due by: 30 June, 2018

International Journal of Business Performance Management added to Emerging Sources Citations Index

Inderscience Publishers are pleased to announce that the International Journal of Business Performance Management has been accepted by and added to Clarivate Analytics' (formerly Thomson Reuters) Emerging Sources Citations Index. The journal is now included in the ESCI journals list.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Automation and Control

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Automation and Control are now available here for free:
  • Design of mixed sensitivity H∞ control for four-rotor hover vehicle
  • Analysis of controllers for the dynamic response enhancement of the three-port full-bridge DC-DC converter interfacing photovoltaic system
  • Fuzzy-PI control of a doubly fed induction generator-based wind power system
  • Autonomous mobile robot navigation based on an integrated environment representation designed in dynamic environments
  • Managing voltage drops: a variable speed wind turbine connected to the grid
  • Robust fault reconstruction based on sliding mode observer for a class of uncertain time-varying delay systems: a rocket motor system application

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Mathematics in Operational Research

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Mathematics in Operational Research are now available here for free:
  • M-states search problem for a lost target with multiple sensors
  • Efficiency of commercial banks in Turkey and their comparison: application of DEA with Tobit analysis
  • Optimal combined dividend and reinsurance policies under interest rate in Lévy markets
  • Scheduling multi-skilled manpower with considering teams replacement and site-dependent vehicles routing
  • Branch-and-bound algorithm for solving blocking flowshop scheduling problems with makespan criterion
  • Limits to the scope of applicability of extended formulations theory for LP models of combinatorial optimisation problems
  • A Markov decision process model of allocating emergency medical resource among multi-priority injuries

20 December 2017

International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics indexed by Scopus

We are pleased to announce that the International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics has been accepted by and will be indexed in Elsevier's Scopus database. The journal will be listed on Scopus's database in due course.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Operational Research

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Operational Research are now available here for free:
  • A modern two-stage stochastic programming portfolio model for an oil refinery with financial risk management
  • Economic design of moving average control chart for non-normally distributed data: a comparative study
  • Heuristic rules for tie-breaking in the implementation of the NEH heuristic for permutation flow-shop scheduling
  • The permutation flowshop scheduling problem with exact time lags to minimise the total earliness and tardiness
  • Two-warehouse inventory model for non-instantaneous deteriorating items with partial backlogging and permissible delay in payments under inflation
  • An integrated approach of TOPSIS and response surface methodology for optimising the micro WEDM parameters
  • Optional services in a non-Markovian queue

Research Picks Weekly – 20 December 2017

Surveying attitudes to GMO food
A survey of so-called millennials (also known as Generation Y) suggests that many are torn by the hyperbole surrounding the pros and cons of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) used by the food industry. The market is enormous and the industrial players are powerful and this colours the debate and has led to an anti-science stance by many people. Unfortunately, the agenda set by those who choose and evidence-free approach to forming their opinions and who then have power to lobby governments and policymakers is not the most positive and professional way to use technology. The team found that overall, millennials are somewhat against GMO foods. Women in particular are more sceptical of the benefits and worry about their safety. “To generate more favourable attitudes toward GMO foods, agricultural producers, distributors, and food retailers will need to provide through corporate websites, news releases to media, and other venues sufficient information that alleviates consumer concerns,” the team concludes.
Linnhoff, S., Volovich, E., Martin, H.M. and Smith, L.M. (2017) ‘An examination of millennials’ attitudes toward genetically modified organism (GMO) foods: is it Franken-food or super-food?’, Int. J. Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp.371–390.

Editing Wikipedia
For all the negative press concerning the community-generated content in the online encyclopedia known as Wikipedia it is a powerful and useful resource with substantial support and underpinned by a strong editorial policy on independent verifiable sources and fact checking. Researchers in the USA have now examined a large number of articles and investigated the nature and history of revisions and edits that are carried out on those articles. The aim being to understand and estimate the level of information quality in the articles. They define 14 types of revisions and then looked at almost 7000 such revisions made on a number of articles. They revealed patterns of revision that are common to both high and low quality articles and one type of revision pattern that is manifest only for the high-quality articles. This association might be used to help curate content in a more robust manner.
Ma, Z., Tao, J. and Hu, J. (2017) ‘The dynamics of Wikipedia article revisions: an analysis of revision activities and patterns’, Int. J. Data Mining, Modelling and Management, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp.298–314.

Say what?
Researchers in India have been investigating the level of “arousal” in smart phone users and how this correlates with the users’ response – the “wow”, “aha” or “cool” effect of content. “Wow” represents great delight, “aha” is simple pleasure and “cool” is a more tempered response akin to a low level of delight. They suggest that being able to gauge user delight with any given content could be an important part of modern marketing. If a company can get more “wow” than “cool” from its potential customers they are more likely to engage with the company and its products or services, the team suggests. Their findings provide researchers and marketers alike with a framework for assessing and predicting customer response.
Dubey, P., Bajpai, N. and Guha, S. (2018) ‘Classifying customer ‘wow’, ‘aha’, and ‘cool’ affect through arousal: a study on mobile users’, Int. J. Electronic Marketing and Retailing, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp.37–58.

Working hard on social media
Can employees be productive even if they’re spending time on personal social media activities in the work place? It’s probably not a question employers would care to ask, preferring their workers to simply work rather than engage in tweeting and updating Facebook accounts. However, the work-life balance has to be met in the workplace too, and perhaps a member of staff happy in being allowed to use social media at work will be more inclined to work hard and be more productive for the rest of the working day. Indeed, social media use might best be encouraged for fear of bruising morale and making staff less productive than they otherwise might be. Nevertheless, researchers investigating the impact on productivity suggest that employers must put in place guidelines for their staff to ensure such a stance is not abused.
Bharucha, J. (2018) ‘Co-existence of social media and work productivity?’, Int. J. Business Innovation and Research, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp.34–43.

Inderscience journals to publish expanded papers from 2nd AFU International Conference: Towards Advanced Scientific Knowledge (TASK-2018) in Business

Extended versions of papers presented at the 2nd AFU International Conference: Towards Advanced Scientific Knowledge (TASK-2018) in Business (1-3 May 2018, Dubai, UAE) will be published by the following journals:

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management are now available here for free:
  • Role of management capability and web-enabled direct procurement in creating competitive direct procurement advantage
  • Material flow optimisation in a multi-echelon and multi-product supply chain
  • Integrating sustainable development, lean, and logistics concepts into a lean sustainable logistics model
  • Development of an inventory model for two suppliers with random capacity considering supply disruption
  • How do different supply chain configuration settings impact on performance trade-offs?
  • Enhancing the competitive advantages of Vietnamese coffee through the exploration of causal loop modelling in the supply chain
  • A bi-objective location inventory model for three-layer supply chain network design considering capacity planning

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing added to Emerging Sources Citations Index

Inderscience Publishers are pleased to announce that the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturinghas been accepted by and added to Clarivate Analytics' (formerly Thomson Reuters) Emerging Sources Citations Index. The journal is now included in the ESCI journals list.

19 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering are now available here for free:
  • Towards a model for developing an information system as a decision support to risk assessment
  • Measuring business performance in a SCN using Six Sigma methodology - a case study
  • Integrated approach for sustainable product development using QFD and ANP
  • Robustness of the EWMA median control chart to non-normality
  • Location and pricing of competitive service providers for post-disaster relief
  • Propeller material belt grinding parameters optimisation using Taguchi technique

Special issue published: "Information, Communication and Energy Systems and Technologies"

International Journal of Reasoning-based Intelligent Systems 9(2) 2017
  • An approach to transformation of data into knowledge for power control in smart homes
  • Solving medical classification problems with RBF neural network and filter methods
  • Comparison of vertical projection profile, moment-based and initial skew rate algorithm for text skew estimation
  • Experimental determination of soil electrical parameters for the creation of a computer model of a grounding system for lightning protection
  • A performance analysis of computing the LU and the QR matrix decompositions on the CPU and the GPU

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management are now available here for free:
  • Disruptive innovation through a dynamic capabilities lens: an exploration of the auto component sector in India
  • Trading trends in Indian commodity exchanges with special reference to agricultural commodities
  • Capital asset pricing model and subprime crisis: evidence from Indian equity market
  • Enhancing reliability and quality for SMEs in India by using failure mode effect analysis and total productive maintenance
  • Price discovery in Indian stock index futures market: new evidence based on intraday data
  • Quality issues affecting organisational performance: a review of Indian technical education

Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development added to Emerging Sources Citations Index

Inderscience Publishers are pleased to announce that the Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development has been accepted by and added to Clarivate Analytics' (formerly Thomson Reuters) Emerging Sources Citations Index. The journal is now included in the ESCI journals list.

18 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing are now available here for free:
  • Managing online environment cues: evidence from Generation Y consumers
  • Empirical validation of the decomposed theory of planned behaviour model within the mobile banking adoption context
  • Consumers' attitude toward Facebook advertising
  • Determinants of young consumers' attitude towards mobile advertising in a technologically and a socially dynamic market
  • Drivers of online purchase intention on Singles' Day: a study of Chinese consumers

Special issue published: "Entrepreneurship: Made in Germany"

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business 33(1) 2018
  • Entrepreneurship education in Europe - insights from Germany and Denmark
  • Translation, transmission, transformation: a century of continuity and change in the Chinese-German university 'collaboration chronotope'
  • German entrepreneurs in the high-tech field: identifying different profiles
  • Requirements of German micro-sized entrepreneurial companies regarding the management of business processes
  • Venture capital for German high-tech new ventures: disentangling the role of human capital for funding success
  • Insights on the self-identity of the descendants of family business owners: the case of German Unternehmerkinder
  • Experts of thoroughness and fanatics of planning? Daring insights into the decision-making of German entrepreneurs

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Business Information Systems

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Business Information Systems are now available here for free:
  • A decision process model to support migration to cloud computing
  • Evaluating classification accuracy: the impact of resampling and dataset size
  • Consumer's attitude to receive and response to SMS advertising
  • Software as a service quality factors evaluation using analytic hierarchy process Y
  • A fuzzy expert system for response determining diagnosis and management movement impairments syndrome
  • Approaching information system evaluation methodology and techniques: a comprehensive review

17 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Services and Operations Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Services and Operations Management are now available here for free:
  • Efficacy appraisal model of TQM elements in auto industry in India
  • Building a comprehensive service supply chain conceptual framework: a step ahead, based on comparative analysis of previous frameworks
  • Energy saving in operations management through variable-speed drive technology: environmental versus economic convenience
  • Designing a fuzzy approach for modelling the performance evaluation of education service providers
  • The moderating effect of supply chain role on the relationship between social capital and performance
  • Revealing customer dominant logic in healthcare services

Special issue published: "Observer-Based Fuzzy, Neural and Adaptive Control: Advances and Applications: Part I"

International Journal of Automation and Control 12(1) 2018
  • A novel 4-D hyperchaotic system with two quadratic nonlinearities and its adaptive synchronisation
  • Adaptive nonlinear observer augmented by radial basis neural network for a nonlinear sensorless control of an induction machine
  • A Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy control of induction motor drive: experimental results
  • Fuzzy fractional sliding mode observer design for a class of nonlinear dynamics of the cancer disease
  • Discrete-time sliding mode control of a class of linear uncertain saturated systems
  • Adaptive fuzzy control strategy for greenhouse micro-climate
  • Load frequency control of multi-area interconnected thermal power system: artificial intelligence-based approach
  • Modelling, stability analysis and computational aspects of nonlinear fuzzy PID controllers using Mamdani minimum inference

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Services Operations and Informatics

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Services Operations and Informatics are now available here for free:
  • A discrete simulation model for incorporating RFID technology into the Brazilian postal service
  • Petri net-based semantics for verification and validation of workflow patterns
  • The warm-standby M/M/R machine repair problem with balking, reneging and service pressure coefficient
  • Some efficient simulation budget allocation rules for simulation optimisation problems

International Journal of Transitions and Innovation Systems to publish expanded papers from 6th International OFEL Conference on Governance, Management and Entrepreneurship

Extended versions of papers presented at the 6th International OFEL Conference on Governance, Management and Entrepreneurship (13-14 April 2018, Dubrovnik, Croatia) will be published by the International Journal of Transitions and Innovation Systems.

16 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Business Innovation and Research

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Business Innovation and Research are now available here for free:
  • Knowledge driven lean in healthcare: a necessity
  • Application of AHP in reverse logistics service provider selection: a case study
  • Adopting analytic hierarchy process to prioritise banks based on CRM effectiveness - the customers perspective
  • Determining factors influencing radical and incremental innovation with a case study in the petrochemical industry
  • Customer engagement in the Indian retail banking sector: an exploratory study
  • An analysis of CEO visions in Thailand
  • NPD process in active pharmaceutical ingredients industry: a case study in Iran

Special issue published: "Business and Economics Issues in the Era of Automation and Diminished Employability of Human Resources"

International Journal of Economics and Business Research 15(1) 2018
  • Further evidence on Middle East and North Africa financial markets integration
  • A diamond-quality teaching modelling in higher education: an AAU perspective
  • Entrepreneurial opportunity issues
  • FAHP-based to-do-list for eCommerce websites the case of SMEs in Abu Dhabi
  • Enhancing internal communication in organisations using enterprise social networking
  • Audit committee effectiveness: reflections from the UAE
Additional papers
  • Impact of restaurant owners'/managers' handling of customers' unexpected incidents on customers' revisit intention
  • Islamic financial investments and economic growth evidence from emerging economy, United Arab Emirates



Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Reliability and Safety

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Reliability and Safety are now available here for free:
  • Analysis of a fatal electrical accident due to the contact of an overhead line conductor with a guy wire
  • System theory based hazard analysis applied to the process industry
  • System reliability estimation and cost analysis of series-parallel systems in the presence of repair dependence function
  • Graphical tools for generating qualitative redundant relations
  • Multi-criteria failure mode effects and criticality analysis method: a comparative case study on aircraft braking system

New Editor for Journal of Supply Chain Relocation

Prof. Xiangfeng Chen from Fudan University in China has been appointed to take over editorship of the Journal of Supply Chain Relocation.

15 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Business and Systems Research

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Business and Systems Research are now available here for free:
  • A dynamic routing system for short sea shipping following ship immobilisation
  • The importance of information technology as a strategic resource for hospital management process and the management skills required for managers
  • Enhancing the effectiveness of marketing a tourist destination using satisfaction analysis
  • Scale efficiency with fuzzy data
  • Applying risk-focused e-CAM model for m-commerce: a study of Metro-India
  • Long tail vs. blockbusters - a data-driven approach
  • The impact of psychological pricing strategy on consumers' buying behaviour: a qualitative study
  • Integrated SA-DEA-TOPSIS-based solution approach for multi objective stochastic dynamic facility layout problem
  • Optimal selection of multi-criteria unequal area facility layout problem: an integer linear program and Borda-Kendall-based method
  • Identify and prioritise the critical factors in implementing the reverse logistics practices: a case of Indian auto component manufacturer
  • Mentoring, social media, and Gen Y employees' intention to stay: towards a conceptual model
  • Analysis of suppliers' preferences to a manufacturer using Kano model and performance value analysis

Special issue published: "Agile Methods for Sustainable Manufacturing"

International Journal of Agile Systems and Management 10(3/4) 2017
  • Distributed manufacturing network models of smart and agile mini-factories
  • A human factors assessment model for sustainable manufacturing
  • Influence of organisational characteristics in sustainability corporate strategy
  • An approach for agile planning of disassembly and recycling of complex products
  • Flexible manufacturability analysis applied to the welding process to increase sustainability in engineer to order businesses
  • Configuring robot work cell in manufacturing industry
  • Automatic extraction of vertices coordinates for CNC code generation for dental wire bending
  • Enterprise modelling of isolated support system

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Business Performance Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Business Performance Management are now available here for free:
  • Improving performance of lock assembly line using lean and simulation approach
  • Managing workforce diversity from the perspective of two higher education institutions
  • Workplace context and its effect on individual competencies and performance in work teams
  • Balanced scorecard edge over memorandum of understanding for public enterprises in India
  • Performance of direct mail in building customer loyalty in Greek automotive sector during the financial crisis

Research Picks Extra – December 2017

Swarm music
Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is an approach to creating an intelligent computer algorithm for solving problems. It is based on the feeding patterns of a swarm of insects searching for food. However, with a little adaptation one might imagine a flock of seagulls searching for a tune. Indeed, researchers in China have used PSO to generate pentatonic music that follows the traditions of Chinese folk music with a technological twist. Their multi-melody space PSO algorithm (MSPA) searches for a solution to the problem of generating a pleasing melody within the confines of a given musical key and mode. The algorithm tests the “fitness” of the generated melody.
Zheng, X., Wang L., Li, D., Shen, L., Gao, Y., Guo, W. and Wang, Y. (2017) ‘Algorithm composition of Chinese folk music based on swarm intelligence‘, Int. J. Computing Science and Mathematics, Vol. 8, No. 5, pp.437-446.

Foul language
The vernacular of any society inevitably incorporates expletives and taboo words associated with bodily functions, body parts, the reproductive act and other areas of life. The online world of social media is no exception. However, as with the offline world of foul language, most societies prefer that children do not hear such words. Researchers from India are now working on a classification system that can detect taboo words in text conversations and might be used to check the content of such conversations for appropriateness without any undue invasion of the youngster’s privacy.
Kawate, S. and Patil, K. (2017) ‘Analysis of foul language usage in social media text conversation‘, Int. J. Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp.227-251.

Music was my first love
What are you listening to? And, more to the point, what would you like to listen to next? Music recommendation system famously get it wrong when it comes to genre classification and make suggestions as to what the listener may wish to hear next. Now, researchers have developed a two-step approach to identifying the musical genre of a given audio file. They first use Voronoi audio similarity (VAS) and extract content-based features from the audio signal by splitting the song into time segments. Some clever mathematics based on volume and apparent tempo cross-checked against songs from a million-song database can be used to train the system. Tests on a subset selected the appropriate genre 4 out of every 5 times (78% accuracy).
Kalapatapu, P., Tejas, N.N., Dalmia, S., Gupta, P., Inguva, B., and Malapati, A. (2017) 'A novel similarity measure: Voronoi audio similarity for genre classification' Int. J. Intell. Sys. Technol. Applicat., Vol. 16, No, 4, 309-318.

Is there no right or wrong?

Are quantitative techniques relevant to the development of financial accounting practice? That’s the question posed by researchers in Brazil. At the bottom line they ask, “Is it better to be roughly right or exactly wrong?” Their focus is the rules of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), which allow or request fair value measurement. Fundamentally, the answers to such questions will affect how past financial records affect one’s predictions of future financial performance. “Although financial statements are made of economic events that occurred in the past, part of these events are likely to affect the cash flows to and from the entity in the future. For this reason, there are two essential systems concerning timing in accounting, cash basis and accrual basis,” the team reports. They then offer a prospective answer to their question.
Flores, E. and Braunbeck, G.O. (2017) ‘What is better: to be roughly right or exactly wrong? The role of quantitative methods in financial accounting‘, Int. J. Multivariate Data Analysis, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp.162-172.

14 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Economics and Business Research

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Economics and Business Research are now available here for free:
  • The effects of corporate governance attributes and code amendments on the performance of Malaysian trading and services firms
  • The moderating effect of cost orientation on RMO adoption in the hospitality industry
  • Student perceptions of codes of ethics: a three-country comparison
  • Factors affecting SMEs' access to bank finance: an evidence from Sri Lanka
  • Comparison of the fundamental and monetary models of the Canadian dollar/US dollar exchange rate
  • Post reforms dynamics in India's labour market

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Data Mining and Bioinformatics

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Data Mining and Bioinformatics are now available here for free:
  • An aggregation method for sparse logistic regression
  • A novel point density based validity index for clustering gene expression datasets
  • Artificial neural network classification of microarray data using new hybrid gene selection method
  • Iterative segmented least square method for functional microRNA-mRNA module discovery in breast cancer
  • Fuzzy-soft-fuzzy set model for mining amino acid associations in peptide sequences of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC)

International Journal of Social Computing and Cyber-Physical Systems to publish expanded papers from International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Data Science (ICCIDS 2018)

Extended versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Data Science (7-8 April 2018, The NorthCap University, Gurugram, India) will be published by the International Journal of Social Computing and Cyber-Physical Systems.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Communication Networks and Distributed Systems

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Communication Networks and Distributed Systems are now available here for free:
  • Energy consumption pattern and scalability of routing protocols for heterogeneous MANETs
  • A high reliability and low latency routing algorithm in cognitive wireless mesh networks
  • Fast-fair handling of flows
  • Custom-designed wireless mote performance analysis in diverse node placement and antenna positioning scenarios for agricultural monitoring
  • Time analysis of wireless controller area network-based fire and gas safety system

13 December 2017

Special issue published: "Technologies and Wellbeing"

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations 17(4) 2017
  • Perceived value of smartphones and tablets for mobile business in small and medium enterprises
  • Improving employee health; lessons from an RCT
  • The expected and perceived well-being effects of short-term self-tracking technology use
  • To sit or to stand, that is the question: examining the effects of work posture change on the well-being at work of software professionals
Additional papers
  • Employee profile configurator: a tool to improve effectiveness of a virtual team
  • An empirical study of mobile social app continuance intention: integrating flow experience and switching costs

Free sample articles newly available from Global Business and Economics Review

The following sample articles from the Global Business and Economics Review are now available here for free:
  • Bank capital, profitability and risk in BRICS banking industry
  • The impact of the financial crisis and financial assistance in Portuguese competitiveness: micro and macro foundations
  • The calendar anomalies on performance and volatility of stock market: the effects of Ramadan on Karachi Stock Exchange
  • The impact of supranational fiscal rules on public finance: the case of EMU member states
  • Foreign exchange rate exposure of selected exporting companies from the Warsaw Stock Exchange
  • Bond markets, stock markets, banks and growth: a system GMM analysis

New Editor for International Journal of Business Environment

Dr. Óscar F. Bustinza from the University of Granada in Spain has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Business Environment.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management are now available here for free:
  • Moving towards sustainable end-of-life tyre management from the cost and environmental perspectives: a case study of Thailand
  • Efficiency differences of government investment projects: an application of a DEA and Tobit analysis
  • A new model for measuring the impact of patent value growth trajectory
  • Individual differences and knowledge acquisition capability in joint ICT project teams in Malaysia
  • A study to identify the stock market participation and investment portfolio preferences of legislators

12 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Business Intelligence and Data Mining

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Business Intelligence and Data Mining are now available here for free:
  • Personalised e-learning system using learner profile ontology and sequential pattern mining-based recommendation
  • A dynamic thresholding technique in spatially co-located objects mining from vehicle moving data
  • An effective encryption algorithm for multi-keyword-based top-K retrieval on cloud data
  • Research on systematisation shipbuilding production management platform for flexible and agile controls on very complex production environments
  • Data clustering using Lévy flight and local memory bees algorithm
  • A methodology for dealing with spatial big data

Special issue published: "Innovations in Corporate Governance and Performance Management"

International Journal of Business Performance Management 19(1) 2018
  • Convergence in corporate governance systems and sustainability culture
  • The influence of corporate governance's decision on corporate social responsibility
  • Corporate social responsibility through stakeholder engagement and entrepreneurial communication processes
  • Accountability, governance and performance in UK charities
  • Internationalisation and corporate governance in family businesses: a case study 
  • Performance measurement systems in business networks: a literature review
  • A data-driven analysis of the current debate on the linkages between performance and strategy studies

New Editor for International Journal of Public Law and Policy

Dr. Ilaria Espa from Universit della Svizzera italiana in Switzerland has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Public Law and Policy.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Web and Grid Services

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Web and Grid Services are now available here for free:
  • Experimental results of a Raspberry Pi and OLSR based wireless content centric network testbed: comparison of different platforms
  • Malware algorithm classification method based on big data analysis
  • A negotiation-based cooperative RBAC scheme
  • Energy-efficient virtual network embedding in networks for cloud computing
  • Using trustworthy web services for secure e-assessment in collaborative learning grids
  • Reusable garbled gates for new fully homomorphic encryption service
  • Real threats using GTP protocol and countermeasures on a 4G mobile grid computing environment

10 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Sensor Networks

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Sensor Networks are now available here for free:
  • Autonomous underwater vehicles localisation in mobile underwater networks
  • Node localisation for wireless sensor networks in smart distribution automation
  • Distributed tomography with adaptive mesh refinement in sensor networks
  • Extensible time synchronisation protocol for wireless sensor networks
  • Energy-efficient data collection under precision constraints in wireless sensor networks
  • Detection of an event and its location in a wireless sensor network

Special issue published: "Inventive Decision-Making Mechanisms for Data Mining Applications"

International Journal of Business Intelligence and Data Mining 13(1/2/3) 2018
  • Risk assessment and management in enterprise resource planning by advanced system engineering theory
  • Performance amelioration of MANETs using cooperative routing with cross-layer design
  • Students search interest model over an organisation based on web log data
  • Survey of various methods for diagnostic signatures for cutaneous melanoma from genetic and imaging data
  • UPFC damping controller design using multi-objective evolutionary algorithms 
  • FIRA: focused information retrieval algorithm
  • Semantic web service discovery for mobile web services
  • Developed global biotic cross pollination algorithm for CIS
  • Detecting and ranking events in Twitter using diversity analysis
  • Data mining of unstructured big data in cloud computing
  • Recognition of sign language using image processing
  • An empirical approach for complexity reduction and fault prediction for software quality attribute
  • Efficient hardware architecture for integer implementation of multi-alphabet arithmetic coding for data mining
  • A Tabu Search strategy to solve cell formation problem with ratio level data
  • Frequent pattern sub-space clustering optimisation algorithm for data mining from large database
  • Epsilon-fuzzy dominance sort-based composite discrete artificial bee colony optimisation for multi-objective cloud task scheduling problem
  • Proposal and examination of the FLAP algorithm
  • An improved incremental algorithm for mining weighted class-association rules
  • Understanding urban development types and drivers in Wallonia: a multi-density approach
  • Multiple object tracking by employing shaped-based features and Kalman filter
  • Technology in its context - a literature review of the macro and micro levels of business intelligence

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Power Electronics

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Power Electronics are now available here for free:
  • Grid-connected inverter using fused converters
  • A novel control scheme to improve the spectral quality of a single-phase bridgeless boost rectifier
  • On-chip adaptive switched capacitor-based DC-DC converter
  • Influence of stator flux estimation on reference flux for MTPA operation in PWM-based DTC PMSM drives
  • Peak current mode-controlled pulse width-modulated active clamp forward converter with centre tap transformer

9 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Management Practice

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Management Practice are now available here for free:
  • Does the potential for developing new technology lead to successful technology transfer commercialisation? The case of public R&D outputs in Korea
  • Creating shareholders' value utilising capital in post-merger and acquisition scenario: a study of Indian Telecom Industry
  • PRM index: a customer satisfaction enhancement tool for Indian automobile sector
  • Consumption of organic food products: an emerging market perspective
  • Communicating sustainability across the hierarchy of the organisation: a framework for the Indian ITeS sector
  • In pursuit of a sustainable traffic and transportation system: a case study of Kolkata

Special issue published: "Applications of Risk Analysis and Analytics in Engineering and Economics"

International Journal of Data Analysis Techniques and Strategies 9(4) 2017
  • On effects of asymmetric information on non-life insurance prices under competition
  • Cost risk analysis and learning curve in the military shipbuilding sector
  • Uncertainty in basic short-term macroeconomic models with angel-daemon games
  • Clustering and hitting times of threshold exceedances and applications
  • Execution time distributions in embedded safety-critical systems using extreme value theory
  • Risk aware intelligent system for insider threat detection

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Management in Education

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Management in Education are now available here for free:
  • The predictability of organisational culture for commitment among faculty members: evidence from Iran higher education
  • Leadership skill, leadership style and job commitment among academic staff of Nigerian universities: the moderating effects of employee's attitude and work environment
  • Educational management and the extent of Thai undergraduates' learning and performance behaviour: an international view
  • The experiences of school principals of teachers living with HIV
  • Development programs for head teachers in four Central European countries: an international comparison
  • Determinants of study abroad decisions among Indian students: a PLS approach

International Journal of Automotive Composites to publish expanded papers from 2nd International Conference on Automotive Composites

Extended versions of papers presented at the 2nd International Conference on Automotive Composites (22-25 October 2018, Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal) will be published by the International Journal of Automotive Composites.

8 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing are now available here for free:
  • Dynamic resource allocation for multimedia services delivery in cellular/infostation integrated HSR networks
  • Utilisation and energy consumption of fair-access in sensor networks with selected grid topologies
  • Context aware spectrum handoff scheme in cognitive radio vehicular networks
  • QSLB: queue size based single path load balancing routing protocol for MANETs
  • Clustering-based enhanced safety message dissemination medium access control protocol for vehicular ad hoc network
  • A density-based contention window control scheme for unicast communications in vehicular ad hoc networks
  • Urban pseudonym changing strategy for location privacy in VANETs
  • Deployment of vehicular networks in highways using 802.11p and IPv6 technologies
  • Green wave-based virtual traffic light management scheme with VANETs
  • Hybridisation of genetic algorithm with simulated annealing for vertical-handover in heterogeneous wireless networks

Special issue published: "Security for Cloud Computing"

International Journal of Web and Grid Services 14(1) 2018
  • Lattice-based searchable public-key encryption scheme for secure cloud storage
  • Key-aggregate searchable encryption under multi-owner setting for group data sharing in the cloud
  • PRE+: dual of proxy re-encryption for secure cloud data sharing service
  • Searchable symmetric encryption based on the inner product for cloud storage
  • Compromising location privacies for vehicles cloud computing
  • Data integrity checking with reliable data transfer for secure cloud storage

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning are now available here for free:
  • Awareness of ICT capabilities, digital literacy, and use of reflective processes in children who received their first home computer
  • Effects of concept map approach on students' attitude and motivation towards documenting computing capstone projects
  • Middle school mathematics teachers' experiences with student learning using the hands-on equations iPad application: a narrative inquiry
  • Effects of visual mapping placed game-based learning on students learning performance in defence-based courses
  • Technology enhanced collaborative learning using a project-based learning management system
  • The relationship among pre-service teachers' computer competence, attitude towards computer-assisted education, and intention of technology acceptance

International Journal of Sustainable Aviation to publish expanded papers from International Sympoisum on Sustainable Aviation 2018

Extended versions of papers presented at the International Sympoisum on Sustainable Aviation (9-11 July 2018, Rome, Italy) will be published by the International Journal of Sustainable Aviation.

7 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Systems, Control and Communications

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Systems, Control and Communications are now available here for free:
  • PAPR reduction in wavelet packet-based OFDM using PSO-based PTS technique
  • Wireless-based DC motor controlling and monitoring system
  • Vibration signal analysis using histogram features and support vector machine for gear box fault diagnosis
  • Fuzzy-cuckoo controller for nonlinear system
  • A near-optimal green control for probabilistic routing protocols in delay-tolerant networks
  • Trust aware cooperative optimised link state routing protocol

Special issue published: "Data to Decision"

International Journal of Big Data Intelligence 5(1/2) 2018
  • Predicting baseline for analysis of electricity pricing
  • Sign language recognition in complex background scene based on adaptive skin colour modelling and support vector machine
  • Sightseeing value estimation by analysing geosocial images
  • Detecting spam web pages using multilayer extreme learning machine
  • Ontology-based faceted semantic search with automatic sense disambiguation for bioenergy domain
  • An unsupervised service annotation by review analysis
  • Emotion-based topic impact on social media
  • Document stream classification based on transfer learning using latent topics
  • A customised automata algorithm and toolkit for language learning and application
Additional paper
  • A big data-based RF localisation method for unmanned search and rescue

New Editor for International Journal of Nonlinear Dynamics and Control

Prof. Sundarapandian Vaidyanathan from Vel Tech University in India has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Nonlinear Dynamics and Control.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics are now available here for free:
  • The back side of banking in Russia: forecasting bank failures with negative capital
  • Autocorrelation in an unobservable global trend: does it help to forecast market returns?
  • An augmented Taylor rule for the Federal Reserve's response to asset prices
  • The nature and propagation of shocks in the euro area: a comparative SVAR analysis
  • Forecasting euro area recessions by combining financial information
  • Nowcasting US inflation using a MIDAS augmented Phillips curve
  • A daily indicator of economic growth for the euro area
  • Hyper-parameterised dynamic regressions for nowcasting Spanish GDP growth in real time

6 December 2017

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development are now available here for free:
  • Success factors of Polish family businesses
  • Psychological contract and social exchange in family firms
  • Internationalisation of publicly traded family firms: a transaction cost theory perspective and longitudinal analysis
  • Time to recalibrate? Exploring entrepreneurial orientation of family businesses before, during, and after an environmental jolt
  • Family business goals, corporate citizenship behaviour and firm performance: disentangling the connections
  • Raising entrepreneurs: can parenting style amplify entrepreneurial intentions and behaviours?

International Journal of Cloud Computing to publish expanded papers from 2nd International Conference on Big Data and Cloud Computing (ICBDCC18)

Extended versions of papers presented at the 2nd International Conference on Big Data and Cloud Computing (23 March 2018, Tamilnadu, India) will be published by the International Journal of Cloud Computing.

Special issue published: "Establishing Innovative Products and Processes in Tourism: The Role of Service Experience"

International Journal of Tourism Policy 7(4) 2017
  • Understanding the role of the service experience in the cruise industry
  • The mediating role of literary tour guides: Saramago versus Mafra's National Palace
  • Investigating islands' visitor experiences in cultural heritage museums: the case of Cyprus
  • Examining the interrelationships among destination brand image, destination perceived quality, tourist satisfaction and tourist loyalty: evidence from Danang City, Vietnam

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital are now available here for free:
  • Empirical relationships between support to informal learning, professional competences and human performance in a Brazilian public organisation
  • Intellectual capital and firm performance in India: a comparative study between original and modified value added intellectual coefficient model
  • An investigation into intellectual capital efficiency and export performance of firms in India
  • Human capital development in socio-economic malaise: evidence from the UK
  • Assessment of the relationship between intellectual capital and organisational health through mediator of employee empowerment (case study: Islamic Azad University employees Shabestar)
  • Intellectual capital reporting: case study of high intellectual capital corporations in Indonesia

5 December 2017

International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation to publish expanded papers from International Conference on Communication, Management and Information Technology (ICCMIT 2018)

Extended versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Communication, Management and Information Technology (2-4 April 2018, Madrid, Spain) will be published by the International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Business Excellence

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Business Excellence are now available here for free:
  • The use of integrated management approaches and their impact on customers' satisfaction and business success
  • Organisational determinants of export performance: evidence from exporting firms in Batam, Indonesia
  • A study on customer's perception of online banking and e-service quality among Chennai customers
  • Analysis of e-service quality from the management perspective: an empirical study on e-government services
  • Developing a comprehensive brand evaluation system with the support of TRIZ to formulate brand strategies
  • Brand positioning of ayurvedic medicine in Indian milieu
  • Dynamics of disruptive innovations in outperforming global brands: a study in Mexico

Special issue published: "Sustainable Energy Technology" (includes free article)

International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy 14(1) 2018
  • Production, performance and emission analysis of Tamanu oil - diesel blends along with biogas in a diesel engine in dual cycle mode
  • Conversion of cotton residues to bio-oil and chemicals through flash pyrolysis in a fluidised bed reactor
  • Experimental study on triple pass solar air heater with thermal energy storage for drying mint leaves
  • Experimental studies on the performance of dehumidifier using calcium chloride as a liquid desiccant
  • Comparative analysis of sustainable electric energy generation technologies using a multi-criteria decision methodology
  • Intra-regional accessibility and take-up of grid extended electricity among rural households: case of Meru-South Sub-County in Kenya
  • Residential electricity use effects of population in Kazakhstan [FREE FULL-TEXT ACCESS]

Call for papers: "Family Businesses and their Brand Value"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business.

Family businesses are often passed on over several generations (Kamei and Dana, 2012). Due to their long-term existence, they are often able to develop essential immaterial assets including image, patents, networks or know-how (Craig et al., 2008; Micelotta & Raynard, 2011). Research in family businesses and their transformations over generations has gained an enormous upswing in the last few decades (Aronoff 2004; DeMassis et al., 2008; Llach & Nordquist, 2010; Sharma et al., 2012). Topics such as success factors of succession or coexistence between family and the business and ownership have been intensively analysed, described and discussed (for example in Chua et al., 2003, Chua et al., 2004, Craig & Moores, 2006; Taguiri & Davis, 1996).

The role and influence of brand on company success is an often-discussed topic in the literature (Angulo-Ruiz et al., 2014; Barth et al., 1998; Bell et al., 2002; Breivik & Thorbjornsen, 2008; Chahal & Balu, 2010; Fehle et al., 2008; Tran & Cox 2009). After intensive literature research, it becomes clear that the family business literature is lacking adequate knowledge about handling this within the value-added process (Beck, 2016; Krappe et al., 2011). The consideration of company brand as part of strategic management in family businesses has not, however, gained as much – if any – attention (Krappe et al., 2011).

A brand and its value is an important success factor. Companies with a strong brand are more resistant to price pressures and are in a position to recover quicker from losses in market share (Stöhr, 2004). This is mainly explained by the potential to differentiate from competitors (Kotler & Blieml, 1999; Wallace et al., 2013), which in turn argues for higher market prices (Pindyck & Rubinfeld, 2009) and is saved in the minds of customers (Baumgarth & Meissner, 2010; Bruhn 2004; Schmidt & Vest, 2010). For growing companies, corporate brand may be seen as a relevant factor (Vallaster & Kraus, 2011).

These values are the main elements of a brand, which are in turn essential drivers for the sustainable generation of sales (Romero & Yagüe, 2015). Brand value includes future unrealised profits (Palan, 2012), suggesting that a company can have positive brand value even when cash flows are consistently negative. Subsequently, a brand may be seen as a determinant of future financial success for a firm (King & Newman, 2015), and the relevance of brand within the value chain of the company will in future increase by manifesting in, for example, the management of strategy, mergers and acquisitions, succession planning and valuations (Brinkmann, 2011).

An isolated brand can have considerable value, which can be exploited through strategic plannig for family businesses in the context of capitalisation (e.g. sale-and-lease back or licensing). In the case of succession, a question often raised is which assets and values could be used strategically. (Lopez-Gracia & Sanchez-Andujar, 2007; Salvato & Melin, 2008; Zellweger & Astrachan, 2008;). The value of a brand could be increased by a classical brand extension or brand transfer, whereby the brand name is transferred to new products and services. With the inherent trust in the brand already established, preferences can be assigned to them, thereby adding the additional benefit of entering new market segments (Burman et al., 2012; Esch, 2014; Wong & Merrilees, 2006).

From a theoretical viewpoint, company brand can be characterised under different views:
  • Resource-based view: Under this view, companies with a strong brand can themselves achieve competitive advantage (Glynn, 2009, p. 35). Therefore, it is possible to develop a brand and use it as an intangible resource to increase profitability and to justify higher prices in opposite to consumers (Pawan et al., 2016, p. 553; Proctor, 2000, p. 43). Brands are company-specific and can therefore not be copied by competitors (Beugelsdijk et al., 2013, p. 193), which is especially relevant for family businesses (Beck, 2016, p. 193). For this type of firm, the family itself often constitutes a strong brand characterised by consistency, long-term orientation, integrity and the ability to establish connections to different stakeholders (Krappe et al., 2011; Peters & Fehle, 2011).
  • Knowledge-based view: Here an extension to the definition of brand knowledge can be made. Consumers use their obtained knowledge and their experiences when they compare brands with each other, and this knowledge provides an association to the related brand (Zickermann 2014, p. 38). The positive effects a brand provides for consumers are increasing their influence when using brand marketing (O´Reilly & Lancendorfer, 2015, p. 2156).
  • Network-based view: Here a brand is viewed as an instrument that is in a position to establish connections to feelings, symbols and lifestyles, and these are the reasons why the related products and services are consumed (Verma, 2002, p. 227). Establishing a brand enables the development of relationships to different stakeholders and also affects their behaviour and decisions when co-operating with the company (Basile, 2013, p. 2).
These examples are just potential approaches for utilising brands to guarantee sustainable success and promote growth in family businesses. However, the potential and ability of family businesses to capitalise on their respective company brands has not been investigated. This gap, and the questions surrounding it, will be the topic under investigation in this special issue. This special issue therefore attempts to provide first insights into the potential use of brand value in family businesses, to integrate into the literature on strategic direction and brand value. This is especially the case given that previous efforts by research into the two fields of 'corporate strategy' and 'brand of family' have not, to our knowledge, been amalgamated in any form. This special issue will address this blind spot and invites scholars to make submissions in this upcoming new direction.

We welcome qualitative as well as quantitative and mixed methodologies, as long as they are well grounded in the literature. Please refer to the following articles:
  • Dana, L.P.; and Dumez, H. (2015), 'Qualitative Research Revisited: Epistemology of a Comprehensive Approach'. International Journal of Entrepreneurship & Small Business, 26(2), 2015, pp. 154-170.
  • Dana, L.P.; and Dana, T.E. (2005), 'Expanding the Scope of Methodologies Used in Entrepreneurship Research', International Journal of Entrepreneurship & Small Business, 2(1), 2005, pp. 79-88.
Suitable topics include, but are not limited, to the following:
  • The role and the value of brand in family businesses within their life cycle
  • Brand as a driver for internationalisation strategies
  • Capitalisation on the brand in context with sale-and-lease back or licensing as financing instruments
  • The valuation of the brand as intangible assets
  • The external perception of family business brand and its meaning

Important Dates
Manuscripts due by: 19 January, 2018
Notification to authors: 30 March, 2018
Final versions due by: 20 June, 2018


References

Angulo-Ruiz, F.; Donthu, N.; Prior, D.; and Rialp, J. (2014), 'The financial contribution of customer-oriented marketing capability', Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 42(4), 2014, pp. 380-399.

Aronoff, C. E. (2004), 'Self-Perpetutation Family Organization Built on Values: Necessary condition for long-term family business survival', Family Business Review, 11(3), 2004, pp. 181-186.

Barth, M. E.; Clement, M. B.; Foster, G.; and Kasznik, R. (1998), 'Brand values and capital market valuation', Review of Accounting Studies, 3(1), 1998, pp. 41-68.

Basile, G. (2013), 'Developments in studies on the relationship between firm and consumer: A structurationist view', In: H. R. Kaufmann & M. F. A K. Panni (Eds.), Customer-centric marketing strategies: Tools for building organizational performance (pp. 1-16). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Baumgarth, C.; and Meissner, S. (2010), 'Verhaltenswisschaftliche Betrachtung von B-to-B-Marken', In C. Baumgarth (Ed.), B-to-B-Markenführung: Grundlagen - Konzepte - Best Practice (pp. 125-154), Wiesbaden: Gabler.

Beck, S. (2016), 'Brand management research in family firms: A structured review and suggestions for further research', Journal of Family Business Management, 6(3), 2016, pp. 225-250.

Bell, D.; Deighton, J.; Reinartz, W. J.; Rust, R. T.; and Swartz, G. (2002), 'Seven barriers to customer equity management', Journal of Service Research, 5(1), 2002, pp. 77-85.

Beugelsdijk, S.; Brakman, S.; Garretsen, H.; and van Marrewijk, C. (2013), 'International economics and business: Nations and firms in the global economy', 2nd ed., Cambridge, UK: Cambride University Press.

Breivik, E.; and Thorbjornsen, H. (2008), 'Consumer brand relationships: An investigation of two alternative models', Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(4), 2008, pp. 443-472.

Brinkmann, M. (2011), 'Kreditsicherheiten an beweglichen Sachen und Forderungen: Eine materiell-, insolvenz- und kollisionsrechtliche Studie des Rechts der Mobiliarsicherheiten vor dem Hintergrund internationaler und europäischer Entwicklungen', Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck.

Bruhn, M. (2004), 'Handbuch Markenführung: Kompendium zum erfolgreichen Markenmanagement: Strategien - Instrumente - Erfahrungen', Wiesbaden: Gabler.

Burmann, C.; Halaszovich, T.; and Hemmann, F. (2012), 'Identitätsbasierte Markenführung: Grundlagen - Strategie -Umsetzung - Controlling', Wiesbaden: Gabler.

Chahal, H.; and Balu, M. (2010), 'Confirmatory study on brand equity and brand loayality: A special look at the impact of attitudinal and behavioural loyalty', The Journal of Business Perspective, 14(1/2), 2010, pp. 1-12.

Chua, J. H.; Chrisman, J. J.; and Chang, E. P. C. (2004), 'Are family firms born or made? An exploratory investigation', Family Business Review, 17(1), 2004, pp. 37-54.

Chua, J. H.; James, J. C.; and Sharma, P. (2003), 'Succession and nonsuccession concerns of family firms and agency relationship with nonfamily managers', Family Business Review, 16(2), pp. 2003, 89-107.

Craig, J. B.; Dibrell, C.; and Davis, P. S. (2008), 'Levreaging family-based brand identity to enhance firm competitiveness and performance in family businesses', Journal of Small Business Management, 46(3), 2008, pp. 351-371.

Craig, J.; and Moores, K. (2006), 'A 10-year longitudinal investigation of strategy: Systems, and environment on innovation in family firms', Family Business Review, 19(1), 2006, pp. 1-10.

De Massis, A.; Chua, J. H.; and Chrisman, J. J. (2008), 'Factors preventing intra-family business succession', Family Business Review, 21(2), 2008, pp. 183-199.

Esch, F.-R. (2014), 'Strategie und Technik der Markenführung', München: Vahlen.

Fehle, F.; Fournier, S. M.; Madden, T. J.; and Shrider, D. G. (2008), 'Brand value ans asset pricing', Quarterly Journal of Finance and Accounting, 47(1), 2008, pp. 3-26.

Glynn, M. S. (2009), 'Manufacturer brand benefits: Mixed methods scaling', In: M. S. Glynn & A. G. Woodside (Eds.), Business-to-business brand management: Theory, research and executive case study exercises (pp. 33-115). Bingley, UK: Emerald.

Kamei, K. and Dana, L-P. (2012) 'Examining the impact of new policy facilitating SME succession in Japan: from a viewpoint of risk management in family business', Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 60-70.

King, A. M.; and Newman, U. (2015), 'Brand value: 'Hidden' asset in plain view', Strategic Finance, 97(7), 2015, pp. 23-29.

Kotler, P.; and Blieml, F. (1999), 'Marketing-Management: Analyse, Planung, Umsetzung und Steuerung', Stuttgart: Schäffer-Poeschel.

Krappe, A.; Goutas, L.; and von Schlippe, A. (2011), 'The "family business brand": An enquiry into the construction of the image of family businesses', Journal of Family Business Management, 1(1), 2011, pp. 137 - 46

Llach, J.; and Nordquist, M. (2010), 'Innovation in family and non-family firms businesses: A resource perspective', International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, 2(3-4), 2010, pp. 381-399.

Lopez-Gracia, J.; and Sanchez-Andujar, S. (2007), 'Financial structure of the family business: evidence form a group of small Spanish firms', Family Business Review, 20(4), 2007, pp. 269-287.

Micelotta, E. R.; and Raynard, M. (2011), 'Concealing or revealing the family? Corporate brand identity strategies in the family firms', Family Business Review, 24(3), 2011, pp. 197-216.

O'Reilly, K.; and Lancendorfer, K. M. (2015), 'Using the power of social media marketing to build consumer-based brand equit', In: Information Resource Management Association (Ed.), Marketing and consumer behaviour: Concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications (S. 2135-2156). Hershey, PA: IGI Global

Palan, R. (2013), 'The financial crisis and intangible value', Capital & Class, 37(1), 2013, pp. 65-77.

Peters, M.; and Frehse, J. (2011), 'Small and family businesses as service brands: An empirical analysis in the hotel', International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 12(1), 2011, pp. 28-43.

Pindyck, R. S.; and Rubinfeld, D. L. (2009), 'Mikroökonomie', München: Pearson.

Proctor, T. (2000), 'Strategic marketing: An introduction', London, UK: Routledge.

Romero, J.; and Yagüe, M. J. (2015), 'Relating brand equity and customer equity: An exploratory study', International Journal of Market Research, 57(4), 2015, pp. 631-651.

Salvato, C.; and Melin, L. (2008), 'Creating value across generations in family-controlled businesses: The role of family business social capital', Family Business Review, 21(3), 2008, pp. 259-276.

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2 December 2017

Inderscience is media partner for Robotics and Autonomous Systems 2018

Inderscience is a media partner for Robotics and Autonomous Systems (25-26 April 2018, London, UK).

The journals involved are:
More information on this event is available here.


Special issue published: "Cyber Security of Critical Infrastructures: Recent Advances and Future Directions"

International Journal of Critical Infrastructures 13(2/3) 2017
  • On the detection of cyber-events in the grid using PCA
  • A security architectural pattern for risk management of industry control systems within critical national infrastructure
  • A two-factor key verification system focused on remote user for medical applications
  • Towards effective cybersecurity resource allocation: the Monte Carlo predictive modelling approach
  • Complex system governance for critical cyber-physical systems
  • A process-based dependency risk analysis methodology for critical infrastructures
  • Preemptive: an integrated approach to intrusion detection and prevention in industrial control systems
  • An anatomy of trust in public key infrastructure
  • Achieving desired performance objectives in the energy sector through data analytics
  • Resilient industrial control systems based on multiple redundancy