Kehinde Peter Alabi, Ayoola Patrick Olalusi, John Isa, Kehinde Folake Jaiyeoba and Michael Mayokun Odewole
Fresh fruits and vegetables (FV) are crucial global food resources, but the presence of heat loads during harvest adversely impacts their shelf life. While freezing technology…
Abstract
Purpose
Fresh fruits and vegetables (FV) are crucial global food resources, but the presence of heat loads during harvest adversely impacts their shelf life. While freezing technology provides an effective means of removing heat loads, it is an energy-intensive process and may consequently prove too costly for practical business viability. The growing interest in utilizing magnetic field (MF) technology during the freezing of fresh FV enhances the freezing rate and rapidly removes the heat loads of products.
Design/methodology/approach
In the present study, pulsed magnetic field (PMF) pretreatment employing specific field strengths (9 T, 14 T and 20 T) was examined as a preliminary step before freezing mango and tomato and compared to the conventional freezing method (untreated) at − 18 °C.
Findings
PMF pretreatment prior to freezing demonstrated a noteworthy enhancement in freezing rate by around 10 and 12% when compared with the conventional (untreated) freezing, which exhibited freezing rates of −0.08 °C/min and −1.10 °C/min for mango and tomato, respectively. The PMF pretreatment (at 20 T) provided a higher freezing rate (at p = 0.05) than the conventional freezing method reduced heat loads amounting to 1.1 × 107 J/kg oC and 2.9 × 106 J/kg oC, significantly (at p = 0.05) from mango and tomato, respectively. These reductions in heat loads were approximately more than 5% of the calculated heat loads removed during conventional freezing.
Research limitations/implications
Mango and tomato samples were only tested; the results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test for other products for further studies.
Practical implications
The paper includes implications for the development of a rapid freezing technique, the development of “pulsed magnetic field” and for eliminating the problem associated with conventional (slow) freezing.
Originality/value
The study holds significance for the production of postharvest freezing technology, providing insightful information on the PMF-assisted freezing of cellular foods.
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Yaw A. Debrah and Ian G. Smith
Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on…
Abstract
Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on work and employment in contemporary organizations. Covers the human resource management implications of organizational responses to globalization. Examines the theoretical, methodological, empirical and comparative issues pertaining to competitiveness and the management of human resources, the impact of organisational strategies and international production on the workplace, the organization of labour markets, human resource development, cultural change in organisations, trade union responses, and trans‐national corporations. Cites many case studies showing how globalization has brought a lot of opportunities together with much change both to the employee and the employer. Considers the threats to existing cultures, structures and systems.
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Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American…
Abstract
Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American preemptive invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and the subsequent prisoner abuse, such an existence seems to be farther and farther away from reality. The purpose of this work is to stop this dangerous trend by promoting justice, love, and peace through a change of the paradigm that is inconsistent with justice, love, and peace. The strong paradigm that created the strong nation like the U.S. and the strong man like George W. Bush have been the culprit, rather than the contributor, of the above three universal ideals. Thus, rather than justice, love, and peace, the strong paradigm resulted in in justice, hatred, and violence. In order to remove these three and related evils, what the world needs in the beginning of the third millenium is the weak paradigm. Through the acceptance of the latter paradigm, the golden mean or middle paradigm can be formulated, which is a synergy of the weak and the strong paradigm. In order to understand properly the meaning of these paradigms, however, some digression appears necessary.
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Mohamed A. Youssef and Mohamed Zairi
Discusses various modes of interaction between suppliers and users of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) and is based on empirical evidence originating from the study of 30…
Abstract
Discusses various modes of interaction between suppliers and users of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) and is based on empirical evidence originating from the study of 30 organizations representing ten suppliers and users. Highlights various key factors by closely scrutinizing the various modes of interaction during the implementation of various technological innovations. Notes that these factors are highly influential in the degree of success or otherwise for the implementation of AMT. In all, examines seven different types of innovation. These are: plastics injection moulding machines, CNC machines, computerized information systems, flexible manufacturing systems, material handling and supply, CADCAM and automated control systems. Reviews some relevant studies and discusses the critical factors in the diffusion of AMTs. Considers the benchmarking of the AMT’s implementation and finally, discusses the factors which determine the effectiveness of supplier‐customer interaction for the implementation of AMT.
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Looks at organizational relocation and the stages experienced by individuals when an enforced move becomes necessary. Considers, from the company’s viewpoint, links between…
Abstract
Looks at organizational relocation and the stages experienced by individuals when an enforced move becomes necessary. Considers, from the company’s viewpoint, links between individuals coping, managing change and the management of group moves. Lists practical consideration which should be considered.
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Illustrates and explicates the proposition that the critique of exploitationand injustice found in contemporary Liberation Theology is theologicallygrounded, in that these…
Abstract
Illustrates and explicates the proposition that the critique of exploitation and injustice found in contemporary Liberation Theology is theologically grounded, in that these phenomena are rebuked as discordant with God′s will, as revealed by textual re‐examination of the Bible, notably the Old Testament, not merely as socially undesirable, by examination of four central themes: (1) the Old Testament characterization of God as hater of exploitation, lover of justice, and Liberator of the oppressed; (2) the Biblical depiction of the character and methods of oppression and exploitation and the identification of oppressors and oppressed; (3) the Old Testament model of stages in the liberative process and vision of a future society characterized by peace, freedom, justice, equality, community, and prosperity; (4) significant elements of continuity between Old and New Testament on these issues.
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The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the accounting standards reforms that have moved the accounting profession away from rules‐based towards principles‐based…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the accounting standards reforms that have moved the accounting profession away from rules‐based towards principles‐based accounting practice and financial reporting, and to explore the implications for boards of directors of fair value estimates of the unknowable contaminating financial statements with financial misstatements.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper critically reviews the internationally accepted accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards with respect to fair value accounting and relates them to directors' fiduciary duties – the duties of care, of oversight, and of obedience.
Findings
The search for relevance in financial accounting raises daunting challenges for boards of directors tasked with fairly presenting the financial condition of a reporting business entity.
Research limitations/implications
The accounting profession has long been epistemologically conservative, judging reliability to be more important than relevance in the compiling of financial statements. With the fair value reforms, relevance has achieved ascendency over reliability. This necessitates an increase in the need for more research in the epistemology and ethics of accounting.
Practical implications
Boards of directors need to be well‐informed about, and fully engaged with, the assessment of the level of risk of material misstatement associated with the fair value accounting estimates, and with the adequacy of the related mandatory explanatory disclosures.
Originality/value
This paper's originality is grounded in its exploration of the epistemology of accounting in the light of the adoption of fair value conventions in the internationally accepted accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and its drawing out of the implications this has for corporate governance.
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Clara M. Chu and Isola Ajiferuke
The study compares the quality of indexing in library and information science databases (Library Literature (LL), Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA), and Information…
Abstract
The study compares the quality of indexing in library and information science databases (Library Literature (LL), Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA), and Information Science Abstracts (ISA)). An alternative method to traditional retrieval effectiveness tests, suggested by White and Griffith in their paper ‘Quality of indexing in online databases’ [13], is adopted to measure the quality of the controlled vocabulary of each database. The method involves identifying clusters of documents that are similar in content, searching for each document from a given cluster in a database, identifying the terms used by the databases to index each document, and calculating certain measures to determine the quality of indexing. Problems found with the White and Griffith discrimination index led the authors to propose an alternative discrimination index which takes into consideration the collection size of a database. Our analysis shows that LISA has the best quality of indexing out of the three databases.
Hadi S. Alhorr, Kimberly Boal and Birton J. Cowden
Regional economic integration has been a major area of research in the field of international economics and international trade, with little attention being paid to the impact of…
Abstract
Purpose
Regional economic integration has been a major area of research in the field of international economics and international trade, with little attention being paid to the impact of these economic collaborations on the organizational strategies of firms within the economically integrated regions. By building on the organization‐environment relationship paradigm, this paper aims to address the impact of environmental changes associated with economic integration, market commonality and currency commonality, on the patterns and structures of strategic alliances within members of the economic community.
Design/methodology/approach
Using mixed linear models, the study looks at changes associated with the integration of the European Union and their effects on international alliances within the integrated area and among the various member countries.
Findings
The findings suggest that the emergence and the adoption of economic integration policies at the country level do impact the patterns and structures of strategic alliances practiced between member countries. Specifically, the adoption of common market policies among members of an economic community has implications on the pattern and structure of strategic collaborative relationships of firms within these member countries.
Originality/value
While regional economic integrations have accelerated, theoretical and empirical research addressing their impact on multinational strategies has yet to catch up.
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Michael Jay Polonsky, Philip J. Rosenberger and Jacquelyn Ottman
The complexities of environmental issues require that when developing new green products marketers have to seek‐out, involve and learn from stakeholders with environmental…
Abstract
The complexities of environmental issues require that when developing new green products marketers have to seek‐out, involve and learn from stakeholders with environmental expertise. These stakeholders have information that lies outside the organisation’s main area of expertise and can assist the firm in developing less environmentally harmful products. This article examines US and Australian markets’ perceptions of stake‐holders’ potential to influence the green new product development (NPD) process and what strategies can be used to involve stakeholders in this process. The findings suggest that marketers believe some stakeholders with “high” influencing abilities should be involved in the green NPD process, although it appears that in practice, firms use very basic methods to include these stakeholders. It also appears that there is limited formal interaction between the firm and its stakeholders and that respondents are not engaging and learning from others with green product expertise.