1,720,955 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Strategic financial management framework to ensure performance and growth for small to medium enterprises
Get PDFZimbabwe’s Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) face worsening performance and growth-related challenges attributable to failure by owner managers to embrace Strategic Financial Management (SFM) practices capable of promoting business growth and performance. SMEs became the main contributor to the gross domestic product following the collapse of the economy due to the government’s agrarian reform of 2000. Using the quantitative design, the study investigated SFM practices by SMEs towards developing a SFM framework for Zimbabwe’s SMEs. The study revealed that SMEs lacked a conceptual framework that ensures growth despite having a clear focus and vision. Drawing from empirical data and critical review of relevant theories, the study developed a strategic financial management framework for SMEs in Zimbabwe. The framework has relevance for SMEs in Zimbabwe and other neighboring countries as they promote SMEs growth and performance
The strategic financial management framework for small and medium-sized enterprises in Zimbabwe
Get PDFA thesis submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in the Department of Entrepreneurial Studies and Management Faculty of Management and Science at the Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2023.Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) by nature often encounter
performance and growth-related challenges attributable to failure by SME owner managers
to embraceStrategic Financial Management Practices (SFMPs) that are popular for
promoting business growth and performance. The Zimbabwean economy, which relies
on SMEs following the collapse of the economy due to the agrarian reform initiated by
the government in the year 2000, faces economic crisis of large proportions as SMEs
fail perform and grow.
Aim: The overall aim of the study was to develop a strategic financial management
framework for SMEs towards improving performance and growth.
Study setting: The study was conducted in Mashonaland West Province of
Zimbabwe, a relatively impoverished community that rely on SMEs as a source of
livelihood.
Methods: The study employed the mixed method research design that include the
quantitative, and qualitative methods gathering data from a target population of 640
SMEs selected from the furniture, steel, metalwork, retail, confectionary, and the
hospitality sectors. Cluster, and stratified sampling techniques were used to select 240
participants for the quantitative study while purposive sampling technique was used to
select 21 participants for the qualitative study. Quantitative data was analysed using
the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 with qualitative data
analysed using N-Vivo and thematic analysis.
Results: The main study findings revealed that SMEs across the province partially
applied SFMPs which include developing a vision that guides the business, opening a
fixed asset register to serve as collateral security, bulk stock ordering, and networking.
Conclusions: The study concluded that SFMPs were critical for SME performance
and growth, and that SMEs should embrace the practices. The study therefore
recommended the implementation of the FNBE11 framework by SMEs across the
province to ensure sustenance of growth and performance. The recommended
framework would compel SMEs to be visionary, invest in fixed assets as collateral
security, open bank accounts that provides creditors/financiers with solid financial
history used as the basis to seek funding.
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
Exploring operational obstacles for SMEs in volatile economies: A case for Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe
Get PDFSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) function in unstable macroeconomic contexts, especially in emerging markets characterised by significant economic volatility. SMEs are crucial for job creation and poverty alleviation; however, they encounter various challenges that impede their growth. Small and medium-sized enterprises in the Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe face limitations due to political and economic instability. This research examines operational challenges through a qualitative methodology. Data were gathered from 21 purposefully selected SME owner-managers, each possessing a minimum of five years of managerial experience, across five districts. Inductive thematic analysis, facilitated by NVivo software, was employed to examine open-ended interview responses. Identified key obstacles include cash shortages, inadequate working capital, elevated inflation, foreign currency limitations, increasing costs, and inconsistent government policies. Recommendations for policy include the revision of monetary policy, stabilisation of the local currency, adjustment of tax structures, and enhancement of price control mechanisms. Managers of small and medium enterprises are advised to enhance cash flow and inventory management practices. Future research should undertake comparative studies among developing countries
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