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The purpose of this paper is to fabricate pre-existing geometries of the stents using solvent cast 3D printing (SC3P) and encapsulation of each stent with heparin drug by using aminolysis reaction.

The iron pentacarbonyl powder and poly-ɛ-caprolactone blend (PCIP) were used to print stent designs of Art18z, Palmaz-Schatz and Abbott Bvs1.1. The properties of antithrombosis, anticoagulation and blood compatibility were introduced in the stents by conjugation of heparin drug via the aminolysis process. The aminolysis process was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy due to presence of amide group and nitrogen peak in the respective analysis. Biological studies were performed to depict the cell viability, hemocompatibility and antithrombotic properties. Besides, mechanical behaviors were analyzed to study the behavior of the stents under radial compression load and bending load.

The amount of heparin immobilized on the Art18z, Palmaz-Schatz and Abbott Bvs1.1 stents were 255 ± 27, 222 ± 30 and 212 ± 13 µg, respectively. The cell viability studies using L929 fibroblast cells confirmed the cytocompatibility of the stents. The heparinized SC3P printed stents displayed excellent thrombo-resistance, anticoagulation properties and hemocompatibility as confirmed by blood coagulation analysis, platelet adhesion test and hemolysis analysis. Besides, mechanical behavior was found in context of the real-life stents. All these assessments confirmed that the developed stents have the potential to be used in the real environment of coronary arteries.

Various customized shaped biodegradable stents were fabricated using 3D printing technique and encapsulated with heparin drug using aminolysis process.

The purpose of this study was to examine the organizational context that may support learning and change readiness climates that previous research has found to be conducive to implementing evidence-based interventions.

An exploratory, mixed method evaluation that included 15 rheumatology clinics throughout the United States was performed. Quantitative data were collected using a web-based survey completed by 135 clinic members. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 88 clinic members.

In general, clinics reported strong, positive learning and change readiness climates. More complex organizations (e.g. multispecialty, academic medical centers) with rational/hierarchical cultures and members with longer tenure were associated with less supportive learning and change readiness climates. The authors’ findings highlight opportunities for organizational leaders and evidence-based intervention sponsors to focus their attention and allocate resources to settings that may be most susceptible to implementation challenges.

First, the authors address a deficit in previous research by describing both the level and strength of the learning and change readiness climates for implementing an evidence-based shared decision-making aid (SDMA) and examine how these vary as a function of the organizational context. Second, the study examines a broader set of factors to assess the organizational context (e.g. organizational culture, organizational structure, ownership) than previous research, which may be especially salient for shaping the climate in smaller specialty clinics like those we study. Third, the authors utilize a mixed methods analysis to provide greater insights into questions of how and why organizational factors such as size and structure may influence the learning and change readiness climate.

Strategic management.

Entry-level post-graduate management students at an MBA program; middle-level professionals in an executive management program.

Royal India Food Retail (RIFR) is an organized food retailer, head-quartered in Delhi, India. The firm has established 180 outlets across the three Indian states of Delhi, Chandigarh and Punjab, selling fruits and vegetables, full-range of staples, grocery items and essential non-food items and fast-moving consumer good products. Since its inception, RIFR has been making losses, owing to both unfavourable external conditions and poor strategic management. In 2014-2015, RIFR reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) loss of Rs 46m as against Rs 276m in 2013-2014 and Rs 346m in 2012-2013. This case examines the problems of RIFR, against the backdrop of an unfavourable industry structure and the need for astute decision making, and poses the question of what the next step for RIFR should be.

Developing a clear understanding of the business environment; understanding the challenges faced by businesses in emerging markets; highlighting the dynamics of a volume-driven vis-à-vis a margin-driven approach to business strategy; and the importance of resources as critical elements of strategy development.

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CSS 11: Strategy.

This paper aims to study the effect of different processing treatments to reduce cypermethrin residues in okra and judge the consumer preferences of the applied unit operations. Deliberate use of pesticides on vegetables has been frequently reported in recent past. Association of pesticides with multiple health odds in human beings necessitates its removal from diet.

Cypermethrin residues were analysed using Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe method and quantified using gas chromatography. Consumer acceptability was judged using a 9-point Hedonic scale.

Significant reductions were observed in all treatments applied. Percentage reduction observed with different pre-treatments ranged from 36 per cent (tap water) to 89 per cent (acetic acid and potassium permanganate). All cooking methods, except microwave cooking, were found effective, as the per cent reduction varied from 91 to 98 per cent. Maximum reductions were observed with pressure cooking. However, on the basis of organoleptic scores, washing was the most preferred pre-treatment, followed by sodium bicarbonate. Least score was obtained by samples treated with potassium permanganate. Among the cooking methods, all samples were acceptable, except pressure cooking. Taking into consideration both factors, i.e. residue reduction and consumer acceptability, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride and frying were found to be the best household treatments.

Present study pioneered and tried to establish links between the efficacies of laboratory to the consumer level, thereby judging its utility. Further research must focus on taking this parameter of food safety to real applied research at the consumer level.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and compare the voluntary reporting of intellectual capital (IC) by the top 20 software and technology sector companies in a developing nation, India, and a developed nation, Australia. The paper aims to highlight the differences in IC disclosure practices of the companies operating in two different economies.

The study investigates the top 20 firms by market capitalisation listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange in India and the Australian Stock Exchange in Australia in the year 2007‐2008. Using the content analysis method, the paper reviews the annual reports of these firms to determine IC disclosure trends in India and Australia. Statistical tools and graphs have been used to compare and contrast ICD disclosures in two countries.

The study has identified IC disclosure differences between Indian and Australian firms, and reports disclosures by Indian companies are on a higher scale than Australian Software and Technology Sector companies. However, Levels of voluntary IC disclosure are found to be low in both the nations and most of the disclosures are declarative in nature.

This lack of consistency in reporting practices makes comparisons across countries difficult. The paper emphasises the need for a uniform and consistent framework for the reporting of intellectual capital items.

The results of this exploratory study on the knowledge based industrial sector can be used by researchers to explore different types of IC reporting initiatives pursued across specifically knowledge based industrial sectors.

This study offers insights into comparative trends in IC disclosure practices of software and technology sector companies operating in a developed and a developing country.

The purpose of this paper is to measure the intellectual capital performance of Indian banks and established a relationship between intellectual capital and return on assets (ROA). The paper also compared the intellectual capital performance of public sector and private sector banks.

This study is based on secondary data from the top 20 Indian banks. Ten banks were selected from each of the public and private sectors on the basis of paid-up equity capital. The analysis was made using the value added intellectual coefficient, the coefficient of variation, exponential growth rates, trend analysis, Yule’s coefficient, the coefficient of correlation, the F-test and the t-test.

The study revealed that private sectors have performed relatively better regarding the creation of total information coefficient (IC). However, the ROA was still below the international benchmark of > 1 percent. The major cause of the lower IC and the reduced ROA is disproportionate to the increase in capital employed and escalating non-performing assets in the Indian banking sector.

The study focussed on managers and identified the causes of lower performance. It proposed numerous strategies to improve the aggregate score of IC, which is closely related to bank profitability.

This is the first study to make a comparative analysis of intellectual capital performance in public and private sector banks in India and in addition to the traditional style of measuring sectoral performance. Further, the study employed new statistical tools, such as Yule’s coefficient of association, to establish the association between performance variables.

In this chapter, we describe the belief system of Izzat which is central among South Asian families. The idea of forced marriage is based upon the concept of Izzat or honor which is a cornerstone of family life in South Asian communities.

Rai (2006) suggests that South Asian community members are deeply affected by what others say about them. The closest English translations to Izzat and Sharam are honor and shame, respectively. Rai argues that Izzat and Sharam are mechanisms that safeguard patriarchal customs such as arranged marriage which are familiar to us from our own backgrounds as two Asian women. It is our belief that Izzat is the highest “context marker” (Pearce & Cronen, 1980) for forced marriages.

We will illustrate the concept of Izzat through two case vignettes and explicate theoretical ideas, based on Izzat to include Borzemyi-Nagy’s ideas about belief systems.

The research of Ryan Brown (2016) University of Oklahoma on “honour cultures” in the USA draws some parallels in gendered discourses about power of men over women. He suggests that high levels of murder rates as well as reluctance to address mental health issues are present in “honour cultures.” These ideas resonate with the strong influence of Izzat upon South Asian family and community systems which we have met in our practice. The development of our practice was in response to issues arising from our clinical work in these communities (Robinson, 2016).

We will explore the continuum of marriage to include forced, arranged and consensual marriage within the context of Izzat and compare with black African and African-Caribbean families.

We will also consider issues of cultural competence and expertness and how this interplays with strongly held belief systems such as Izzat. We will end with some clinical implications and pointers for practice.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the intellectual capital (IC) performance of the Australian Financial Sector for the period 2006‐2008. It also aims to examine the relationship between IC performance and the financial performance of the financial sector.

The value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) approach developed by Pulic is used to determine the IC performance of the Australian financial sector. The required data to calculate different constituents of IC was obtained from the annual reports of Australian Financial Sector companies.

The value creation capability of financial sector in Australia is highly influenced by human capital. About two thirds of the sample companies have very low levels of intellectual capital efficiency. The performance of various components of VAIC and overall VAIC differs across all subsectors in the financial sector. Investment companies have high value VAIC due to higher a level of human capital efficiency, as compared to banks, insurance companies, diversified financials and RIETs. Insurance companies are more focussed on physical capital rather than human and structural capital leading to lower VAIC.

The paper analyses IC performance of only one sector of the Australian economy and there is a relatively narrow three‐year period for the data collection. However, a comparative analysis of various sub sectors in the Australian financial sector justifies the contributions made by this study.

The findings may serve as a useful input for financial institutions to apply knowledge management in their institutions and in addressing the factors affecting IC performance in order to maximise their value creation. It will also help the management of companies in other sectors, especially those in knowledge‐based industries, in understanding the contributions of various components of intellectual capital in their growth.

This is the first paper that examines the relationship of intellectual capital performance with financial performance of financial sector companies in Australia.

In this paper, the authors analyze the use of content analysis in disclosing voluntarily information on intangible assets, the intangible assets disclosures (IAD). The purpose of this paper is to conduct a structured literature review (SLR) that assesses the possibilities and limitations of content analysis.

To that end, the authors analyze the existing literature on the topic in the main international databases. In all, 74 empirical articles utilizing content analysis as a research methodology for IAD were reviewed. Regarding the selection of sources, the authors should indicate that the SLR performed includes academic studies published in journals or presented at conferences and that are always subject to a double process of anonymous review.

The obtained results indicate that despite the frequent use of content analysis in studies on IAD, its use does not meet all expectations.

The study synthesizes the research on content analysis for the case of information on intangible assets, offering an updated and global framework for future researchers through the SLR.

Among other problems, the authors found its excessive emphasis on the amount disclosed in the annual report, ignoring other reports in which more information regarding intangible assets is available, such as in the case of the sustainability reports. Furthermore, the use of very different coding systems and its exclusive use without being combined with other methodologies are detected. These aspects affect the quality problems of the sources used, which directly results in the utility of the evidenced findings.

These conclusions allow the authors to conclude on the need to open different lines of study that review the use of content analysis in this topic.

The work focuses on the quality of disclosures more so than on the quantity, offering a critical view that summarizes the utility of the employment of content analysis for this type of disclosure and its implications for future research on this topic. Despite previous studies, the authors highlight the new insights revealed from IAD research, especially since the seminal paper of Dumay and Cai (2014).

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the effect of intellectual capital (IC) efficiency on changes in the productivity of insurance companies in Ghana.

Using a panel of 33 insurance companies from 2008 to 2016, the study applied Value Added Intellectual Coefficients model as a measure of IC efficiency, whilst Malmquist Productivity Index is employed to capture changes in the productivity of insurance companies. In estimating the effects of IC on productivity, System Generalised Method of Moment (GMM) is applied because of its power over endogeneity and heteroscedasticity.

Robust empirical findings on productivity analysis showed that improvements in insurer’s productivity were experienced in three year intervals out of the overall studied year. In addition, panel regression results revealed that IC along with human capital and capital employed significantly affect the productivity of insurance companies.

The generalisability of the study findings could be questioned because it is limited to insurance firms operating in Ghana; some firms were omitted due to mergers and acquisition that reduced the final sample. Yet, the findings facilitate the validation of IC concept and, hence, informs manager/policy makers on IC utilisation as a source of competitive edge.

Having robust empirical findings, the study expands on the existing literature by unveiling the dynamic nature of IC relationship and productivity. The findings also serve as a benchmark for managers/policymakers in insurance companies to increase the operational efficiency by investing in IC, which will help guarantee improve returns on generated premiums.

Although a few studies have investigated the effect of IC in Ghana, this study is the first to examine the dynamic relationship between IC and changes in productivity in a Ghanaian context.