Experimenting with the partnership ability φ-index on a million computer scientists

International audienceSchubert introduced the partnership ability φ-index relying on a researcher's number of co-authors and collaboration rate. As a Hirsch-type index, φ was expected to be consistent with Schubert-Glänzel's model of h-index. Schubert demonstrated this relationship with the 34 awardees of the Hevesy medal in the field of nuclear and radiochemistry (r² = 0.8484). In this paper, we upscale this study by testing the φ-index on a million researchers in computer science. We found that the Schubert-Glänzel's model correlates with the million empirical φ values (r² = 0.8695). In addition, machine learning through symbolic regression produces models whose accuracy does not exceed a 6.1% gain (r² = 0.9227). These results suggest that the Schubert-Glänzel's model of φ-index is accurate and robust on the domain-wide bibliographic dataset of computer science

Not Featherbedding, but Feathering the Nest: Human Resource Management and Investments in Information Technology

This study draws on employment relations and management theory, claiming that certain innovative employment practices and work structures pave the way for organizational innovation, namely investments in information technology (IT). It then finds support for the theory in a cross-section of UK workplaces. The findings suggest that firms slow to adopt IT realize that their conventional employment model hinders their ability to make optimal use of new technologies. Therefore, the paper advances the literature beyond studies of unionization’s impact on business investment to a broader set of issues on the employment relations features that make organizations ripe for innovation

Unions and Productivity, Financial Performance and Investment: International Evidence

If the presence of a union in a workplace or firm raises the pay level, unless productivity rises correspondingly, financial performance is likely to be worse. If the product market is uncompetitive this might imply a simple transfer from capital to labour with no efficiency effects, but is probably more likely to lead to lower investment rates and economic senescence. Therefore the impact of unions on productivity, financial performance and investment is extremely important. This paper distils evidence on such effects from six countries: USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan and Australia. It is not possible to use theory to predict unambiguously any union effect on productivity because unions can both enhance and detract from the productivity performance of the workplace or firm. The evidence indicates that, in the USA, workplaces with both high performance work systems and union recognition have higher labour productivity than other workplaces. In the UK previous negative links between unions and labour productivity have been eroded by greater competition and more emphasis on 'partnership' in industrial relations but there is a lingering negative effect of multi-unionism, just as there is in Australia. In Germany the weight of the evidence suggests that the information, consultation and voice role of works councils enhances labour productivity particularly in larger firms. In Japan unions also tend to raise labour productivity via the longer job tenures in union workplaces which makes it more attractive to invest in human capital and through the unpaid personnel manager role played by full-time enterprise union officials in the workplace. Unions will reduce profits if they raise pay and/or lower productivity. The evidence is pretty clear cut: the bulk of studies show that profits or financial performance is inferior in unionised workplaces, firms and sectors than in their non-union counterparts. But the world may be changing. A recent study of small USA entrepreneurial firms found a positive association between unions and profits and in the UK the outlawing of the closed shop, coupled with a lower incidence of multi-unionism has contributed to greater union-management cooperation such that recent studies find no association between unions and profits. North American and German evidence suggests that unionisation reduces investment by around one fifth compared with the investment rate in a non-union workplace. In both Canada and the USA this effect is even felt at low levels of unionisation. The UK evidence is mixed: the most thorough study also finds that union recognition depresses investment, but this adverse effect is offset as density rises. The exception is Japan where union recognition goes hand-in-hand with greater capital intensity.unions, productivity, profits, investment

Regulating Complexity in Financial Markets

As the financial crisis has tragically illustrated, the complexities of modern financial markets and investment securities can trigger systemic market failures. Addressing these complexities, this Article maintains, is perhaps the greatest financial-market challenge of the future. The Article first examines and explains the nature of these complexities. It then analyzes the regulatory and other steps that should be considered to reduce the potential for failure. Because complex financial markets resemble complex engineering systems, and failures in those markets have characteristics of failures in those systems, the Article‟s analysis draws on chaos theory and other approaches used to analyze complex engineering systems

Study of School Gates Employment Support Initiative (Research Report No 747)

A report of research carried out by the Institute for Employment Studies on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions This report presents qualitative findings from the study of the School Gates Employment Initiative. This mostly involved qualitative research in 13 of the 25 pilot areas which included interviews with school heads, Regional Development Agency (RDA) leads, Jobcentre Plus, local authorities (LAs) and devolved administrations, parents and parent support staff in schools. It also involved two semi-structured group discussions with local partners at two practitioner events in November 2010, as well as a review of evidence presented in the Management Information (MI) and the quarterly reports from the pilot areas. The findings of this report strongly support the notion that schools, Jobcentre Plus and LA employment advisers can play a potentially important role in moving parents from low incomes towards work. School Gates’ reach to potential second earners and parents on low incomes, many of whom are not on benefits and are new customers to Jobcentre Plus, has been a key strength of the pilot. Many parents engaged in the pilot were also lone parents, some of whom were also not in receipt of benefits. In this way, many school sites have provided a critical mass of families within these target groups for Jobcentre Plus and other LA employment advisers to engage with

A minimum income standard for the UK in 2013

This is the 2013 update of the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) for the United Kingdom, based on what members of the public think people need for an acceptable minimum standard of living. This update in minimum budgets is based on increases in living costs. The findings also reflect changes in the tax and benefits systems, which affect both people’s living standards and the earnings required to reach a minimum net income. The report describes the ways in which people on lower incomes are being squeezed by a combination of sluggish income growth, restrictions on increases in benefits and tax credits, and rising living costs. It also notes the extent to which increases in income tax allowances help to alleviate this squeeze. This report shows: • what incomes different family types require in 2013 to meet the minimum standard; and • how much the cost of a minimum household budget has risen since the last update in 2012

SPEC Kit 346: Scholarly Output Assessment Activities

This SPEC Kit explores current ARL member library activities that help authors manage their scholarly identities, provide options for creating and disseminating scholarly outputs, offer strategies to enhance discoverability of scholarly outputs, help authors efficiently track scholarly outputs and impact, provide resources and tools to help authors assess their scholarly impact, create publication reports and social network maps for reporting purposes, and offer guidance and training on new trends and tools for reporting of impact. This study covers library assessment services and resources, training, staffing models, partnerships with the parent institution, marketing and publicity, and future trends. This SPEC Kit includes examples of training materials, job descriptions, descriptions of assessment services, examples of assessment reports, and research guides on scholarly output metrics