AMSTERDAM, February 7 /PRNewswire/ --

- University Uses Scopus Data to Create Management Strategy Map

Scopus(R) today announced that Kyushu University is using its data to
create and test QUEST-MAP, the management strategy map it developed to plan
its reorganization. The University chose Scopus for its comprehensiveness and
objective data, to help capture the current state of its research activities
University wide. Scopus is now playing a pioneering role in enabling
metric-based analysis of the University's research output, providing Kyushu
University with the information it needs to strategize for accelerated
growth.

Japan's falling birth-rate and the mounting competition in the global
academic market continually challenges every university to excel at teaching,
research, and management; expecting them to optimize their diversity and
uniqueness. Kyushu University is the first Japanese university to develop and
introduce a management-strategy map, called QUEST-MAP. The map provides a
full schematic overview to plan the University's reorganization efforts,
aimed at "the formation of a world-class educational and research base."
However, since the data available to date forced the University to make
decisions based on qualitative arguments, the organization sought to enhance
its evaluation process with objective and reliable indicators; aiding the
formation of winning management policies.

The Scopus product team and the Management Strategy Group of the
President's Support Office at Kyushu University, worked together to develop a
macro view of the University's research activities: the team tabulated the
number of academic papers published in 27 subject areas from 2002 to 2006,
then extracted and analyzed data focusing on the top 1% and top 5% of papers
in terms of citations. This data was then used to derive the appearance rate
of top-cited papers in each area and benchmarked against seven comparable
universities.

Adjunct Professor Akihisa Adachi, leader of the Management Strategy Group
of the President's Support Office, was enthusiastic about the results of the
implementation: "Scopus' broad coverage of academic materials, combined with
its ease of use and reliability, provide an excellent grasp of the scope of
individual researchers in each subject area. Scopus is the appropriate tool
to analyze the University's diverse research activities from an objective,
macro viewpoint. By using the analytical methods developed jointly with the
Scopus team, we will be able to specify areas of research in which Kyushu
University excels in comparison to other universities, including changes over
time. We can also gain an objective assessment indicating key research areas
in which improvement will be needed. We are now able to obtain one of the
vital criteria to lead discussions based on objective data."

"Analysis of research activities is not only a concern at the individual
researcher level. We have seen rapid growth in the need for objective metrics
at the organizational level and national level too", said Niels Weertman,
Director Scopus. "We are honored that Kyushu University, one of Japan's most
acknowledged universities, is using our data to aid the development of its
management strategy."

Kyushu University and the Scopus team plan to continue developing new
analytical methods using Scopus in a bid to understand and analyze the levels
and characteristics of its research from a wider range of perspectives and
with improved objectivity.

About Kyushu University

Kyushu University was established in 1911 as Kyushu Imperial University,
the fourth of the nation's Imperial Universities. Today, the institution
incorporates 11 departments and 17 graduate schools (academic faculties) and
is one of Japan's leading national universities. Over almost a century since
its foundation, Kyushu University has upheld a proud tradition of developing
the people who shape modern Japan, awarding some 120,000 bachelor's degrees
and 70,000 postgraduate degrees. In recognition of its upcoming 2011
centenary, the University began consolidating its facilities on a single
campus, Ito Campus from 2005, and is aggressively raising its profile in
educational and research activities, both in Japan and around the world based
on its slogan of "building a new century of knowledge on one hundred years of
tradition".

About Management Strategy Group of the President's Support Office, Kyushu
University

The Management Strategy Group was established as part of the University's
reorganization of October 1, 2007, as an organization under the direct
control of the University president. The Group consists of two full-time and
five concurrent office staff members. These staff members will play a central
role in supporting the planning of the next medium-term goals and medium-term
plans, scheduled to start in 2010, and are leading the implementation of
QUEST-MAP as the basis of the current medium-term goals and medium-term
plans.

About QUEST-MAP

QUEST-MAP is a bird's-eye view of Kyushu University's reorganization
project, the objective of which is to make the University a "world-class
educational and research base." Using the framework of a "balanced scorecard"
(BSC), QUEST-MAP aims to create a rough sketch of the Kyushu University
reorganization, enabling anyone to grasp the status of reorganization at a
glance. In May 2007, Kyushu University QUEST-MAP was created and tested, as
an overview of Kyushu University's overall management strategy. Also, at
present seven of the University's departments are working on Departmental
QUEST-MAPs for the purpose of independently illustrating their roles in this
management strategy. For details, please visit the appropriate section of the
University website, at the URL below:

http://hyoka.ofc.kyushu-u.ac.jp/QUEST/#intro (Japanese)

About Scopus

Covering the world's research literature, Scopus is the largest abstract
and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and quality web sources
with smart tools to track, analyze and visualize research. Scopus is designed
and developed with over 500 users and librarians internationally. Its unique
database contains abstracts and references from 15,000 peer-reviewed journals
from more than 4,000 publishers worldwide, ensuring broad interdisciplinary
coverage. In addition, Scopus not only offers users citation information
about the articles covered, but also integrates web and patent searches
directly from its clean and simple interface. Direct links to full-text
articles, library resources and other applications like reference management
software, make Scopus quicker, easier and more comprehensive to use than any
other literature research tool. For more information about Scopus please
visit http://www.info.scopus.com.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and 
medical information products and services. Working in partnership with the 
global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in over 70 
offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per 
year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such 
as ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com/), MD Consult 
(http://www.mdconsult.com/), Scopus (http://www.info.scopus.com/),
bibliographic databases, and online reference works.

Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/) is a global business headquartered in
Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide. Elsevier is part of
Reed Elsevier Group plc (http://www.reedelsevier.com/), a world-leading
publisher and information provider. Operating in the science and medical,
legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier provides
high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with increasing
emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's ticker
symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and
ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Contact

    Regarding Kyushu University and QUEST-MAP:
    Adjunct Prof. Akihisa Adachi
    Management Strategy Group, President's Support Office, Kyushu University
    Tel.: +81-92-642-7006
    Email: aki-adachi@astec.kyushu-u.ac.jp

    Regarding Elsevier and Scopus:
    Nami Kanda
    Elsevier Japan K.K.
    Tel,: +81-3-5561-5069
    Email: n.kanda@elsevier.com