bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What really improves employee health and wellbeing
Authors: Dickson-Swift Virginia , Fox Christopher , Marshall Karen , Welch Nicky , Willis Jon
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– Factors for successful workplace health promotion (WHP) are well described in the literature, but often sourced from evaluations of wellness programmes. Less well understood are the features of an organisation that contribute to employee health which are not part of a health promotion programme. The purpose of this paper is to inform policy on best practice principles and provide real life examples of health promotion in regional Victorian workplaces.

Design/methodology/approach

– Individual case studies were conducted on three organisations, each with a health and wellbeing programme in place. In total, 42 employers and employees participated in a face to face interview. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and the qualitative data were thematically coded.

Findings

– Employers and senior management had a greater focus on occupational health and safety than employees, who felt that mental/emotional health and happiness were the areas most benefited by a health promoting workplace. An organisational culture which supported the psychosocial needs of the employees emerged as a significant factor in employee's overall wellbeing. Respectful personal relationships, flexible work, supportive management and good communication were some of the key factors identified as creating a health promoting working environment.

Practical implications

– Currently in Australia, the main focus of WHP programmes is physical health. Government workplace health policy and funding must expand to include psychosocial factors. Employers will require assistance to understand the benefits to their business of creating environments which support employee's mental and emotional health.

Originality/value

– This study took a qualitative approach to an area dominated by quantitative biomedical programme evaluations. It revealed new information about what employees really feel is impacting their health at work.
How do rumors spread during a crisis?
Authors: Miyabe Mai , Nadamoto Akiyo , Aramaki Eiji
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This aim of this paper is to elucidate rumor propagation on microblogs and to assess a system for collecting rumor information to prevent rumor-spreading.

Design/methodology/approach

– We present a case study of how rumors spread on Twitter during a recent disaster situation, the Great East Japan earthquake of March 11, 2011, based on comparison to a normal situation. We specifically examine rumor disaffirmation because automatic rumor extraction is difficult. Extracting rumor-disaffirmation is easier than extracting the rumors themselves. We classify tweets in disaster situations, analyze tweets in disaster situations based on users' impressions and compare the spread of rumor tweets in a disaster situation to that in a normal situation.

Findings

– The analysis results showed the following characteristics of rumors in a disaster situation. The information transmission is 74.9 per cent, representing the greatest number of tweets in our data set. Rumor tweets give users strong behavioral facilitation, make them feel negative and foment disorder. Rumors of a normal situation spread through many hierarchies but the rumors of disaster situations are two or three hierarchies, which means that the rumor spreading style differs in disaster situations and in normal situations.

Originality/value

– The originality of this paper is to target rumors on Twitter and to analyze rumor characteristics by multiple aspects using not only rumor-tweets but also disaffirmation-tweets as an investigation object.
Demand-driven acquisition at HKUST library: the new normal
Authors: S.Y. Kwok Catherine , L.H. Chan Diana , S.M. Cheung Ada , Kan Wong Ming
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to evaluate the impact of three concurrent demand-driven acquisition (DDA) programs on e-book collection development at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Library.

Design/methodology/approach

– Counter Book Report 2 reports of the Ebrary, Wiley and JSTOR were analyzed from the launch date of the respective program to June 30, 2014.

Findings

– The value of two local DDA programs, Ebrary and Wiley, were seen. JSTOR program needs to be evaluated at local and consortial levels when the pilot is finished.

Originality/value

– The experience of HKUST Library will provide a reference point for libraries that are yet to implement their DDA program.
The impact of global trends on ILDS
Authors: Posner Beth
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this article surveys two recent library trend reports to identify key developments likely to impact how librarians, and particularly interlending and document supply (ILDS)/interlibrary loan (ILL) professionals, will facilitate the discovery and delivery of information in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

– Drawing on the New Media Consortium’s “Horizon Report: Library Edition” (2014) and the recent discussion draft of the American Library Association Policy Revolution! Initiative’s “Trends Report: Snapshots of a Turbulent World” (2014), this review essay illuminates major trends that will shape the future of information and library resource sharing.

Findings

– Global trends in technology, demographics, the economy, the environment and more will also effect the ability of librarians to facilitate the discovery and delivery of information. In some cases, these will lead to decreased need for traditional ILL. However, in others cases there will be an increased need as well as enhanced ability for librarians to connect people and information.

Originality/value

– Trend reports are popular in many areas, including the library world, as is predicting the future of libraries and ILDS. This article makes a new contribution by applying specific recent reports specifically to library discovery and delivery.
The relevance of retailer country-of-origin to consumer store choice: evidence from China
Authors: Maruyama Masayoshi , Wu Lihui
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relevance of retailer country-of-origin (COO) on consumers’ actual choice between foreign and domestic retailers. It explores two basic issues regarding the relevance of COO, first to assess consumer perceptions regarding the importance of retailer COO (PIO) and the importance of supporting domestic retailers (PISD) in store choice decisions. The second is to analyse the influence of these factors on store choice decisions. Relative influence of PIO and PISD (compared to the retail mix factors) was also evaluated.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected through a consumer survey targeting grocery consumers in a second-tier city in China. Factor analysis and binary probit models were used to analyse the data.

Findings

– The authors found that a considerable proportion of respondents perceive retailer COO and being supportive of domestic retailers as important factors when choosing between foreign and domestic retailers. Interestingly, results of probit analysis showed that consumers’ perceived importance of retailer COO (PIO) did not have a significant impact on consumer store choice behaviour. In contrast, consumers’ perceived importance of supporting domestic retailers has a negative effect on consumers’ choice of foreign retailers. Results of the relative contribution of retail mix factors and COO variables showed that generally, COO variables are as important as retail mix factors.

Originality/value

– This study is one of the few empirical studies on the relevance of retailer COO and it focused on two basic issues concerning the consumer perceptions regarding the importance of retailer COO, seldom studied previously. This study makes a significant contribution to the COO literature not only because it focuses on the retailing context but also by providing a fresh perspective.
Digital radio – the fight for diffusion in Germany
Authors: Steinheber Juergen
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The diffusion of digital radio has experienced more challenges than for digital TV regarding a digital switchover. The purpose of this paper shows on the specific case of Germany, which difficulties the digital sound broadcasting technology of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) has been facing from several points of view. The difficulties are reviewed and outlined to overcoming different barriers and to facilitating its diffusion.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper analyses how the diffusion of digital radio is perceived by industry representatives such as radio consultants and several stakeholders along the value chain of the radio industry. In semi-structured interviews, participants describe and evaluate the challenges for DAB as digital audio broadcasting standard mainly in Germany.

Findings

– After two decades of deploying digital radio in Germany, its success is still missing. Various very different aspects have prevented the diffusion of the new technology. Among various barriers, the radio industry sees missing benefits, marketing errors and a lack of inter-industrial collaboration as barriers in a retro-perspective.

Research limitations/implications

– The analysis does not cover other countries, where DAB as standard was introduced. Also other standards for digital radio are not considered.

Practical implications

– With referring to barriers for digital radio, there is a scope for those countries about to introduce the technology to troubleshoot the failings of overcoming barrier. An idea can emerge, how authorities and industrial stakeholders can help to facilitate the diffusion of digital radio. It also indicates the need of governmental interaction for the coordination of a technology introduction in a network industry.

Social implications

– The theoretical model, referred to, gives a good overview of potential diffusion barriers as most identified problems for the German case. The model and the illustrated problems of the paper can be used in practice to manage potential diffusion problems during technology introductions.

Originality/value

– There is a lack of published information about the faced challenges for the diffusion of digital radio. The retro-perspective benefits from the broad experience of participants having observed the challenges of the past decade with DAB in Germany. Additionally, the results are mapped to a theoretical framework with limits for the diffusion of innovation for generalising.
Gender and motives for accountancy
Authors: Nishiyama Yasuo , A. Camillo Angelo , C. Jinkens Robert
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether some motives for the choice of an accounting career, disproportionately stronger among women than among men, explain disproportionately more women (60 percent) than men (40 percent) in the accounting profession.

Design/methodology/approach

– The ordered probit model is used to analyze online survey data of approximately 580 responses collected from members of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Findings

– This study finds three reasons why more women (than men) enter the accounting profession: locational freedom, social status, and income stability. Women who choose accounting as a career value these three offered by accounting more than do men who choose accounting as a career. These findings represent mainly those of older CPAs (who are older than 50). The finding related to social status is reversed in the case of younger CPAs.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper's findings may be limited to some extent because the authors investigate only three motives for the choice of an accounting career. Also, the online survey data may not be generalized to the entire CPA population.

Originality/value

– The hypothesis that relates motives for the choice of an accounting career to more women in the accounting profession is carefully derived using Bayes’ theorem. This hypothesis is tested by the ordered probit method.
Tax non-compliance among SMCs in Malaysia: tax audit evidence
Authors: Azrina Mohd Yusof Nor , Ming Ling Lai , Bee Wah Yap
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The pervasiveness of tax non-compliance remains a serious concern to most tax authorities around the world. The negative impact of tax non-compliance on the economy and the evolving nature of the Malaysian corporate tax system have motivated this study. The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of corporate tax non-compliance among small-and-medium-sized corporations (SMCs) in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study used economic deterrence theory to analyze and test 375 tax-audited cases finalized by the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia in 2011.

Findings

– Multiple regression results revealed that marginal tax rate, company size and types of industry exerted significant effects on corporate tax non-compliance. The services and construction industries were noted to be the predominant industries engaged in tax non-compliance. The amount of concealed income unearthed during tax audit indicates clearly that there is widespread tax non-compliance in Malaysia and the quantum of tax lost through tax non-compliance is quite high.

Research limitations/implications

– This study only sampled SMCs audited in 2011, hence, care has been exercised in generalizing the findings.

Practical implications

– This study affirms that marginal tax rate, company size and types of industry are the main factors influencing compliance behavior of SMCs. The findings provide important insights not only to the Malaysian tax authority, but also to tax authorities and tax researchers in other parts of the world given that tax non-compliance of SMCs is a prevalent and universal problem. For example, with regard to the finding that marginal tax rate and company size are linked to non-compliance, it can be surmised that tax authorities ought to divert resources to firms with such characteristics when conducting audits.

Originality/value

– Most tax research tax examining corporate tax non-compliance used financial data from annual reports to predict tax non-compliance, which are not very accurate. This study used actual tax audit cases obtained from the tax authority which are reflective of the actual situation. This study complements the scant existing literature by empirically evaluating the factors that influenced corporate tax non-compliance in a developing country like Malaysia.
Lost revenues associated with going concern modified opinions in the Swedish audit market
Authors: Svanberg Jan , Öhman Peter
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the costs to audit firms in terms of lost revenues of losing small clients due to auditor switching or client bankruptcy after issuing first-time going concern modified opinions.

Design/methodology/approach

– A population of small Swedish companies receiving first-time going concern modified opinions in 2009 was examined to determine the effects two years later compared with a matched sample of financially stressed companies that had not received going concern modified opinions.

Findings

– The results indicate that both auditor switching and client bankruptcy are positively related to receipt of going concern modified opinions. Furthermore, the authors find empirical evidence that auditors issuing first-time going concern modified opinions lose proportionately more fees through auditor switching and client bankruptcy than do auditors not issuing such opinions to financially stressed clients. Finally, the authors found that the going concern modified opinions issued by Big 4 firms are no more harmful to clients than are those issued by other audit firms.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors recognize a limitation of this study regarding the choice of control companies. Although the authors attempted to find similarly sized and similarly financially stressed companies from the same industries as those companies in the test group, the authors may have missed other variables relevant to auditor switching or client bankruptcy.

Practical implications

– A practical implication for the audit profession is the increased awareness of the fact that the financial dependence issues reported in this study extend to auditors with small client companies.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to examine fees lost due to auditor switching and client bankruptcy caused by going concern modified opinions in a population of small companies. It contributes to the mixed evidence presented in previous research as to the extent to which going concern modified audit opinions are self-fulfilling prophecies.
Building cooperative capacity: the specialty coffee sector in Nicaragua
Authors: Poole Nigel , Donovan Jason
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– Within the context of widespread donor support for producer organizations, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of interventions aimed at rescuing a failed cooperative and improving performance and business linkages between grower-suppliers and international markets through enterprise development.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper reports a case study of a Nicaraguan coffee cooperative, Soppexcca, which received substantial donor support at the time of the international coffee crisis between 1999 and 2004. The study used a framework of organizational structure, strategy, empowerment, and performance to assess business performance and sustainability. Quantitative and qualitative data collection focussed on asset building and changes during the period 2005-2009.

Findings

– Soppexcca achieved major advances in asset building. External interventions played a pivotal role in building organizational capacity to respond to buyers’ demands and market-related shocks. Support was received not only from donors but also from supply chain partners and third-sector organizations. However, important gaps remain, and addressing these gaps requires changes in Soppexcca and sustained support.

Research limitations/implications

– As a case study, findings cannot be readily generalized but the implications will be of significance beyond the coffee sector in Nicaragua, wherever and in whatever sector building cooperative capacity is an important development objective.

Social implications

– Experience with Soppexcca shows that the creation of sustainable collective organizations is a long-term process, particularly in respect of building human capital.

Originality/value

– The paper examines enterprise development using concepts of capital asset formation and cooperative performance, and argues the significance of effective links between value chain stakeholders as well as internal cooperative performance.
Investment responses to third-party market facilitation in Armenia
Authors: Shanoyan Aleksan , Brent Ross R. , R. Gow Hamish , Christopher Peterson H.
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess the role of a third-party market facilitation strategy in creating sustainable market linkages and revitalizing an important agri-food sector in a developing country setting. More specifically, this study evaluates a third-party facilitator’s ability to assist producers and processors in developing internal private enforcement mechanisms through stimulating investments in relationship-specific assets.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper uses mixed methods approach. The research is grounded by a case study of the USDA Marketing Assistance Program (MAP) in the Armenian dairy industry. Qualitative evidence from the case study is combined with data from a survey of 745 Armenian dairy farmers to examine the impact of participation in the USDA MAP-facilitated marketing channel on farm-level investments.

Findings

– The main results indicate that over the four-year period of the USDA MAP facilitation of dairy supply chain, farms linked to the formal milk marketing channel have invested in approximately twice as many assets specific to milk production compared to farms in the informal channel. This finding supports the hypothesis that third-party market facilitation strategy pursued by the USDA MAP has stimulated investments in private enforcement capital between dairy producers and processors and implies that an external third-party market facilitator can play an important role in enhancing performance of supply chain linkages.

Originality/value

– These findings and the lessons from the case of USDA MAP contribute to better understanding of third-party market linkage facilitation strategies and will be useful for the development community and agribusiness decision makers.
Poor adherence to the mental capacity act and premature death
Authors: Heslop P. , Blair P. , Fleming P. , Hoghton M. , Marriott A. , Russ L.
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of the Confidential Inquiry into premature deaths of people with intellectual disabilities (CIPOLD) in relation to the Mental Capacity Act (England and Wales) (MCA) 2005.

Design/methodology/approach

– CIPOLD reviewed the deaths of all known people with intellectual disabilities (ID) aged four years and over who had lived in the study area and died between 2010 and 2012.

Findings

– The deaths of 234 people with ID aged 16 years and over were reviewed. There were two key issues regarding how the MCA was related to premature deaths of people with ID. The first was of the lack of adherence to aspects of the Act, particularly regarding assessments of capacity and best interests decision-making processes. The second was a lack of understanding of specific aspects of the Act itself, particularly the definition of “serious medical treatment” and in relation to Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation guidelines.

Research limitations/implications

– CIPOLD did not set out to specifically evaluate adherence to the MCA. It may be that there were other aspects relating to the MCA that were of note, but were not directly related to the deaths of individuals.

Practical implications

– Addressing the findings of the Confidential Inquiry in relation to the understanding of, and adherence to, the MCA requires action at national, local and individual levels. Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, and in challenging decision-making processes that are not aligned with the MCA, the authors are just as effectively protecting people with ID as are when the authors report wilful neglect or abuse.

Originality/value

– CIPOLD undertook a retrospective, detailed investigation into the sequence of events leading to the deaths of people with ID. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that such research has associated a lack of adherence to the MCA to premature deaths within a safeguarding framework.
An integrated science course moves online: four concurrent perspectives
Authors: E. Major Amanda , Raj Chaudhury S. , M. Gilbertson Betsy , T. King Jr David
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand the lived experiences from the voice of the authors (a science professor, an instructional designer, a distance learning doctoral intern, and a distance learning director) in the process of transitioning a face-to-face science course to online modality at a large, research university.

Design/methodology/approach

– The method of this qualitative inquiry involves a personal narrative approach in which the authors reflect on their experiences of this process and analyze it through writing.

Findings

– The findings examine the challenges of moving a traditional course online and reiterate the value of a team approach to ensure its quality. The narrative offers clarity to the different phases of such a project and can enhance decision making among those involved in course design and delivery, as well as administrators incentivizing the conversion of traditional courses to the online modality.

Practical implications

– Online education has emerged as a viable solution. The challenges and rewards of transitioning face-to-face courses to distance learning modalities are well documented, even for a senior science educator.

Social implications

– Universities face several modern day challenges, including reductions in state appropriations, lack of available space for classes, challenges of engaging a technologically savvy generation, and preparing students for a global marketplace.

Originality/value

– To support faculty members’ transition to online education, universities offer instructional design support, where ideas are exchanged with faculty members to ensure pedagogically sound and engaging distance learning. The authors conclude with recommendations for both practice and future research in the area of practice and process improvement for diffusion of online courses at traditional universities, one course at a time. This is important to those beginning to transition course offerings online.
Curriculum design, development and implementation in a transnational higher education context
Authors: Tian Xuemei , Martin Bill
Published: November 2014

Purpose

–The purpose of this paper is to report on an applied research project involving the application of core learning and pedagogical theory to a specific unit in a transnational undergraduate business course.

Design/methodology/approach

– The project sought to collect data and learning experiences based upon intensive literature reviews and a combined quantitative-qualitative research method. Established research constructs and recent lessons from the literature were applied to the two-year reform cycle of an undergraduate business unit.

Findings

– The findings validated the research constructs and frameworks employed and reinforced the case for enhancing the nexus between alignment, student motivation, active learning and the international-transnational perspective. Despite initiatives to engender openness and interactivity in the classroom, including dynamic and innovative approaches to communication and content delivery neither the operation of the class nor the eventual performance of the students lived up to expectations.

Research limitations/implications

– The research was limited to the experiences of three different cohorts of students on the same unit over a two-year period. Implications are that the same research method and approach are valid for other units either in the same faculty or across faculties.

Practical implications

– Serves as an example of what can and cannot be achieved by academics seeking to align their teaching and research activities on a relatively modest basis.

Social implications

– Raises questions as to the social dimension to transnational higher education courses.

Originality/value

– While not entirely original, the paper adds value in the form of “lessons learned” from an applied classroom-based research.
Corporate governance in Kenya's public universities
Authors: Mwanzia Mulili Benjamin
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the corporate governance practices adopted by public universities in Kenya, itself a developing country. Corporate governance practices in Africa, especially the sub-Saharan part, are weak and limited research has been done in this area.

Design/methodology/approach

– The researcher adopted the realism paradigm and relied on qualitative data obtained from five case study organizations. A total of 15 informants were interviewed. The data were recorded, transcribed and subjected to content analysis using the NVIVO software.

Findings

– The researcher established that the governance of the said institutions is constrained by numerous challenges that include, among many others, large student numbers, overstretched facilities, insufficient government support, inadequate induction of new staff, resistance to change and cultures that support impunity on the part of some non-performing employees.

Practical implications

– This research recommends several strategies that can be used to improve the governance of the said institutions and, by extension, that of similar institutions in developing countries.

Originality/value

– The study provides empirical evidence to support the proposition that different corporate governance theories, such as the stakeholders theory, political theory and resource dependency theory, can be used simultaneously by the same firm. On this basis, the research suggests the adoption of a combined theory of corporate governance.
The role of peer-learning and formative assessment in effective engineering learning environments
Authors: A.B. Hassan Osama
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of peer learning and formative assessment as two creative learning methods in engineering learning environments. The results show that both models have yielded promising results with regard to meeting the criteria for the expected learning outcomes of the curriculum. However, the integrated model has resulted in better results than the model of formative assessment. The paper discusses also some practical and theoretical aspects related to the learning models.

Design/methodology/approach

– It is advanced two general learning models; in the first model, the formative assessment is integrated with peer learning and in the second one, the formative assessment is solely used to enhance the learning. A field case study is conducted to investigate the effect of using the learning models on the expected learning outcomes of the students in an engineering course.

Findings

– The results show that both learning models have yielded promising results with regard to meeting the criteria for the expected learning outcomes of the curriculum. However, the integrated model has resulted in better results than the model of formative assessment.

Research limitations/implications

– The two models can be applied for the engineering course that has both practical and theoretical aspects. It is expected that areas of expertize in engineering education can be developed very well with the models.

Practical implications

– The results show that the two learning models have yielded promising results with regard to meeting the criteria for the expected learning outcomes of the curriculum and that formative assessment link to good learning practice does indeed give improved learning.

Social implications

– Increase the effectiveness of learning in engineering education.

Originality/value

– Case study based on observation and planning.
The impact of AACSB accreditation on the autonomy and costs of limited resource institutions whose missions are primarily teaching
Authors: Bieker Richard
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of AACSB accreditation on the autonomy and costs of limited resource institutions whose missions are primarily teaching.

Design/methodology/approach

– To evaluate the research questions, a content analysis of all publications in the EBSCO Business Source Premier Database for the period January 1, 1990 through December 15, 2012 was conducted.

Findings

– The findings indicate that in the process of becoming AACSB accredited, faculty members of the subject institutions shift their focus more toward research and less toward teaching activities, and that the institutions become less autonomous and more like their benchmark AACSB institutions. In addition, the costs of AACSB accreditation are likely to be significant for the subject institutions.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings of the study point to the need for additional theoretical and empirical research related to the research questions. First, there is a need to formulate a conceptual framework for clearly identifying and measuring the implicit and explicit costs, including all of the opportunity costs, associated with accreditation. In addition, there is a compelling need to develop a conceptual framework and measurement system that will allow business schools to better assess their quality and productivity. For limited resource institutions whose missions are primarily teaching this system should comport with the schools’ teaching missions.

Practical implications

– The findings suggest that the subject institutions seeking AACSB accreditation should carefully consider a number of questions before pursing accreditation. First, is the institution's mission congruent with AACSB standards or will its mission have to be changed? If AACSB accreditation is deemed to be appropriate, how will the associated changes in resource needs and resource allocation serve to further the institution's mission? And, what are the incremental costs of accreditation, and does the institution have the resource base to sustain accreditation?

Originality/value

– The study is the first to conduct a detailed content analysis to evaluate some of the costs and benefits of AACSB accreditation for limited resource institutions whose missions are primarily teaching.
Merging research, conservation and community engagement
Authors: Borona Gloria , Ndiema Emmanuel
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– Archaeological, palaeontological and geological research has been conducted in Kenya for many years. These research efforts have resulted in exceptional depth of understanding of the region's cultural heritage including those with rock art. Unfortunately, very few of the research programmes have engaged communities as active participants in conservation and consumers of the research findings. The purpose of this paper is to report how collaboration between the National Museums of Kenya and the Trust of African Rock Art (TARA) is creating a link between research, conserving heritage and community engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

– An overview of two rock art tourism community projects undertaken by TARA will reveal that engaging communities and disseminating research findings does not only foster preservation of sites but is critical in transforming rock art sites into economic endeavours whose outcomes are providing alternative livelihoods.

Findings

– Community engagement remains the only viable way of ensuring long-term conservation of heritage sites going forward.

Originality/value

– TARA is the only organization conducting this kind of work in the African continent. This case study therefore, provides authentic information on local community involvement as a conservation strategy in the African context.
Workplace trends in office space: implications for future office demand
Authors: G. Miller Norm
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This study aims to examine the trends in space per office worker and the influence of a number of factors on the ability to reduce space per worker. These trends are important in that they impact future office demand along with property values.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using both survey and empirical data a simulation model is used to examine the impact on space per worker over the course of a typical lease. Factors considered include the length of lease, the worker growth rate of the firm, turnover and time to fill positions, the type of organizational management hierarchy, whether dedicated or non-dedicated space is utilized and firm policies toward working out of the traditional office.

Findings

– Space per worker will continue to decline over time, yet collaborative work environments and the effects of traditional management and cultural momentum suggest that downsizing will take time. Counter to the initial hypothesis, growing tenants do not over-consume space in the early years but rather tend to renegotiate leases when growth spurs the need for more space.

Research limitations/implications

– It appears that modest economic growth is sufficient to offset downsizing trends, but some markets will be more affected than others. Portfolios dominated by larger than average tenants or U.S. Federal Government tenants will be affected much sooner by downsizing efforts compared to smaller private sector tenants. The mix of occupant types and age also matters, and this study does not delve into significant occupant-type differences by market. This study also does not directly consider design influences on productivity other than those mentioned through surveys: natural light, air quality, temperature control, noise and the presence of collaborative space.

Practical implications

– Forecasters of office space demand must input an estimate of the growth in professional employment and then apply a space per worker assumption. This assumption in most markets will be declining, by as much as 30 per cent over several years. Washington DC is already being affected by downsizing, yet most markets with reasonably good economic growth will be able to offset most of this transition to more intensively used space.

Social implications

– Much of the existing stock needs to be rebuilt. Much of how the authors work and where is changing. This requires new perspectives on how productivity is measured and how remote workers are measured.

Originality/value

– This is the first paper to try and reconcile the views of commercial real estate owners and operators with those of corporate space planners, both of who have opposite sides of the same lease. It is also the first to point out the explicit reasons why downsizing efforts are sometimes not as effective as expected.
The concept of information and questions of users with visual disabilities
Authors: Tomáš Stodola Jirí
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the functionality of the particular epistemological schools with regard to the issues of users with visual impairment, to offer a theoretical answer to the question why these issues are not in the center of the interest of information science, and to try to find an epistemological approach that has ambitions to create the theoretical basis for the analysis of the relationship between information and visually impaired users.

Design/methodology/approach

– The methodological basis of the paper is determined by the selection of the epistemological approach. In order to think about the concept of information and to put it in relation to issues associated with users with visual impairment, a conceptual analysis is applied.

Findings

– Most of information science theories are based on empiricism and rationalism; this is the reason for their low interest in the questions of visually impaired users. Users with visual disabilities are out of the interest of rationalistic epistemology because it underestimates sensory perception; empiricism is not interested in them paradoxically because it overestimates sensory perception. Realism which fairly reflects such issues is an approach which allows the providing of information to persons with visual disabilities to be dealt with properly.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper has a speculative character. Its findings should be supported by empirical research in the future.

Practical implications

– Theoretical questions solved in the paper come from the practice of providing information to visually impaired users. Because practice has an influence on theory and vice versa, the author hopes that the findings included in the paper can serve to improve practice in the field.

Social implications

– The paper provides theoretical anchoring of the issues which are related to the inclusion of people with disabilities into society and its findings have a potential to support such efforts.

Originality/value

– This is first study linking questions of users with visual disabilities to highly abstract issues connected to the concept of information.
Knowing and actional information in web based weight maintenance services
Authors: Maaria Askola Kreetta , Känsäkoski Helena , Huotari Maija-Leena
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the role of information and knowledge in the context of health behaviour change.

Design/methodology/approach

– As internet use in Finland is among the highest in Europe, two Finnish web-based weight management services were analysed regarding their weight maintenance information by using a theoretical approach constructed for the purpose. The approach combines the elements of web-based weight maintenance information and the typologies of knowing and actional information. The approach was tested by examining the services deductively with theory-based content analysis.

Findings

– The approach indicated differences between the profiles of the two analysed information environments, which focus on factual and tailored information and their relation to pragmatic, provisional and contested knowing and the initiation, maintenance and recovery of actional information. Both services support weight maintenance; the other slightly more due to its rich social features.

Research limitations/implications

– The examination was focused on the free content of two Finnish weight management services. Further research should include the role of socially interactive information and further testing of the approach with more services.

Practical implications

– The proposed approach sheds light on the relationship between the types of weight maintenance information and the dimensions of the typologies of knowing and actional information. The approach has the potential to be applied when designing the information environment of new web-based weight management services.

Social implications

– The approach has potential to be applied when designing the information content of new web-based weight management services to support health behaviour change. The approach could be elaborated further by focusing on enabling social support required in long-term weight maintenance.

Originality/value

– The study adopted a novel approach to studying typologies of knowing and actional information, thus providing new viewpoints in both information behaviour and organisational knowledge. The study enables further research on weight maintenance information use by proposing a theoretical background.
A scale for measuring the applicability of lean practices in IT support services
Authors: Kumar Kundu Goutam , Bairi Jayachandra
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present research that was conducted with an objective to conceptualize and develop an instrument for the measurement of the perception of IT support service practitioners about the applicability of lean concepts in IT support services.

Design/methodology/approach

– Scale items were identified from current literature and the survey instrument was used to collect data from IT support service practitioners. The constructs’ measurement models were tested and the scale was validated by using statistical tools.

Findings

– The results of the study indicate that the operational measures developed here satisfy the criteria for unidimensionality, reliability and validity.

Research limitations/implications

– While selecting and excluding measurement items for the survey, the researchers have followed established principles of survey research; but it may have been affected by the personal bias of the author. The sample for the survey was drawn from IT support service companies located in India, thus the results are generalizable only to the extent that these businesses represent the population of all businesses. Another limitation is that no prior survey/case studies were carried out to collect IT service practitioner's perception about the applicability of lean practices.

Originality/value

– This paper provides a new measurement instrument for measuring the applicability of lean practices in IT support service environment.
Analyzing critical success factors of total quality management by using fuzzy cognitive mapping
Authors: Can Kutlu Ahmet , Kadaifci Cigdem
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– Total quality management (TQM) is a process and philosophy to achieve customer satisfaction in long term by improving the products, processes and services effectively and efficiently. TQM implementation is turning into a complex practice due to the increasing number of effective factors and key elements labelled as critical success factors (CSFs). The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relations between CSFs of TQM and to provide decision makers has a clear picture of relations by determining the most affecting – both the number of CSFs which this factor affects and the its effect degree on relevant CSFs are higher comparing to other factors – of this factors affected factors – both the number of CSFs and their effect degree on these factors are higher – that influences a successful TQM implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper refers to fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) that allow dynamic modelling of a system in consideration of a complex network structure and the effects of factors to each other. The method demonstrates causal representations between CSFs under uncertainty to represent the relations and interaction between them and performs qualitative simulations to analyse the factors that have the highest impact on continuous improvement of quality management process. The evaluations are performed by five academicians whose professions are on both the areas of TQM and FCM.

Findings

– FCM analysis shows how the most affecting and affected factors influence the other CSF in order to manage a successful TQM implementation.

Originality/value

– The critical factors of TQM implementation are in the focus of most of the empirical studies in the literature. However, none of them considers the dynamic interactions between the factors. This study employs FCM to explore the CSFs that influence the TQM implementation process considering the relations among them to observe the most affecting and affected factors based on the changes of determined CSFs.
Understanding customer relationship management technology adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises
Authors: Newby Michael , H. Nguyen Thuyuyen , S. Waring Teresa
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The customer relationship management (CRM) technology adoption process in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is an under-researched area and the purpose of this paper is to extend the knowledge and offer greater understanding of the CRM adoption process through an empirical study in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this study it is hypothesized that the likelihood of CRM technology being adopted is dependent on management characteristics, organizational characteristics and management's perception of CRM technology. To investigate the proposed model a survey of SMEs in the retail, manufacturing and services sectors was conducted in Southern California, USA.

Findings

– The results indicate that management characteristics significantly influence a firm's perception of CRM technology specifically innovativeness and positive attitude to CRM. Organizational characteristics such as the employee, information technology (IT) resources, a firms’ innovativeness influence the likelihood that CRM technology will be adopted and the extent to which CRM technology will be implemented.

Research limitations/implications

– First, the industries focused on were in retail, manufacturing and services. Second, the sample was geographically specific to Southern California. Third, the sample size in this study was relatively small, although it is within the testable range. Finally, only one respondent was surveyed from each firm.

Practical implications

– Management regardless of gender, age or education level, must be supportive, innovative and have a positive attitude towards the new IT application, as positive perception will likely to lead to decision to adopt. In addition, there must be innovation within the organization and the firm must have the ability to absorb knowledge and to use it. There must be an availability of IT resources, both infrastructure and skills to support the change.

Originality/value

– The results of this study have implications for CRM adoption in SMEs. More importantly, they suggest a framework which demonstrates the necessary linkage between organizational characteristics and CRM adoption process.