bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Building factory fitness
Authors: Ferdows Kasra , Thurnheer Fritz
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the notion of fitness in production as something different from leanness and show that building fitness puts a factory on a course of developing cumulative capabilities and improving its ability to respond to changing market and business conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the process of design, launch, and management of a fitness program in 42 factories of the Hydro Aluminum Extrusion Group on five continents between 1986 and 2001. The design was based on the “sandcone model” proposed by Ferdows and DeMeyer but the sequence of capabilities was modified to improve safety, reduce process variability, codify and share tacit production know‐how, improve responsiveness, and improve labor and machine efficiency.

Findings

Most factories showed improvements higher than industry average in these capabilities during the 15 years. Moreover, they improved the capabilities listed earlier in the above sequence faster than those listed later, indicating that they were becoming more fit.

Research limitations/implications

Observations were in only one company and industry, which limits general applicability of the model. However, measurements were taken over a relatively long period, factories were spread on five continents, and the authors had access to the actual data during the 15 years, which together provided a unique opportunity to gain deep insights from this case. Future research should test the applicability of the model in other industries and companies.

Practical implications

A fitness regimen provides a roadmap for improving core capabilities in a factory. It is different from building leanness. Fitness helps the factory become leaner, but the opposite is not always true. A factory can become too lean but never too fit.

Originality/value

This paper is the first, to the authors' knowledge, to introduce the notion of fitness in production in the literature. Results observed in this case suggest that a better understanding of how factories become fitter provides insights into some of the deeply ingrained practices of superior manufacturers, especially those that stay competitive over long periods.
Now, let's make it really complex (complicated)
Authors: Geraldi Joana , Maylor Harvey , Williams Terry
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to operations management (OM) practice contingency research by describing the complexity of projects. Complexity is recognised as a key independent (contingent) variable that impacts on many subsequent decisions in the practice of managing projects.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a systematic review of relevant literature and synthesises an integrated framework for assessing the complexities of managing projects.

Findings

This framework comprises five dimensions of complexity – structural, uncertainty, dynamics, pace and socio‐political complexity. These five dimensions present individuals and organisations with choices about how they respond to each type of complexity, in terms of business case, strategic choice, process choice, managerial capacity and competencies.

Originality/value

The contribution of this paper is to provide a clarification to the epistemology of complexity, to demonstrate complexity as a lived experience for project managers, and offer a common language for both practitioners and future empirical studies considering the individual or organisational response to project complexities. The work also demonstrates an application of systematic review in OM research.
Gendered forms of othering in UK hospital medicine
Authors: Tsouroufli Maria , Özbilgin Mustafa , Smith Merryn
Published: August 2011

Purpose

Attempts to modernise the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK involve promoting flexible approaches to work and training, restructuring postgraduate training and increasing control and scrutiny of doctors' work. However, the medical community has responded with expressed anxiety about the implications of these changes for medical professionalism and the quality of patient care. This paper aims to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on literature on nostalgia, gender, identity and organisations, the paper explores the narratives of 20 senior NHS hospital doctors to identify ways in which doctors use nostalgia to react to organisational and professional challenges and resist modernisation and feminisation of medicine.

Findings

This paper illustrates how senior hospital doctors' nostalgic discourses of temporal commitment may be used to constitute a highly esteemed professional identity, creating a sense of personal and occupational uniqueness for senior hospital doctors, intertwined with gendered forms of othering and exclusionary practices.

Practical implications

Nostalgia at first sight appears to be an innocuous social construct. However, this study illustrates the significance of nostalgia as a subversive practice of resistance with implications for women's career and identity experiences. Change initiatives that seek to tackle resistance need also to address discourses of nostalgia in the medical profession.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this study is that we illustrate how supposedly neutral discourses of nostalgia may sometimes be mobilised as devices of resistance. This study questions simplistic focus on numerical representation, such as feminisation, as indicative of modernisation and highlights the significance of exploring discourses and head counts for understanding resistance to modernisation.
Multi‐layered analysis of Turkish Cypriot female solicitors' career trajectory in North London
Authors: İnal Gözde , Karataş‐Özkan Mine
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the career experiences of Turkish Cypriot women solicitors in Britain, by examining their choices of employment or self‐employment.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts a critical realist approach considering the macro‐contextual and micro‐agentic aspects of Turkish Cypriot women's career development. Applying “the instrumental case study” approach, it explores the career experiences of four Turkish Cypriot women solicitors. Case study material was collected through semi‐structured interviews.

Findings

The paper argues that one cannot talk of ethnic enclaves in positive or negative terms, without considering layered individual experience. Their life and career trajectory is marked by their ethnicity and migration that is characterised by dual processes of break with tradition and later return to tradition during which identities are tested and usually reaffirmed where Turkish Cypriots may rediscover their Turkish Cypriotness.

Originality/value

The study reveals that macro‐, meso‐ and micro‐effects are responsible for the polarisation of opportunities in the ethnic enclaves.
The influence on corporate entrepreneurship of technological variables
Authors: Martín‐Rojas Rodrigo , García‐Morales Víctor J. , García‐Sánchez Encarnación
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of different technological aspects of organizations on Spanish high‐technology firms' performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The relationships studied are confirmed empirically using a structural equation model to demonstrate our hypotheses. The sample was selected from the database “Dun & Bradstreet España” in the year 2005 and includes 201 Spanish firms. CEOs were our main informants.

Findings

The results obtained show that support from top managers will directly influence the organizational learning (OL) process and technological distinctive competencies (TDCs) (antecedents of corporate entrepreneurship) and that corporate entrepreneurship finally influences organizational performance.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is exploratory in character, and its goal is to show whether interrelations exist between the variables. The main limitations are: the sectors chosen refer only to Spain; the analysis is cross‐sectional in character; the study uses a single method and self‐reports (CEOs).

Practical implications

To obtain perfect adaptation of the firm to its environment, it is crucial that managers develop corporate entrepreneurship to improve high‐technology sector firms' performance. The paper shows the important role of the top manager's support in developing TDCs and OL. Success in such issues is of vital importance to corporate entrepreneurship in the firm.

Originality/value

The paper seeks to stimulate new lines of research on one variable (TDCs) and to relate it to other constructs, producing new relationships and observing their repercussions for the firm.
Evolution of technology dependence among leading semiconductor companies
Authors: Wang Chun‐chieh , Huang Mu‐hsuan , Chen Dar‐zen
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics and evolution of the technology‐dependence networks of leading semiconductor companies. By comparing and contrasting technology‐dependence networks in the 6‐, 8‐ and 12‐inch chip eras, this study clarifies the differences among integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and foundries, and among each company in different eras.

Design/methodology/approach

Leading companies were identified by technological crowdedness and technological prestige to avoid massive actors. Strong ties were extracted to avoid too many relationship ties at the company network level. Strong ties represented directional technology relationships among companies whose citation counts and relative citation rates were higher. The technology‐dependence network of leading companies in three chip eras was examined by social network analysis.

Findings

Technology dependence among IDMs was the weakest, and their technology dependence upon foundries decreased in the 12‐inch chip era. The highest technology interdependence appeared among foundries and the reduction of their dependence upon IDMs. Technology dependence is expanded primarily by foundries, significant among GlobalFoundries, TSMC, UMC, and VIS.

Practical implications

IDM could invite foundries with technology dependence to form a strategic consortium. That way, the foundries could monitor potential competitors with relationship of technology dependence; in an advanced sense, the foundries could make use of the network to practice commercial maneuvers and create competitive advantage. Scholars may also observe semiconductor manufacturing technology's evolving into the maturity stage of product life cycle by interpreting foundries' highly technology interdependent relationships.

Originality/value

This is the first study to use strong ties in patent citation networks to represent technology‐dependence relationships.
E‐publishing readiness assessment in Iranian publishing companies
Authors: Toufani Samrand , Montazer Gholam Ali
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is first to construct an e‐publishing model and then to implement the model in Iranian publishers.

Design/methodology/approach

This article critically tries to evaluate Iranian publishing companies involved in e‐publishing based on a new model which is made in this paper. Moreover, it has tried to investigate the readiness of the society and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance as a legislator toward e‐publishing. Furthermore, some suggestions to remove challenges toward e‐publishing based on the findings will be made.

Findings

A new e‐publishing readiness model is made based on e‐readiness prior models. Based on the new model, the e‐publishing readiness level of Iranian publishing companies is evaluated. It was found that, to improve e‐publishing, it is necessary to have a holistic view toward the model in a way that considers all dimensions of e‐publishing. Furthermore, it was found that in some constructs like technical infrastructure, social, and economical and financial constructs, Iranian publishers did not enjoy a good status, while in other factors this was better. Consequently, based on these finding, some suggestions are made toward improving the e‐publishing readiness level of Iranian publishers.

Originality/value

This research is probably the first to support the perspective of critical issues regarding e‐readiness assessment in publishing companies based on macro models. It will give a good insight which it is expected could be helpful for managers to consider the critical issues with respect to e‐readiness assessment of their organization in an effective way.
Bridging the gap between print and electronic resources at a multi‐campus university library
Authors: Premchand‐Mohammed Sharon
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the challenges and examine the impact of the transition from print to electronic resources at a medium‐sized academic library at a multi‐campus Caribbean university, The University of the West Indies (UWI), with particular reference to the St Augustine campus.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a review of the literature on the shift from print to electronic resources, the paper uses the experiences of The UWI St Augustine to provide a model that can be used by other libraries.

Findings

Libraries have successfully built a “hybrid” collection of print and electronic resources despite challenges with information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, balancing costs, licencing model and strategies for selection, acquisition and management of electronic resources. There are some key steps which libraries can follow when transitioning from print to electronic resources.

Research limitations/implications

The paper focuses on the experiences and lessons learnt in moving a collection from print to a hybrid of print and electronic resources. However, this by no means encapsulates all the issues associated with any such undertaking.

Practical implications

The paper provides some key steps that a library can take in transitioning its collection from print to a print‐electronic hybrid.

Originality/value

Although the literature speaks to different aspects of implementing electronic resources, this paper provides a roadmap for similar libraries with the lessons learnt and simple steps that a library should take when considering to move its collection from print to some level of electronic resources.
Harvesting knowledge from computer mediated social networks
Authors: Ogunseye Oluwafemi S. , Adetiloye Philip K. , Idowu Samuel O. , Folorunso Olusegun , Akinwale Adio T.
Published: August 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on how the advantages of computer mediated social networks (CMSN) can be effectively harnessed to create value for organizations in the form of ready knowledge and quick solutions to problems.

Design/methodology/approach

A knowledge capture technique – the Delphi technique – was fused into the social networking process. A model was designed to help show how this can be achieved and further illustrated through a case study of the dotCSC intranet portal – a social networking project conceptualized and designed by the authors for the Department of Computer Science, in the authors' university. An online survey was carried out to determine the efficacy of the prototype dotCSC.

Findings

The results show that, though computer mediated social networks are regarded as major sources of social capital development and potential sources of knowledge capital, there is still room for improvement in their present design if they are to be effectively used for knowledge creation and management attaining their optimum potential. Conversely, the bad spells and pitfalls of KM acceptance and deployment in organizations tend to be reduced when it is amalgamated with SN. The survey conducted showed that the users of the dotCSC enjoyed using the prototype as they would any other CMSN and that the strategies employed in the development of the dotCSC was effective in problem solving, knowledge creation, capturing, and indeed, management.

Research limitations/implications

This improvement strategy is by no means exhaustive of the creative ways that knowledge capturing and management concepts can be combined and applied in the actual design of CMSNs for the benefit of organizations. It is meant to be an eye opener, a clarion call to developers and IS managers. It will also serve as a starting point into the future of objective KM oriented CMSN. Possible response bias from some respondents can be considered a primary limitation of the research.

Originality/value

Looking through existing documentation and literature would show that this research presents a novel approach/model in the design of CMSNs. It is able to aid knowledge generation or synthesis in organizations by objectively structuring staff conversations through the CMSNs to facilitate knowledge management. It can also help organizations leverage the success and appeal of CMSN in their design of KMSs.
Sharing digital resources globally: the China‐North America Library Conference
Authors: Li Zhang Sha
Published: August 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to report on the China‐North America Library Conference held in Beijing, China. The conference theme is Sharing Digital Resources: Challenges and Opportunities. Six sub‐themes are also intertwined with the conference theme: Resource sharing policies and perspectives; Digital infrastructure and repository technology; Research data sharing; Sharing digital preservation methods; and Shared digital access, retrieval and use.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper summarizes several important presentations at the conference.

Findings

The shared projects in this report include: National Cultural Information Resource Sharing Project; Multicultural Canada Project; Data Conservancy; National Library Digital Exchange Services; and Digital Museum Platform.

Originality/value

This is an original conference report which would help those who are interested in sharing digital resources on a global scale to understand the challenges, issues, and opportunities on that aspect.
The library value deficit
Authors: Germano Michael
Published: August 2011

Purpose

While the great recession may have concluded more than a year ago, the lingering effects of state and local budget contraction and austerity are having a highly negative impact on libraries and librarians. The future for publicly funded libraries as institutions that promote learning, literacy, knowledge creation and entertainment is increasingly doubtful as publicly funded libraries across the country are seeing unprecedented levels of budget cuts. While the immediate cause of such reduced funding seems rooted in budgetary pressures, the reality is that library financial support is traditionally premised upon a publicly held assumption of goodwill for libraries and the societal benefits they represent. In order for libraries to survive the economic downturn and austerity measures put in place by government budgets, they need to rethink the role, purpose and benefits of library marketing in favor of a more sophisticated approach that conveys the unique value of their library and its offering to their specific user population. This paper aims to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Informed by the author's extensive experience in marketing information services, the paper discusses the current trends in library marketing, especially those aimed at conveying the value of libraries, and ties them to relevant scholarship in the areas of services marketing and value creation.

Findings

Assumed goodwill is inadequate to the task of competing for financial support in a post‐recessionary environment where expenditure of public funds is highly scrutinized. In order to survive long term, libraries of all kinds must take on a more sophisticated view of library marketing that focuses on value creation. Eliminating the old model of presumptive value in favor of one that utilizes the marketing process in order to communicate the competitive viability of libraries as place and content providers to their users in the form of targeted benefits that convey value, is critical. Simply put, if libraries hope to receive continued support in today's challenging fiscal climate they must elevate marketing to a critical operational function while focusing that marketing effort upon communicating the library's benefits and value to the users it serves.

Practical implications

As a librarian, adjunct professor of marketing and former sales and marketing manager for a large information company, the author relies on his years of experience to convey a more purposeful sense of library marketing that is directed at communicating a library's unique value or worth to its users based upon an understanding of their needs, the benefits to them specifically as well as the competing options available to them in terms of information acquisition.

Originality/value

The paper shares specific ideas regarding the purpose, role and benefits of library marketing that are connected to improving perceptions of the worth of libraries and the perception of value to a specific community as a means of engendering future support for them.
Determining and navigating institutional culture
Authors: Walker Stephanie
Published: August 2011

Purpose

This column seeks to address library personnel issues. This particular installment discusses the challenges of determining an organization's culture and the culture of any parent or supporting organizations. It also discusses some strategies for navigating organizational culture.

Design/methodology/approach

The column is based on the author's substantial experience dealing with personnel matters in academic, public, and special libraries, including hiring for all types of positions. It is personal opinion, based on lengthy experience.

Findings

This article discusses the challenges inherent in learning about an organization's culture and the culture of any parent or supporting organizations. It also discusses a variety of strategies for navigating organizational culture, in order to foster success.

Originality/value

The column is intended to help people to deal with all types of personnel issues overall; this specific column is intended to help librarians deal with the challenges of determining the nature of an organization's culture, and of navigating this culture successfully.
Efficiencies and responsible staff stewardship: a library manager's critical self‐reflection
Authors: Harris Colleen S.
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the myriad non‐financial ways in which library managers can motivate employees and address performance issues, reducing attrition and increasing productivity and satisfaction without increasing salaries.

Design/methodology/approach

A critical self‐reflection summarizing the author's experiential learning as a new assistant department head tackling a library department's productivity and cost issues with staff processing of course reserves. After an initial description of the situation, the paper explores the theories that apply to the experience, and includes analysis of the experience in light of those theories. The article includes how application by one library manager of findings from motivation, trust, and leadership theory literature was able to reduce staff attrition, increase staff satisfaction, and reduce costs.

Findings

The literature from a number of fields demonstrates that there are areas aside from financial compensation that library managers can harness to increase the motivation and satisfaction of staff members. An awareness of the factors cited in these literatures can help library leadership and managers improve unit performance. As budgets continue to shrink and open positions remain unfilled, it is imperative library managers find creative, non‐remunerative, and effective ways to address staffing needs.

Research limitations/implications

The continued economic and budget limitations facing libraries create implications for library leaders and managers in terms of replacing and rewarding staff members, and creating workflow efficiencies in necessary library services.

Practical implications

This paper brings the issue of responsible staff stewardship and practical management to the forefront in an effort to engage library leaders and managers in a discussion about engaging with other discipline literatures for suggestions on how to maintain productive, satisfied staff while faced with fewer resources for rewarding good work.

Social implications

The culture of library management practice could (and should) be affected by this issue, and the work in other disciplines may have wider application in terms of human resources management, distributions of managers' effort, and performance management issues in libraries.

Originality/value

The paper outlines one library manager's approach to an under‐performing library department, relating those approaches to factors identified in the broader literature as important to managers and leaders, and addresses the issue of how to address library service needs as budgets are stripped and staff attrition without replacement becomes regular practice.
The Yogi Berra school of library science
Authors: McMullen Anthony
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into issues encountered in maintaining library technologies on a limited budget and with limited personnel.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses real world experiences to report on collection development decisions as they relate to electronic resources in an era of shrinking budgets.

Findings

The percentage of library budgets allocated for the acquisition of electronic resources has risen steadily in an online era. As state legislatures across the country cut funding, librarians must cut expenditures accordingly. With electronic resources comprising a large segment of overall expenditures, cuts in this area are unavoidable.

Originality/value

This paper examines the decision‐making process in the context of renewing or canceling underused electronic resources in an era of shrinking library budgets. It takes a humorous approach in suggesting that librarians need to look beyond emotions and base their decisions on facts.
Polish migrant workers in the UK hospitality industry
Authors: Janta Hania
Published: August 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to draw from a wider study that explores the experiences of Polish migrant workers in the UK's hospitality sector across the UK. It seeks to focus on findings that reveal the profile of Polish migrant workers and the methods used for accessing employment by Poles in the UK hospitality sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on primary data collected through qualitative and quantitative methods, comprising an online survey, interviews and netnography.

Findings

The profile of workers emerging from the study indicates that those who work or worked in UK hospitality are predominantly young, female and highly qualified. Migrants work in various hospitality departments and an important pattern shows that they gradually move to jobs in supervisory and front‐of‐house positions. Informal methods for accessing employment used by highly qualified people suggest that migrants lack knowledge of local institutions and labour practices that would allow them to choose jobs that are more relevant to their qualifications.

Research limitations/implications

A principal limitation of this study, as with all internet surveys, is the difficulty in claiming the representativeness of the sample. This limitation is compensated by the use of other research methods.

Practical implications

The research identifies three possible explanations for choosing jobs in hospitality. It further suggests practical implications for recruitment and selection.

Originality/value

This study aims to answer some of the “unknowns” about the profile of Polish migrants employed in the UK hospitality sector and to yield some insights into migrants' methods for accessing employment. It will therefore address the gap in the research.
A restaurant case study of lease accounting impacts of proposed changes in lease accounting rules
Authors: Singh Amrik
Published: August 2011

Purpose

New lease accounting rules are proposed that will fundamentally change the way leases are accounted for and reported in financial statements. This paper seeks to provide information on the proposed new rules and to illustrate their impact on financial statements and financial ratios using a single restaurant company.

Design/methodology/approach

The case of a single restaurant company, CEC International, is used to illustrate the potential impact of the new rules. Additional examples are used to illustrate the impact on financial policies. Financial statements were adjusted and various financial ratios such as interest coverage, leverage and profitability ratios were computed before and after capitalization.

Findings

The results show that financial statements presented will change dramatically when lease assets and liabilities are added to the balance‐sheet. The expense recognition pattern will change significantly and negatively impact performance measures such as interest coverage and capital ratios but improve cash flow measures such as EBIT and EBITDA.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of this study include the assumptions used to capitalize leases such as interest rate, life of leases, no new leases, and exclusion of contingent rentals.

Practical implications

All restaurant companies and managers must assess the costs and benefits of complying with the proposed new rules and start analyzing and evaluating their impact on existing debt agreements, executive compensation plans, and the lease versus buy decision.

Originality/value

This paper serves to inform restaurant managers about the potential implications of the new rules, so managers can prepare, plan and formulate strategies to mitigate their impact.
The role of expected future use in relationship‐based service retention
Authors: Lin Jiun‐Sheng Chris , Wu Chung‐Yueh
Published: August 2011

Purpose

Customer uncertainty of future contacts with the service provider creates a wide range of expectations of the relationship. Such variation and effective management of customer expectations have been not been well studied. The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of customers' expected future use in relationship based customer retention for continuously provided services, proposing and testing an empirical model that explores the interconnectedness of relationship quality, expected future use and customer retention.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical framework is developed to suggest the role of expected future use in relationship‐based retention. Extant research from various academic fields, including marketing and psychology, is reviewed, deriving our hypotheses. Data collected from customers of a health club is examined through structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The study supports the assertion that that the effect of relationship quality (trust, commitment, and satisfaction) on service retention is mediated by customers' expected future use. Results show that relationship quality (satisfaction, trust and commitment) is related to expected future use and retention, while expected future is also related to retention.

Research limitations/implications

This study represents an early attempt at exploring the role of customer's anticipation of future use in service retention. Future research is discussed, with an emphasis on developing additional indicators of relationship quality and future expectation related variables.

Practical implications

Service firms can increase retention through enhancing relationship quality and expected future use. Customers' expected future use plays an important role in service retention, and represents a valuable marketing opportunity in customer relationship management. Marketing managers will find it beneficial to integrate expected future use into marketing communication, retention‐based marketing, and other marketing interactions.

Originality/value

This research represents one of the first studies in service retention literature by empirically examining the role of expected future use in relationship‐based retention. Existing theories of relationship quality may also be improved with such an inclusion of customer psychological mechanism. The model provides insights into the effects of customer's expectations of future usage on customer intentions beyond traditional relationship marketing models.
Implementing open source software to conform to national policy
Authors: Weilbach Lizette , Byrne Elaine
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation process of an open source (OS) enterprise management system in the South African Public Sector. Change management was observed in relation to challenges and opportunities in the alignment of the internal organisational changes to the imperatives of the national free and OS software policy.

Design/methodology/approach

An interpretive case study, using interviews, observation and document review was used.

Findings

Alignment of the organisational environment, change management strategies and technology is required to address many of the “common” change management challenges. However, information and communication technology policies are formed and adopted in a highly complex environment and have embedded property and power relations which impact the nature and direction of their implementation. In this case one of the main challenges arose from the alignment of internal organisational change to a national policy which did not seem to have the full support of the agency which was tasked with implementing it.

Originality/value

Many of the challenges faced by the public sector department are commonly described in change management literature, such as inadequate consideration for the social context in which the change was to take place. What emerges from this paper is a caution that there is not a sole voice within government and in a multi‐levelled and multi‐sectoral institution there exist many different rationalities. The internal alignment of the divergent voices within government would be a prerequisite for the organisational environment, change management strategies and technology to be aligned.
Information literacy training for teachers in rural South Africa
Authors: Fourie Ina , Krauss Kirstin
Published: August 2011

Purpose

Information literacy (IL) training for teachers in developing communities, e.g. rural areas or townships in developing countries, is expected to pose special challenges in terms of sustainability, contextualisation, life‐long learning and empowerment. Little has been reported on such training in developing countries. Based on the authors' involvement in a UNESCO‐funded IL training project for teachers in a developing community in South Africa, the purpose of this paper is to review literature and to suggest a model that can further research and training in IL that meets actual requirements and needs of developing communities.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature reviews on four issues are reported on: ICT skills, teachers and developing/rural contexts; IL skills, teachers and developing communities; internet usage, search skills, teachers and developing communities; and lessons from ICT for development (ICT4D).

Findings

ICT4D literature and critical social theory seem useful to further research on IL training in developing communities as it empowers researchers to take up a position of enquiry that questions the value of ICT and the underlying assumptions embedded in the ways ICT is introduced in developing contexts. It is assumed that this would also apply to IL.

Originality/value

The contribution is original in its attempt to combine IL and ICT training for teachers in a developing community against an ICT4D background.
Dimensioning cultural diversity in eServices architectures
Authors: Thinyane Mamello , Terzoli Alfredo
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of a culturally sensitive and end‐user‐centric software architectural framework for the development of eService applications in information and communication technologies for development (ICTD) contexts. The research is undertaken within the Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL) in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

Action research is the approach undertaken in this research with an extensive literature review to inform the development of the architecture, which is later qualitatively and quantitavely validated.

Findings

Various factors have to be taken into consideration for technology solutions to be effective in their context of deployment. The authors have provided an architecture that intrinsically enables software solutions to be developed from the ground up with concern for flexibility for context sensitivity. The PIASK architecture separates the presentation, interaction, access, social networking and knowledge base components into five distinct functional layers. This architecture is validated for: technical viability through a development of a knowledge portal in SLL; cultural sensitivity through Dooyeweerd's theory of modal aspects; and user centricity using a SALUTA‐based evaluation.

Practical implications

The successful evolution of any society towards a knowledge society is predicated on technology solutions that embrace and that are sensitive to the socio‐cultural diversity of that society. The PIASK architecture developed in this research is a tool that can be used in the realization of services and applications for ICTD contexts in South Africa and other third‐world countries.

Originality/value

The software architecture developed specifically for ICTD contexts to encapsulate context sensitivity and user centricity is the primary and novel contribution of this research.
Comparing immigrant and US born Hispanic business professionals
Authors: DelCampo Robert G. , Jacobson Kathryn J.L. , Van Buren Harry J. , Blancero Donna Maria
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study comparing perceptions of discrimination for immigrant and US‐born Hispanics, focusing on Hispanic business professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected via nationwide survey of over 1,500 Hispanic business professionals and analyzed via analysis of variance.

Findings

No significant differences with regard to perceptions of discrimination were found, although both groups reported some level of discrimination. Immigrants had comparatively lower salaries and higher levels of Hispanic identity, yet, no differences in job satisfaction between groups were found. Post hoc analyses found that immigrants were significantly more likely to seek out mentors and US‐born Hispanics were more likely to join affinity groups at work.

Practical implications

Too often, immigrants are misunderstood and mistreated in the workplace. The present study provides an examination of how immigrants might perceive these differences and potential avenues for employers to assess this valuable segment of the workforce are suggested.

Originality/value

The present study creates the groundwork for more future in‐depth studies of the immigrant work experience. To this point, little research has been done on the discrimination perceptions of immigrant populations. The present study compares the perceptions of US‐ and foreign‐born Hispanic professionals.
Narratives on Chinese colour culture in business contexts
Authors: Kommonen Kirsi
Published: August 2011

Purpose

This research is interested in how dynamics in negotiating cultural meanings in the globalizing market place in China become visible in one particular aspect of culture: colour culture. The purpose of this paper is to explore the provenance of some of the many potential meanings invested in colours in contemporary China, and how and why these influence international business, communication, design and marketing management in particular.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative empirical study with ambition for an emic cultural approach to Chinese colour culture. Narrative analysis of accounts by Chinese colour professionals participating in a focus group interview, and by individually interviewed managers with extensive experience in Sino‐Finnish business are reported in narrative format.

Findings

The findings support the proposed existence of a phenomenon which the author has named “Colour culture” – a cultural set of meanings that are invested in colours. Unexpectedly, the empirical study proposes a strong tendency towards these meanings being value based in China. Visual manifestations of cultural values appear to be dynamic and dependent on context.

Research limitations/implications

The current study does not offer generalizable prescriptions for contextual colour usages. The explorative, qualitative nature of this study serves as a basis for contextual and quantifiable future research on the phenomenon.

Practical implications

Since, for the Chinese, colours manifest cultural values and are highly emotional, not only linguistic, but also visual translation of communication is needed. For international communication, design and marketing managers, this further implies a need for contextual understanding of local colour culture.

Originality/value

Recognizing the existence of colour culture and its value‐based proposition in China opens up new research avenues and practical considerations for cross‐cultural studies.
Petrobras' study of publics: a step towards achieving the company's strategic vision for 2020
Authors: Carneiro Eraldo , André Costa Marcos , Mendes Neto Mário
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze a study of publics that was conducted by the Corporate Communications Department of Petrobras, an integrated energy company of Brazilian origin, one of the ten largest in its sector worldwide. Petrobras' strategic vision for 2020 includes the goal of becoming the preferred company among its publics of interest. To achieve this, Petrobras had to develop a concept and categories of its publics that could be applied to all the company's areas and subsidiaries.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was based on analysis of theories related to publics and stakeholders, secondary data gathering, and on consultation of Petrobras areas and subsidiaries through workshops.

Findings

The analysis of theories of publics and stakeholders enabled the identification of some variables that can provide a basis for building concepts. The project identified needs and issues of each Petrobras public and gave rise to the concept and categories of publics of interest of the company.

Practical implications

The project brought greater understanding of the individuals and groups that compose the network to which Petrobras belongs. The participative process of internal consultation amplified the debate on the theme and enabled the conceptualization and classification of publics for Petrobras as a whole. The project represents a direct collaboration of the Corporate Communications Department with the company's strategic vision.

Originality/value

The study reinforces the perspective that, faced with myriad concepts, an organization can develop its own definition and classification of publics or stakeholders in order to help it to manage its relationships.
Communicating crisis: how culture influences image repair in Western and Asian governments
Authors: Siew‐Yoong Low Yvonne , Varughese Jeni , Pang Augustine
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to seek to understand the differences in image repair strategies adopted by two governments that operate in the Western and Asian societies when faced with similar crises.

Design/methodology/approach

Textual analyses are presented of communication of Hurricane Katrina and Typhoon Morakot by the Taiwanese and US governments, respectively.

Findings

Faced with similar accusations of slow response, the Asian culture, represented by the Taiwanese Government, used predominantly mortification and corrective action strategies. The Western culture, represented by the US Government, used predominantly bolstering and defeasibility and a mixed bag of other strategies such as shifting the blame and attack the accuser.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of the study is that it depends on news reports, instead of news releases and speeches, for analysis. However, given the rapidity and volatility in the unfolding drama of each of the two crises, many of the comments made were to the media and not in prepared speeches. It is a limitation the authors accept.

Practical implications

Strategies reflected Hofstede's uncertainty avoidance and power distance dimensions. These dimensions should be considered when designing communication strategies in different cultures so as to be culturally sensitive and relevant.

Originality/value

Few, if any, studies on image repair theory have addressed the role of culture in strategies used. This study fills the gap by integrating Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory.
Employee dissent in federal government organizations
Authors: Lynne Hamilton Heather
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how government employees perceive and react to limits on their right to express public dissent about their employer. Within the context of Canada's federal workplaces, this two‐part project sought first to analyse and clarify the nature of complex government rules on dissent, and then to explore federal employees' understanding of those rules, and the balance between the duty of loyalty owed to their employer, and their protected rights as citizens to criticize their government. The goal was to contribute to further research and improve professional practice within the federal public service in addressing employee dissent.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is qualitative and exploratory. Documentary and literature analysis was conducted to review Canada's laws, policies and guidelines. These were critically analysed for consistency with each other, and with their stated objectives. Employee views and perceptions were collected through a focus group of communications employees, and three in‐depth interviews. Interviews and focus group results were analysed by inference to explore employee perceptions of their duties and rights, and the authority on which their perceptions are based.

Findings

Results indicate that respondents base decisions about employee dissent on unconsciously internalized organizational values. Formal policy, training, or legal consequences had less influence on dissent than organizational culture, employee experience, and perceived career and relationship risks. Respondents valued their right to dissent, but were willing to yield it to honour a voluntary moral contract to support a higher cause (public service). The implications are that traditional theories that view employee dissent as largely self‐interested may be less relevant when employees perceive the organization's goals to be value‐driven, and that employee dissent can be minimized by promoting a value‐based organizational culture.

Practical implications

This paper's findings suggest that organizations might better manage reputation and minimize external employee dissent by focussing on communications that foster a value‐driven organizational culture, rather than by implementing formal limits or policies to control dissent.

Originality/value

This paper offers policy analysis that fulfills an identified gap in knowledge in terms of general day‐to‐day practise when it comes to advising Canada's federal employees regarding their rights and responsibilities, and offers some challenges to traditional theories that suggest employee choices regarding dissent are primarily based on individual self‐interest or self‐actualization.