bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Business impact of executive coaching: demonstrating monetary value
Authors: Parker‐Wilkins Vernita
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the business impact of executive coaching and enhance the utilization of coaching throughout the firm.

Design/methodology/approach

The ROI study consisted of a three‐step process: understand the business value expected by the firm's senior leadership; document what staff have learned from coaching; explore how staff applied what they learned from coaching to create intangible and monetary value for the business.

Findings

After the effects of coaching were isolated: monetary benefits were discounted by the isolation (interviewees were asked how much of the value did they attribute directly to their coaching experience) and error percentages; two extreme values were eliminated from the analysis, each totaling over half a million dollars; all monetary benefits were reduced by an additional 50 percent to ensure a conservative set of monetary benefits; Coaching produced intangible and monetary benefits for seven out of eight business impact areas; and ROI of $3,268,325 (689 percent)

Practical implications

Attaining business benefits requires taking a more proactive stance in how coaching is managed: ongoing measurement of the value of coaching should be linked to the achievement of specific business objectives and value propositions set by Booz Allen officers; periodic reviews of progress and business outcomes will suggest ways to increase business value and meet senior leader expectations.

Originality/value

Provides leaders of executive development programs with an approach to assess the monetary value of executive coaching.
Learning that lasts
Authors: Turner Ernie
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper sets out to identify key learning principles and practices that promote transformative learning based on LIM's action reflection learning (ARL) experience over the past 20 years.

Design/methodology/approach

These key learning principles and practices are introduced one at a time, with illustrative stories from LIM's experience.

Findings

LIM has discovered that the ARL approach for designing and delivering learning interventions is based on practical common sense theories that work. People's lives are transformed, while measurable and tangible business results are achieved at the same time. This is called earning while learning.

Research limitations/implications

Following the writing of this article, Isabel Rimanoczy, a LIM Partner, conducted a research project interviewing learning coaches from LIM and the MiL Institute, LIM's sister organization in Sweden, to identify the key learning principles and elements that they used in designing and delivering learning interventions. Most of the principles cited in this article were identified in her research paper.

Practical implications

Practitioners can use these principles and practices as a check‐list for their own work as they design and deliver learning/training interventions.

Originality/value

These few principles and practices are easy to use and can make a big difference in “making learning last”.
The Leadership Circle Profile: breakthrough leadership assessment technology
Authors: Anderson Robert J.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe The Leadership Circle Profile as a significant advancement in leadership assessment and development technology.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper will describe how The Leadership Circle Profile integrates many of the best psychological, leadership, and spiritual development frameworks and theory into an integrated competency‐based leadership assessment.

Findings

In addition to describing The Leadership Circle Profile, the article will summarize key statistical information that suggests the underlying validity of the instrument. It will also show how the major dimensions measured by the Profile are correlated to leadership effectiveness and a business performance index. A full description of the validity data and research methodology is beyond the scope of this paper.

Originality/value

Organization development consultants and executive coaches will discover a new leadership assessment technology that goes beyond what is available in other tools, in that, it is a more complete model of leadership development; immediately brings the key internal and behavioral issues to the surface; and invites the client to work more deeply and transformationally within themselves.
Raising the curtain on culture change
Authors: Ryder Judith
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider how Whitefriars Housing Group has addressed the challenges faced when managing major change, and to provide a successful case study for other organisations and training providers to learn from. The article considers how to introduce a successful culture change strategy and entrench a set of values into an organisation.

Design/methodology/approach

Whitefriars codified its cultural change model into seven easy‐to‐digest sections. These were then conveyed to all staff using in‐depth and innovative training methods, ranging from customer care training to theatre forums.

Findings

The results, in terms of employee attitudes, customer response and external audits, were all very positive. Tangible evidence of the success of the Stardust Strategy can be found in hard figures. Sickness absence dropped over three years from 9 per cent to 4.5 per cent. Employee turnover dropped from 40 per cent on the front line to around 8 per cent.

Practical implications

The paper shows a need for organisations to entrench their training material and the importance of innovation. Changes to practice may include embedding cultural identity and customer care into all companies' training packages.

Originality/value

The theatre training and Stardust Strategy contained within this paper are all new ideas. The paper will be of interest to trainers and human resources departments whose organisations or clients are undergoing major change. It is relevant to individuals and organisations both within and outside of the housing sector.
Inspirational leadership: involving senior leaders in developing the next generation
Authors: Harris Jack , Kim Barnes B.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to share the successful experience of Lilly Research Laboratories (LRL) in engaging senior leaders in developing the next generation of leaders.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes the principles and approach used by LRL. It provides a straightforward description of the major leadership development programs with a more detailed description of a course on inspirational leadership. One of the co‐authors, a Vice President of Medical, describes his personal motivation for participating.

Findings

The commitment of a significant amount of time to their development by respected senior leaders is a powerful message and model to participants. The ability to interact in a deeply personal way with senior leaders is highly motivating to participants. The involvement of senior leaders in the design and development of programs gives them a strong interest in later participation. Being identified as an inspirational leader and having the opportunity to influence the next generation are personally rewarding to senior leaders.

Originality/value

LRL is one of too few organizations that have succeeded in gaining a high level of commitment from senior leaders to developing future leaders; their methodology may be valuable to other large and medium‐sized organizations.
Using a business simulation to develop key skills – the MERKIS experience
Authors: Strauss Ugis
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The paper seeks to give information about business simulation and its advantages by giving an example of the MERKIS business simulation game.

Design/methodology/approach

A description of the business simulation game is given, including an explanation of the game structure and several examples of the problem areas MERKIS can be applied to, as well as four illustrative cases from real‐life experiences.

Findings

The article highlights the opportunities and benefits of the business simulation, as well as a list of the skills that can be acquired during the MERKIS simulation game.

Practical implications

The paper is a useful source of information for company management and individuals who are looking for effective alternatives to traditional seminars and training courses.

Originality/value

The article presents a different approach to personnel/management training and could be of great value to managers, especially HR managers.
Interpretive journeys and METS
Authors: Nicholson Dennis
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To report on initial work carried out on a Metadata Options Appraisal undertaken for the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park in the context of plans to create and manage complex digital objects called Interpretive Journeys, PDA‐based multimedia guides to Park tours. Design/methodology/approach – After some initial work, a phased approach was adopted. In Phase I (reported here), metadata schema for managing structurally complex digital objects were researched to provide a range of appropriate options. Their characteristics were then matched against the Park's general requirements as determined through discussions with staff and an examination of relevant documentation. Findings – It was determined that the METS metadata schema met Park requirements for managing Interpretive Journeys at a general level and could be used both, to inform the development of the planned Digital Asset Management System (an early priority), and to act as the main basis of a framework for determining a detailed metadata solution for the Park. Research limitations/implications – Further work is required in Phase II to determine the detailed metadata requirement for the Park. Practical implications – A useful guide to dealing with a range of management and metadata issues associated with managing complex digital objects, and to managing projects where guidance on metadata requirements is needed before the objects to be described are available. Originality/value – This paper offers an introduction to the management and metadata issues raised by Interpretive Journeys and digital composites of similar complexity, and an indication of how METS addresses these at a general level.
Optimising metadata to make high‐value content more accessible to Google users
Authors: Dawson Alan , Hamilton Val
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper aims to show how information in digital collections that have been catalogued using high‐quality metadata can be retrieved more easily by users of search engines such as Google.

Design/methodology/approach

The research and proposals described arose from an investigation into the observed phenomenon that pages from the Glasgow Digital Library (gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk) were regularly appearing near the top of Google search results shortly after publication, without any deliberate effort to achieve this. The reasons for this phenomenon are now well understood and are described in the second part of the paper. The first part provides context with a review of the impact of Google and a summary of recent initiatives by commercial publishers to make their content more visible to search engines.

Findings

The literature research provides firm evidence of a trend amongst publishers to ensure that their online content is indexed by Google, in recognition of its popularity with internet users. The practical research demonstrates how search engine accessibility can be compatible with use of established collection management principles and high‐quality metadata.

Originality/value

The concept of data shoogling is introduced, involving some simple techniques for metadata optimisation. Details of its practical application are given, to illustrate how those working in academic, cultural and public‐sector organisations could make their digital collections more easily accessible via search engines, without compromising any existing standards and practices.
An evaluation of conflation accuracy using finite‐state transducers
Authors: Galvez Carmen , de Moya‐Anegón Félix
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To evaluate the accuracy of conflation methods based on finite‐state transducers (FSTs).

Design/methodology/approach

Incorrectly lemmatized and stemmed forms may lead to the retrieval of inappropriate documents. Experimental studies to date have focused on retrieval performance, but very few on conflation performance. The process of normalization we used involved a linguistic toolbox that allowed us to construct, through graphic interfaces, electronic dictionaries represented internally by FSTs. The lexical resources developed were applied to a Spanish test corpus for merging term variants in canonical lemmatized forms. Conflation performance was evaluated in terms of an adaptation of recall and precision measures, based on accuracy and coverage, not actual retrieval. The results were compared with those obtained using a Spanish version of the Porter algorithm.

Findings

The conclusion is that the main strength of lemmatization is its accuracy, whereas its main limitation is the underanalysis of variant forms.

Originality/value

The report outlines the potential of transducers in their application to normalization processes.
Automated subject classification of textual web documents
Authors: Golub Koraljka
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To provide an integrated perspective to similarities and differences between approaches to automated classification in different research communities (machine learning, information retrieval and library science), and point to problems with the approaches and automated classification as such.

Design/methodology/approach

A range of works dealing with automated classification of full‐text web documents are discussed. Explorations of individual approaches are given in the following sections: special features (description, differences, evaluation), application and characteristics of web pages.

Findings

Provides major similarities and differences between the three approaches: document pre‐processing and utilization of web‐specific document characteristics is common to all the approaches; major differences are in applied algorithms, employment or not of the vector space model and of controlled vocabularies. Problems of automated classification are recognized.

Research limitations/implications

The paper does not attempt to provide an exhaustive bibliography of related resources.

Practical implications

As an integrated overview of approaches from different research communities with application examples, it is very useful for students in library and information science and computer science, as well as for practitioners. Researchers from one community have the information on how similar tasks are conducted in different communities.

Originality/value

To the author's knowledge, no review paper on automated text classification attempted to discuss more than one community's approach from an integrated perspective.
Should top universities be led by top researchers and are they?
Authors: Goodall Amanda H.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper seeks to address the question: should the world's top universities be led by top researchers, and are they?

Design/methodology/approach

The lifetime citations are counted by hand of the leaders of the world's top 100 universities identified in a global university ranking. These numbers are then normalised by adjusting for the different citation conventions across academic disciplines. Two statistical measures are used – Pearson's correlation coefficient and Spearman's ρ.

Findings

This study documents a positive correlation between the lifetime citations of a university's president and the position of that university in the global ranking. Better universities are run by better researchers. The results are not driven by outliers. That the top universities in the world – who have the widest choice of candidates – systematically appoint top researchers as their vice chancellors and presidents seems important to understand. This paper also shows that the pattern of presidents' life‐time citations follows a version of Lotka's power law.

Originality/value

There are two main areas of contribution. First, this paper attempts to use bibliometric data to address a performance‐related question of a type not seen before (to the author's knowledge). Second, despite the importance of research to research universities – as described in many mission‐statements – no studies currently exist that ask whether it matters if the head of a research university is himself or herself a committed researcher. Given the importance of universities in the world, and the difficulty that many have in appointing leaders, this question seems pertinent.
Common principles in managing digital libraries and managing VLEs
Authors: Joint Nicholas
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To illustrate how there are common ways of managing both digital libraries and VLEs (virtual learning environments), based on the concept‐in‐common of a devolved or centralised approach to their implementation and a devolved or centralised long‐term management structure for their service development.

Design/methodology/approach

A simple overview of the principles involved, combined with comments on how the UK CLA (Copyright Licensing Agency) Higher Education scanning licence could be implemented in terms of these principles.

Findings

That the intrinsic natures of VLE and digital library IT platforms do lend themselves more easily to certain styles of management and implementation, but that the temptation to do what is administratively easiest, or most convenient in IT support terms, should not dictate the pedagogy informing the use of these platforms.

Research limitations/implications

The relevance of these findings will be shown by the shape of future co‐ordinated developments in combined VLE and digital library initiatives and by the impact of applied learning theories on those activities.

Practical implications

Suggests that the library profession must be fully informed about the impact of learning theory on practical digital library implementations and must explore a new professional role which includes the functions of educator and educationalist.

Originality/value

The paper gives some solid foundations on which to base an understanding of the impact of new digitisation licence arrangements on UK HE library practice.
Are public libraries led or managed?
Authors: Mullins John , Linehan Margaret
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To investigate senior library leaders' perceptions of leadership, and to critically explore whether senior librarians distinguish classic leadership from management/administrative practices, both conceptually and in their work lives.

Design/methodology/approach

Thirty top‐level public librarians from Ireland, Britain, and the east coast of the United States were selected for inclusion in this study. A review of the relevant literature was conducted in order to design an interview guide which was then used to conduct structured in‐depth face‐to‐face interviews.

Findings

Many responses from the senior librarians indicated an apparent ignorance of any distinction between leadership and management. Eighty per cent of respondents tended to confuse leadership with headship, management, administration, or bureaucracy, or a combination of these. The findings argue that classic leadership is a relatively scarce quality in public libraries in Britain, Ireland, and America. Many public library leaders, instead, focus on management/administration.

Practical implications

The findings have practical implications for librarians at the recruitment and selection stage, and later on for the career paths of middle management personnel who show aptitudes for leadership.

Originality/value

This study of the perceptions of senior public library leaders, across national boundaries, makes a theoretical contribution both to the limited extant literature on leadership in librarianship, and the broad corpus of organizational leadership literature. The current study is the most in‐depth study to date, drawing on thirty face‐to‐face interviews with thirty public library leaders.
A model for information literacy course development: a liberal arts university perspective
Authors: Loo Alfred , Chung C.W.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To report a new model for information literacy course development, one derived from a liberal arts university perspective; and to describe the experience of delivering the course.

Design/methodology/approach

Reviews recent studies in Information Literacy and incorporates these research findings into the model, which is then applied in practice.

Findings

That each university needs to align course development with its individual mission and unique environment – thus, to a greater or lesser extent, a specific model is required for course design in each context.

Research limitations/implications

There is an underlying research principle in this paper which implies that information literacy is not a generic subject and that particular aspects of the local context can be too easily ignored, for example, in the attempt to standardise and codify national (or even international) approaches to information literacy.

Practical implications

The findings of this paper offer new ways for delivering IL instruction in the classroom context, ways which have been tested in a real practice environment.

Originality/value

The paper describes a course originated by academic faculty into which library staff were then integrated; it also suggests a variety of original factors that need to be incorporated into information literacy course design.
Collaborative tagging as a knowledge organisation and resource discovery tool
Authors: Macgregor George , McCulloch Emma
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of the collaborative tagging phenomenon and explore some of the reasons for its emergence.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the related literature and discusses some of the problems associated with, and the potential of, collaborative tagging approaches for knowledge organisation and general resource discovery. A definition of controlled vocabularies is proposed and used to assess the efficacy of collaborative tagging. An exposition of the collaborative tagging model is provided and a review of the major contributions to the tagging literature is presented.

Findings

There are numerous difficulties with collaborative tagging systems (e.g. low precision, lack of collocation, etc.) that originate from the absence of properties that characterise controlled vocabularies. However, such systems can not be dismissed. Librarians and information professionals have lessons to learn from the interactive and social aspects exemplified by collaborative tagging systems, as well as their success in engaging users with information management. The future co‐existence of controlled vocabularies and collaborative tagging is predicted, with each appropriate for use within distinct information contexts: formal and informal.

Research limitations/implications

Librarians and information professional researchers should be playing a leading role in research aimed at assessing the efficacy of collaborative tagging in relation to information storage, organisation, and retrieval, and to influence the future development of collaborative tagging systems.

Practical implications

The paper indicates clear areas where digital libraries and repositories could innovate in order to better engage users with information.

Originality/value

At time of writing there were no literature reviews summarising the main contributions to the collaborative tagging research or debate.
Do CEOs shape the process of making strategic decisions? Evidence from Greece
Authors: Papadakis Vassilis M.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Seeks to investigate the extent to which CEOs shape the process of making strategic decisions (SDs). Despite the significant research interest in this topic, knowledge is still incomplete.

Design/methodology/approach

Using evidence from a sample of 107 SDs, studied in Greece, the present paper explores the influence of CEO personality and demographic characteristics on the process of making SDs. A number of environmental and internal organisational variables are used as control variables measuring the broader context.

Findings

The results suggest that the broader context is on average more influential than the CEO. However, the CEO's demographic characteristics appear to influence several process characteristics (i.e. rationality, hierarchical decentralisation and politicisation). CEO personality characteristics do not appear to have any significant influence on the process.

Research limitations/implications

This paper focuses on only a few personality and demographic characteristics. The use of a different set of CEO characteristics (e.g. functional specialisation, etc.) as well as the characteristics of the top management team is more than welcome. More empirical studies are needed to replicate and extend this study by examining variables not included here.

Practical implications

Conventional wisdom as well as recent empirical evidence holds that the management style of Greek companies tends to be rather centralised, and dominated by one powerful individual. The results contradict this belief. It seems that in order to survive and achieve long‐term viability, Greek companies were forced to introduce changes in their management style, including a more team‐based style of decision making. In such a context, personality characteristics of the CEO or any other single influential player may not decisively affect the SD process.

Originality/value

Few studies have examined empirically the influence of such a combination of factors on strategic decision processes.
The impact of managerial cognitions on the structure‐conduct‐performance (SCP) paradigm
Authors: Panagiotou George
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The structure‐conduct‐performance (SCP) paradigm was devised over half a century ago in an effort to contextualise and explain industry dynamics. However, the framework suffers from a number of shortcomings and, consequently, it has been criticised over the years. Yet, despite its weaknesses, it has survived its criticisms and is still used in industrial organisations (IOs) for the purposes of competitive analysis. In time, the framework has also been adopted by strategic management, and in the area of strategic groups it holds a prominent position in the literature. This study aims to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is cross‐sectional and is based on primary research. It involves face‐to‐face semi‐structured interviews and the sample size is near to the sampling frame of the research.

Findings

The paper develops a cognitive dimension and, based on the findings of primary research, extends the framework in a manner that provides a better insight into competitive dynamics.

Originality/value

This article views the SCP paradigm from a strategic perspective and discusses its limitations.
The language of management studies: poetical ways of saying
Authors: Berman Brown Reva
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe linkages between the techniques of poetical expression and the language used by scholars to communicate management practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is to consider the stylistic perspective of the language used for management theorising or research, viewing the documents produced by management researchers as communicating devices and cultural products which contribute to the creation or construction of the reality that they seek to describe and analyse.

Findings

The paper uncovers the poetic aspects buried – often deeply – in the language of management studies through which the concepts of, and ideas about, management are expressed.

Originality/value

The links between ways of saying usually considered to be in opposition are made known, and enjoyed.
Metaphor, poetry, storytelling and cross‐cultural leadership
Authors: Grisham Thomas
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the theory and benefits of poetry, storytelling, and metaphor when applied to cross‐cultural leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology utilized is founded on preliminary research on metaphors, poetry and leadership with examples and connections based upon experience.

Findings

Explains how the use of poetry and metaphors can be utilized by a leader to build trust and demonstrate empathy; how to communicate more effectively; and, how to inspire.

Research limitations/implications

Possible future research on the psychological and sociological aspects of the messages that most impel, mobilize, and inspire people to act on complex ideas.

Practical implications

Leaders can approach communications, empathy, and trust with a tool that will enable them to inspire action in complex cultural environments.

Originality/value

There has been little published on the connection between effective leadership and the use of poetry and metaphor. Leadership requires the ability to inspire the desire to follow, and to ignite the intellect and emotions of those who follow.
The sweetest dreams that labor knows: Robert Frost and the poetics of work
Authors: Islam Gazi , Zyphur Michael J.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use the work of Robert Frost to give insights into the diverse meanings that work holds in daily lived experience. It aims to use this analysis to discuss general ways in which the content and formal properties of poetry allow unique insights into the world of work.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses the approach of literary criticism and analysis to give insights into how work can be experienced as personally liberating but also culturally stifling, a tool both for and against human self‐fulfilment. After a brief discussion of the use of poetry to understand organizational life, various excerpts from Frost's well‐known and lesser known works are analyzed.

Findings

Through a series of passages in Frost's works, the paper shows how these illuminations of the poet's own experiences hold insights by which scholars can understand the experience of work more generally.

Practical implications

It is argued that an understanding of poetry is a way for scholars to expand their understanding of the world of work, both through paying attention to the contents of poems and, more generally, from considering a poetic form of expression as shot‐through with theoretical and epistemic insights.

Originality/value

While some papers have incorporated poetic expressions and explanations for various organizational phenomena, this work represents an attempt to incorporate this rarely studied feature into organizational studies. To the authors' knowledge, the mainstream organizational literature has few if any in‐depth poetic analysis, and none of the work of Frost, whose focus on work is widespread and illuminating.
Narratives of enterprise as epic tragedy
Authors: Hamilton Eleanor
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The pupose of this paper is to explore the power of narrative in management and enterprise research. It is inspired by Paul Ricoeur's philosophical understanding of the relationship between life and narrative. He draws on Aristotle's Poetics and the notion of emplotment (muthos in Greek), which embodies both imaginary story (fable) and well‐constructed story (plot). This study identifies aspects of narratives of enterprise, which resonate with Aristotle's key elements of emplotment in tragedy.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative, interpretive study relies on narrative as a way of knowing and as a form of communication. The stories as told by 16 participants in in‐depth interviews, are analysed and interpreted in terms of the key elements set out in Aristotle's Poetics – reversals, recognition and suffering.

Findings

This form of literary interpretation throws into relief aspects of the founding of a family business across the generations. The dynamics of the “family” in the business, the nature and extent of the family engagement in the business is revealed.

Research limitations/implications

This paper contributes to understanding the intergenerational dynamics of family and business. It illustrates, therefore, that study of the family is central to understanding family business. This calls into question the common assumption that the individual owner manager, or entrepreneur, is synonymous with the business, and therefore necessarily the most appropriate focus for research.

Originality/value

The narrative approach has remained, to date, under‐utilised in family business research. In adopting Aristotlean principles as a framework this study links enterprise activity with the central traditions of Western literature and provides a fresh understanding of enterprise as epic plot.
Entrepreneurship and the small to medium‐sized enterprise
Authors: Day John , Reynolds Paul , Lancaster Geoff
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a framework for competing theories of entrepreneurship but to argue for transparency in one's attempts to understand this phenomenon. Then to argue that, when matching small business advisers to small business, one should consider their entrepreneurial abilities and match as appropriate. A parsimonious method is suggested to measure entrepreneurial ability – divergent thinking.

Design/methodology/approach

A discussion of entrepreneurship and a proposed matrix that considers the relative entrepreneurial abilities of both partners and is then expanded to account for different decision scenarios.

Findings

A simple test for divergent thinking is suggested to measure entrepreneurship, applied to some hypothetical scenarios, and is supported by some broad evidence on the relationship between small businesses and commercial banks.

Research limitations/implications

At this stage a conceptual article but with real implications for managing SME and adviser relationships.

Practical implications

Should lead to a better understanding by both the SME and their advisers of what each party needs to contribute to ensure a successful outcome.

Originality/value

Provides a framework for classifying entrepreneurship and a different perspective on the SME and adviser relationship; suggests a different way from, say, traditional entrepreneurial orientation scales by which to measure entrepreneurial capacity of either the adviser or the SME.
Short‐term strategic alliances: a social exchange perspective
Authors: Bignoux Stephane
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a social exchange perspective of planned short‐term dyadic strategic alliances.

Design/methodology/approach

The article adopts a conceptual approach drawing on social exchange theory to elicit innovative conclusions about short‐term dyadic strategic alliances.

Findings

Finds that planned short‐term dyadic strategic alliances are difficult to manage, limit social control mechanisms, limit reciprocal activity and interrupt the development of trust.

Practical implications

The article can help managers and analysts working in investment banking to understand the underlying causes of alliance instability and/or failure in their industry.

Originality/value

The article offers practical insights into the functioning and management of short‐term dyadic alliances which will be of interest to both researchers and practising managers.
The role of human resource development in preventing organisational stagnation
Authors: Blackman Deborah A. , Lee‐Kelley Liz
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue that how HRD is undertaken needs careful consideration, since some HRD implementation schemes may actually prevent the acquisition of new knowledge, thereby developing stagnation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses qualitative data derived from learning and non‐learning organisations. The data were collected from four companies via open‐ended questionnaires and structured interviews.

Findings

The paper demonstrates how strongly shared mental models may affect organisational HRD processes in such a way as to trigger closure to new knowledge and learning. The types of learning and knowledge present in the organisations are found to limit the possibility of radical change.

Research limitations/implications

HRD implementation systems themselves may strengthen mental models, thereby allowing the difficulties to emerge because the learning and knowledge being developed will only support incremental change if any. The potential reversion of the direction of organisational learning is mooted, indicating that new ideas may either not enter the system or be rejected once they are perceived. HRD systems need to be designed to develop and maintain organisational openness.

Originality/value

The danger of HRD exacerbating organisational closure is explained. An alternative role for HRD professionals is outlined, with the new focus being on developing ongoing challenge at all times. The paper concludes that, although properly structured and thoughtfully implemented HRD can be a positive driver for organisational learning, HRD developments need to focus on the type of knowledge being developed as well as the level of learning.
Considerations of emotional intelligence (EI) in dealing with change decision management
Authors: Chrusciel Don
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show that the use of Emotional Intelligence (EI) is proposed as a means to assess how an organization can improve staff performance and productivity (emphasis on leadership), and develop a more effective Human Resources strategy to deal with organizational change.

Design/methodology/approach

Through the examination of contemporary research and following a definition review of EI, the service sector benefits, use as a metric, and influence on an organization's human resources strategy (recruitment and training) are presented as justification for EI being a positive influence on the change transformation management strategy.

Findings

Research suggests that EI may be a predictor of success, not unlike IQ, in cognitive‐based performance. By incorporating considerations of EI into the organization's change management philosophy, not only does the individual employee have opportunity to improve, but the enterprise gains as well.

Research limitations/implications

EI is offered as a metric to measure the success not only of the organization, but also of the individual employee. Caution is recommended to consider the return‐on‐investment in using this metric based on the appropriate and expected utilization.

Originality/value

This article addresses how EI can be viewed as a positive influence for improving staff ability to manage the organization's business as well as provide some insight of progress assessment during times of major uncertainty caused by significant change. In this way an organization can facilitate change in a positive climate and influence the culture to be more adaptive and agile. The end result can be an organization that does demonstrate sensitivity even during significant change transformations.
Automation of acquisition records and routine in the University Library, Newcastle upon Tyne
Authors: Line Maurice B.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Reports on the trial of an automated order routine for the University Library in Newcastle which began in April 1966.

Design/methodology/approach

Presents the author's experiences of the manual order processing system, and the impetus for trialling an automated system. The stages of the automated system are described in detail.

Findings

Time spent on processing recommendation slips was reduced by 30 percent using the automated system. Important data and printouts can be produced which should lead to a reduction in clerical time and enable accounting to be done automatically.

Originality/value

The paper has historical value.
Forty years of library automation: a personal reflection
Authors: Line Maurice B.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To provide an overview of one person's involvement with computer systems in libraries over the last 40 years.

Design/methodology/approach

Personal memories corroborated with published articles.

Findings

There have been very many developments in libraries in a comparatively short period of time as a result of using computer systems, and this may only be the start of a revolution.

Originality/value

Of relevance to anyone interested in historical aspects of library automation.
Collaborative working for large digitisation projects
Authors: Yeates Robin , Guy Damon
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To explore the effectiveness of large‐scale consortia for disseminating local heritage via the web. To describe the creation of a large geographically based cultural heritage consortium in the South East of England and management lessons resulting from a major web site digitisation project. To encourage the improved sharing of experience amongst similar projects in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

A selective literature review seeking lessons on sustainable cultural heritage collaboration is presented. The composition of a consortium set‐up with public lottery funding to build a cross‐domain collaborative public web site containing cultural heritage materials from many local authorities and local partners is described. Practical experiences from the first three years of collaboration are presented in a manner loosely based on the European Union Digitisation Policies Benchmarking Model.

Findings

Staff in local government libraries, archives and museums have, until recently, lacked experience in major web site publishing and even in the basic digitisation of locally held heritage materials. Local governments in England have traditionally co‐operated within the library or museum sectors, but not across the whole domain. New communication methods and a formally structured consortium have so far enabled the collaborative publication of a major web site allowing cross‐searching of partner materials as well as access to individual sites. More importantly, staff have begun to understand how to proceed in a sustainable way to support the future development of more sophisticated digital primary and learning resources that are preserved for the future and yet accessible to many more people.

Practical implications

The paper notes the importance of shared values, common objectives and a practical approach to collaborative service delivery. It also highlights the challenges in situations where operational staff have multiple responsibilities and project staff may be available only while external short‐term funding lasts. It is suggested that encouraging the documentation of operational experiences and sharing skills through a large‐scale formal consortium can support sustainable development.

Originality/value

The consortium described hopes to form a major part of the future framework for digital cultural heritage services in the South East of England. This paper offers a rare, reflective contribution from experienced, operational service practitioners who have completed a three‐five year digitisation programme offering free public access to materials that serve to support and disseminate local and regional identity.
An assessment of potential efficiency gains through online content use
Authors: Creaser Claire , Hamblin Yvonne , Eric Davies J.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Online content has largely replaced traditional print‐based resources as the primary tool for literature searching throughout much of the academic and research community. This paper presents the results of a small‐scale study, commissioned by the JISC in 2004, to assess the potential efficiency gains that may be achieved through the use of online content by researchers.

Design/methodology/approach

Information gleaned from an extensive literature review was combined with recent usage data to calculate broad estimates of the efficiency gains which are being made by the research community through using online searching strategies as opposed to print resources.

Findings

The estimated staff costs in UK universities of literature searching are some £7 million per annum. Manual literature searching can take around five times as long as using relevant electronic resources. The consequent savings from the availability of electronic bibliographic databases are estimated in the region of £25 million per annum.

Originality/value

This paper brings together findings from a number of distinct studies and extrapolates these to the current situation in the UK. It demonstrates the value of investment in electronic bibliographic databases to the funding bodies which provide these to researchers.
Development and quality evaluation of non‐alcoholic beverages from maize based products
Authors: Ade‐Omowaye B.I.O. , Olaniyan S.A. , Adeyemi I.A. , Isola O.O.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper sets out to focus on the utilization of the locally available raw material to develop an acceptable and high quality non‐alcoholic beverage in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

Maize‐based non‐alcoholic beverages were produced from either plain maize powder or combinations of maize powder and mango or soybean flour. Plain and fruit or soy‐ fortified maize powders were analyzed using standard methods for chemical composition, while total solid, sediment height, pH, titratable acidity, storage stability and microbial load were determined on the formulated beverage products. Taste panel evaluation was conducted to evaluate the acceptability of the products.

Findings

While the protein, fat and ash contents of plain maize powder were 5.69, 5.95 and 0.35 per cent respectively, there was minimal enhancement with fruit addition. However, with 10 per cent soybean addition significant improvement over the unfortified sample in protein (14.62 per cent), fat (10.64 per cent) and ash (0.96 per cent) was obtained. Sediment height was found to be higher for beverage with sour water and least for soy‐fortified beverage. Titratable acidity of beverage samples was found to be 0.022, 0.018, 0.054 and 0.306 per cent (per cent lactic acid) for plain, fruit‐flavoured, soy‐fortified and soured beverages respectively. Variation in titratable acidity was observed depending on the product and storage condition. Sensory evaluation result for beverage prepared with sour water (0–100 per cent) revealed preference for soured beverage with 80 per cent sour water. Also, fruit‐flavoured sample ranked highest in preference followed closely by the plain beverage, while soy‐fortified sample was the least acceptable.

Originality/value

The paper has demonstrated the feasibility of developing acceptable beverage samples from sour water (a by‐product of Ogi usually regarded as waste) and combinations of either maize powder and mango or soybean flour.