bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Innovations from the ICT‐based service encounter
Authors: Henten Anders
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for analyzing the dynamics of innovations emanating from ICT‐based service encounters. Many innovations are based on the direct encounter between employees and customers, and the paper aims to extend the analysis of such encounters to ICT‐based encounters.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses and merges different approaches in the existing literature and examines different modes of ICT‐based customer/employee interaction to construct a framework that will help understand how innovations are developed on the basis of a service encounter, which is ICT‐based.

Findings

The implementation of ICT in services contributes greatly to the innovation of services, but in order to better understand innovations in ICT‐based employee/customer interaction, a “service approach” is one of the important ways to move forward.

Research limitations/implications

The service encounter approach offers a promising research avenue for understanding innovations from the ICT‐based service encounter. However, it needs to be adapted to the ICT‐based context and supplemented with additional approaches especially in the cases of ICT‐based services where the users also are producers.

Originality/value

The paper combines a service innovation approach with a service encounter approach and, furthermore, extends this combination to ICT‐based service encounters.
Mobile content and service delivery platforms: a technology classification model
Authors: Ghezzi Antonio , Nogueira Cortimiglia Marcelo , Balocco Rafaello
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to propose a technology classification model for mobile content and service delivery platforms (MCSDPs), the core of mobile middleware technology providers' (MMTPs) value proposition.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed model is grounded on existing literature and empirical research consisting of 40 in‐depth case studies with MMTPs and 102 semi‐structured interviews with top management from firms operating in the mobile content environment that already own or are interested in purchasing a MCSDP. Theoretical sampling was employed. The quality function deployment (QFD) technique was used to create the final technology classification schema.

Findings

The MCSDP technology classification model has three components: a MCSDP functional architecture, which describes platform structure in terms of its endowment of functionalities and capabilities; a MCSD classification schema, which allows the identification of a set of platform categories classified according to the range of functionalities usually possessed; and a technology classification schema consisting of a set of technology dimensions that directly influence platform efficiency and effectiveness.

Practical implications

The proposed model can be used for mapping existing and future MCSDP offer in terms of technological strengths and weaknesses and thus support decision‐making by platform vendors and buyers.

Originality/value

The main contribution is the creation of a reference framework capable of rigorously modelling the emergent phenomenon related to the rise of middleware platform providers within the mobile content environment. The paper also contributes to extending the existing QFD literature, since it demonstrates the house of quality tool's usefulness in a new context of application.
CARDI: a model for working across disciplines, sectors and borders
Authors: O'Sullivan Roger
Published: March 2012

Purpose

Recognition of potential for greater all‐Ireland cooperation, pooling of expertise, and sharing of knowledge led to the establishment of the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI) in 2007. This paper seeks to outline the development of CARDI and in particular the delivery of its grants programme as a model for supporting ageing research to work across disciplines, sectors and borders.

Design/methodology/approach

Using CARDI as a case study, this paper charts the organisation's development and in particular focuses on the development and learning from its grants programme, established to support ageing research in Ireland, north and south.

Findings

CARDI has promoted and helped support the development of a community of researchers on ageing across Ireland via its grants programme, networking events and communication's strategy. There is growing momentum, interest and potential in an all‐Ireland approach to research on ageing and older people.

Originality/value

Research can and must play a vital role in informing future policies and services for our ageing population. This paper explores the development of ageing research in Ireland, illustrating a model for working across disciplines, sectors and borders when supporting and communicating research on ageing in Ireland, north and south, to the benefit of researchers, policy makers and older people.
Exploring community perceptions of the relationship between age and social exclusion in rural areas
Authors: O'Shea Eamon , Walsh Kieran , Scharf Tom
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to explore, for the first time, community perceptions of the relationship between age and social exclusion in rural areas of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper builds on learning from a previous baseline cross‐border rural ageing study and draws its methodology from a broader ecological multi‐level approach. The research was conducted through focus groups with community stakeholders, which were undertaken in ten communities in different rural settings (village, near‐urban, island, dispersed, and remote) in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Findings

In total, four interconnecting thematic areas emerged as important in determining exclusion or inclusion for older people living in rural areas: place, economic circumstances, social provision, and social connectedness. Within these themes, various tipping points emerged as important for pathways into and out of exclusion, most notably local systems of social support and the mindset of older people themselves in relation to participation.

Originality/value

This research lays the foundations for understanding the lived experiences of older people on the island of Ireland and the pathways for their inclusion and exclusion in diverse rural areas, as seen through the lens of community stakeholders.
Older people's views of support services in response to elder abuse in communities across Ireland
Authors: Begley Emer , O'Brien Marita , Carter Anand Janet , Killick Campbell , Taylor Brian
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to present findings from the first all‐Ireland study that consulted older people on their perceptions of interventions and services to support people experiencing abuse.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilising a grounded theory approach, 58 people aged 65 years and over took part in focus groups across Ireland. Four peer‐researchers were also trained to assist in recruitment, data collection, analysis, and dissemination.

Findings

Participants identified preventative community‐based approaches and peer supports as important mechanisms to support people experiencing, and being at risk of, elder abuse. Choices regarding care provision and housing, as well as opportunities for engagement in community activities where they can discuss issues with others, were identified as ways to prevent abuse.

Originality/value

The development of elder abuse services has traditionally been defined from the perspective of policy makers and professionals. This study looked at the perspective of the end‐users of such services for the first time. The research also gave an active role to older people in the research process. The policy implication of the findings from this research is that enhanced attention and resources should be directed to community activities that enable older people to share their concerns informally thereby gaining confidence to seek more formal interventions when necessary.
Guidelines for nursing homes delivering end‐of‐life care to residents with dementia across the island of Ireland
Authors: Cahill Suzanne , Doran Daphne , Watson Max
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This study aims to contribute to improving quality of life for people with end stage dementia living in residential care settings by investigating the experiences of elderly spouses whose relatives died with end‐stage dementia in nursing homes in both Northern Ireland (NI) and the Republic of Ireland (RoI). A second aim is to develop guidelines for nursing home staff for the delivery of quality care to residents with end stage dementia in residential institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study had two phases. Phase one involved conducting in‐depth qualitative interviews with spouse caregivers whose relatives had died from dementia in long stay care environments. Phase two entailed incorporating the information gathered through the in‐depth interviews into draft guidelines and disseminating these to a multi‐disciplinary group of health service professionals for their critical appraisal and ratification.

Findings

Findings showed that the (EoL) care delivered was deemed by most elderly spouses to be of high quality, with person centred, individual, kind, professional care highly valued. Areas of dissatisfaction noted included poor communication, lack of involvement in key decision making, and poor symptoms control.

Originality/value

Based on the study's findings, guidelines for the delivery of quality care in long stay residential institutions were developed in consultation with eight health service professionals. The authors hope these guidelines will contribute to improvements in the care of people with dementia at end of life and will form the basis for the future development of policy, practices and procedures.
The balanced scorecard in health care: a multilevel latent variable approach
Authors: Giorgio Lovaglio Pietro , Vittadini Giorgio
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a practical conceptualization of the balanced scorecard (BSC) to describe the mechanism producing creation of monetary value for hospitals in the territorial context of Lombardy region (Italy).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose a model‐building strategy that assigns key indicators to key performance areas, and identifies causal relationships between key performance areas. Second, the authors utilize a suitable statistical approach to estimate causal relationships among involved latent variables, taking into account the hierarchical structure of data. Utilizing a suitable data decomposition, the causal model is applied separately to the within data (hospitals) and to the between data (local health agencies).

Findings

In the measurement model a new latent construct (medical human capital) was found that resumes the amount of formal training and the performance of surgical staff in hospitals. The estimated causal models reflect the usual directional assumptions, supposed in a typical BSC causal scheme, with some differences. For local health agencies, fruits (financial measures) are strongly related to clinical processes (leaves) for which the medical human capital constitutes its unique trunk. However, for hospitals, fruits (financial measures) are directly linked to clinical processes and Patient Satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations of this study are the lack of new independent data to validate the obtained causal structures and the limited number of indicators that reflect the deficiency of available information in regional administrative archives.

Originality/value

The present study may be useful to guide further efforts which attempt to conceptualize BSC in the health sector. As more information can be made available, other performance indicators can prove to be linked with this structure using the same methodology.
Despite the evidence – why are we still not creating more trauma informed mental health services?
Authors: Rose Suzanna , Freeman Chris , Proudlock Simon
Published: March 2012

Purpose

Despite evidence that exposure to traumatic events can be an important antecedent to a range of serious and chronic mental health problems – it appears that within the British National Health Service at least, this is still not fully understood nor acted upon. This paper aims to examine this evidence and asks why these findings have not been fully implemented in terms of updating practice.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature search was undertaken alongside relevant British DH policy. This resulted in a subsequent policy analysis.

Findings

Although there have recently been changes in recommendation in clinical practice (e.g. CPA guidance) and policy (No Health without Mental Health) it appears that although some knowledge in this area has been changed into policy, its implementation remains “patchy”.

Practical implications

This short paper outlines some of the evidence, examines current issues and highlights a possible pathway which might be of value in addressing this.

Originality/value

This short paper highlights traumatic exposure as an important antecedent to a range of mental health issues and highlights ways in which this may be assessed and, where relevant, addressed.
Benefits of choral singing for social and mental wellbeing: qualitative findings from a cross‐national survey of choir members
Authors: Livesey Laetitia , Morrison Ian , Clift Stephen , Camic Paul
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The aim of this study is to explore the benefits of choral singing for mental wellbeing and health as perceived by a cross‐national sample of amateur choral singers.

Design/methodology/approach

Data consisted of written responses to open‐ended questions. These were derived from 169 participants selected from a larger dataset reporting high and low levels of emotional wellbeing on the WHOQOL‐BREF questionnaire. A majority of participants were female and aged over 50. A thematic analysis was followed by a content analysis and Pearson chi square analyses. Comparisons were made between different ages, genders and nationalities and participants with high and low reported emotional wellbeing.

Findings

The analysis revealed multiple themes covering perceived benefits in social, emotional, physical, and cognitive domains. There were no significant differences in frequency of themes across any of the participant sociodemographic and wellbeing categories. The results indicate that benefits of singing may be experienced similarly irrespective of age, gender, nationality or wellbeing status.

Research limitations/implications

Implications for further research include future use of validated instruments to measure outcomes and research into the benefits of singing in other cultures. The results of this study suggest that choral singing could be used to promote mental health and treat mental illness.

Originality/value

This study examines a cross‐national sample which is larger than previous studies in this area. These findings contribute to understanding of the complex and interacting factors which might contribute to wellbeing and health, as well as specific benefits of singing.
Capturing wellbeing at work
Authors: Shephard Valerie , Caan Woody
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to report on a 12‐item measure developed by the authors, which assesses and monitors the wellbeing of employees across an organisation: Wellness at Work (W@W).

Design/methodology/approach

The W@W questionnaire for employees was delivered in parallel with a multi‐site survey undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive, during the development of their management standards. This paper reports its testing across a higher education workforce with 552 diverse participants.

Findings

This survey revealed that individuals with low or deteriorating “wellness” gave distinctive responses to questions about their future work, and enabled widespread discussion within the organisation about actions to improve employee wellbeing.

Originality/value

W@W is a practical measure for use in workplace settings.
Resource sharing using UICDS™ framework for incident management
Authors: Shafiq Basit , Ae Chun Soon , Atluri Vijay , Vaidya Jaideep , Nabi Ghulam
Published: March 2012

Purpose

Pertinent information sharing across various government agencies, as well as non‐governmental and private organizations, is essential to assess the incident situation, identify the needed resources for emergency response and generate response plans. However, each agency may have incident management systems of its choice with valuable information in its own format, posing difficulty in effective information sharing. Application‐to‐application sharing cross agency boundaries will significantly reduce human efforts and delay in emergency response. Information sharing from disparate systems and organizations, however, requires solving of the interoperability issue. The purpose of this paper is to present the UICDS™‐based resource sharing framework as a step toward addressing the afore‐mentioned challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

A prototype middleware system is developed using a standards‐based information sharing infrastructure called UICDS™ (Unified Incident Command and Decision Support™), an initiative led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology division. This standards‐based middleware, resource management plug‐in utilizes the ontology of organizational structure, workflow activities and resources, and the inference rules to discover and share resource information and interoperability from different incident management applications.

Findings

The middleware prototype implementation shows that the UICDS™‐based interoperability between heterogeneous incident management applications is feasible. Specifically, the paper shows that the resource data stored in the Resource Directory Database (RDDB) of the NJ Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM), Hippocrates of the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) can be discovered and shared with other incident management systems using the ontology and inference rules.

Research limitations/implications

This study illustrates the possible solutions to the application to application interoperability problem using the DHS initiated interoperability platform called UICDS™.

Originality/value

The resource discovery and emergency response planning can be automated using the incident domain ontology and inference rules to dynamically generate the location‐based incident response workflows.
Promoting transparency and accountability through ICTs, social media, and collaborative e‐government
Authors: Carlo Bertot John , Jaeger Paul T. , Grimes Justin M.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which governments build social media and information and communication technologies (ICTs) into e‐government transparency initiatives, to promote collaboration with members of the public and the ways in members of the public are able to employ the same social media to monitor government activities.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used an iterative strategy that involved conducting a literature review, content analysis, and web site analysis, offering multiple perspectives on government transparency efforts, the role of ICTs and social media in these efforts, and the ability of e‐government initiatives to foster collaborative transparency through embedded ICTs and social media.

Findings

The paper identifies key initiatives, potential impacts, and future challenges for collaborative e‐government as a means of transparency.

Originality/value

The paper is one of the first to examine the interrelationships between ICTs, social media, and collaborative e‐government to facilitate transparency.
Public input methods impacting confidence in government
Authors: PytlikZillig Lisa M. , Tomkins Alan J. , Herian Mitchel N. , Hamm Joseph A. , Abdel‐Monem Tarik
Published: March 2012

Purpose

Municipalities commonly ask the public to give input by answering questions about their preferences. There is some belief that input enhances the public's confidence in government. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether different types of input activities (obtained by phone or online surveys, or via face‐to‐face engagements) differentially impact confidence.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected over two years from different input activities undertaken to inform a city's budgeting and performance measures' determinations.

Findings

Significant amounts of variance in the public's confidence in municipal governments are accounted for by independent predictors such as current satisfaction, perceived trustworthiness, legitimacy, and loyalty to the institution. Compared to online and phone surveys, face‐to‐face input methods seem to have a particularly strong, positive relationship with the public's perceptions of the trustworthiness (e.g. competence, integrity, benevolence) of municipal government officials. Persons who participate in face‐to‐face, online, or phone events differ both in extent of confidence and, to a small extent, in the bases of their confidence.

Research limitations/implications

The study design is correlational rather than experimental and data were not originally gathered to test the identified hypotheses. In addition, it is not prudent to put too much stock in results from only one jurisdiction that relied primarily on convenience samples.

Originality/value

In instances in which enhancing confidence in the institution is a specific objective of public input, this work provides researchers and practitioners with guidance to better anticipate which input technique(s) works best and why.
Business coursework and the resource‐based view (RBV)
Authors: Williamson Nicholas C. , Bhadury Joy , Dobie Kay , Ofori‐Boadu Victor , Parker Troy Samuel , Yeboah Osei
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether one can infer the identities of specific business and management coursework topics that owner/managers of wineries want to have addressed by a wine industry‐specific educational institution by assessing upstream and downstream vertical integration strategies of their respective wineries.

Design/methodology/approach

Exploratory empirical research involves the gathering of relevant information by way of telephone interviews and using closed end questions. The theory of the resource‐based view (RBV) of the firm is the theoretical framework that was employed in developing relevant hypotheses.

Findings

The results demonstrate that one can predict the types of business and management courses that owner/managers of wineries want to have offered by assessing realized upstream and/or downstream vertical integration strategies of their respective wineries.

Originality/value

The research creates a bridge between research involving the RBV and the identification of needs of persons in various parts of the wine value chain. Such persons might either become involved in conceiving and/or rendering wine industry‐specific business and management instruction, or benefit by taking business coursework that has been established as relevant for them by this research.
Consumer liking of white wines: segmentation using self‐reported wine liking and wine knowledge
Authors: King Ellena S. , Johnson Trent E. , Bastian Susan E.P. , Osidacz Patricia , Leigh Francis I.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the degree to which wine consumers in South Australia have different liking for white wine styles, and to relate reported liking to wine knowledge and demographic differences.

Design/methodology/approach

A group of 150 regular white wine drinking consumers from the Adelaide metropolitan area responded to a wine habits and attitudes questionnaire. Consumers were segmented based on self‐reported liking of white wine styles, with three distinct segments identified.

Findings

Sauvignon Blanc wine likers were mainly younger females with low wine knowledge who reported not drinking Chardonnay wines. Conversely, “Riesling wine likers” were generally older with higher wine knowledge. These consumers were interested in the region, vintage and alcohol level when purchasing white wine. The final group (40 percent of the total sample) had a lower liking for Riesling wines, but liked all types relatively highly, had low to moderate wine knowledge and took more note of expert opinion than the other clusters.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study can be extrapolated to the South Australian population, however, the sample size may restrict the generalisation of the results to the broader Australian population.

Originality/value

The results of this study provide initial insights into the behaviour of white wine consumers and highlight the importance of wine knowledge in differentiating consumer liking. Some strategies for influencing consumers' preference are suggested.
The impact of environmental protection and hedonistic values on organic wine purchases in the US
Authors: Olsen Janeen , Thach Liz , Hemphill Liz
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on one product category, organic wine, to provide a possible explanation for consumers' purchase behaviors regarding organic wine. Specifically, the authors consider the role of environmental protection and hedonistic values and their impact on organic wine purchases.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses are proposed to examine relationships between environmental and hedonic values in organic wine purchasing. Online survey data were collected from 321 wine drinkers in the USA. Partial least‐squared analysis was used to test hypothesized paths between latent variables.

Findings

In total, ten of the 13 proposed linkages were supported by the data. Values reflecting the need for environmental protection and for living a hedonistic life were found to lead to belief systems that influence the purchase of organic wines.

Research limitations/ implications

The results demonstrate that hedonistic and environmental protection values and beliefs can partially explain the propensity to purchase organic wines. The study is limited in that only two values were investigated.

Practical implications

The results indicate several marketing implications for professionals around communication, promotion, and point‐of‐sale information for organic wine.

Originality/value

This is the first study to integrate environmental and hedonistic values to explain the purchase of organic wines.
Foreign policy principles: an Islamic Sufi Approach – Part I
Authors: Bidabad Bijan
Published: March 2012

Purpose

Governing principles of the world countries' current foreign policies are based on nationalism and in the realization of this aspiration, human rights in other countries are less considered and demands of national interests on other issues are surpassed. Islam, in principle, is opposite to this approach. However, national interests are important in Islam, but Islam does not try to achieve this target by destruction of other countries and rights violations of their peoples. Interests of Islam's government are based on expediency of humankind as a whole and its foreign policy should be arranged in a way to fulfill this target. In this regard, the purpose of this paper is to introduce the basic principles of foreign policy in Islam based on the Sufi standpoint.

Design/methodology/approach

Islam aims to improve humanities based on moralities and spiritualities. Some principles for reaching this goal based on Islamic Sufism standpoints are provided.

Findings

In total, 32 principles are introduced.

Research limitations/implications

Comparative researches in other religions' Gnosticism will be helpful.

Practical implications

These principles can be used for applied debates in the field and be ended to new international regulations.

Social implications

Delicateness, truthfulness, and righteousness of Islamic Sufism, may turn the attentions of scholars and researchers to this viewpoint, and enable a new set of regulations to be codified.

Originality/value

Political scientists have not touched the topic from a Sufi point of view. This paper brings this approach to a new challenging arena.
Developing online legal communities
Authors: Blissenden Michael , Clarke Sandra , Strevens Caroline
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop and evaluate the use of a closed community for first year law students. The purpose of the closed community, which could be a wiki or a discussion board, is twofold. The first purpose is to assist new undergraduates in making the transition to University. Research tells us that socialising is an important part of this transition. A second purpose is to encourage students to learn from each other but to understand when the line is crossed and plagiarism results. The use of social networks for learning is an interesting subject for study both for its potential pedagogic value and as a means of developing “employability”, particularly for those considering a career as in‐house counsel.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper will evaluate three projects which aimed at establishing closed online communities.

Findings

From the authors' project results there seems to be a direct correlation between student interaction, student learning and assessment. It seems clear that student learning will not, of itself, be facilitated through the use of an online community. The learning is interlinked with student perceptions of a tangible benefit, usually in the form of an assessment item.

Originality/value

This paper will be of interest to those considering new methods of encouraging use of virtual networks to promote student learning.
User requirements for an ICT‐based system to provide care, support and information access for older people in the community
Authors: Brownsell Simon , Blackburn Steven , Hawley Mark
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to identify the user requirements for an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based system to deliver care, support and information services to older people in the community.

Design/methodology/approach

A structured, mixed methods approach incorporating workshops, systematic literature reviews, surveys, and focus groups gathered user needs prior to a prototype being developed. This was then tested with users and their feedback used in further iterations of the product.

Findings

In total, five main user requirement themes were identified: information access; communication; self‐care; accessibility; and personalisation of services.

Practical implications

Details are provided of the user requirements for a health and care system to remotely deliver support. Additionally, the value of utilising a range of requirements gathering tools and prototyping is discussed.

Originality/value

Too often technology systems are developed which do not meet actual need. This paper reports the results of a formal user needs process and discusses the role of user requirements more generally.
Touch n' Tag: digital annotation of physical objects with voice tagging
Authors: Konttila Antti , Harjumaa Marja , Muuraiskangas Salla , Jokela Mikko , Isomursu Minna
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This article aims to explore the possibilities and use of a mobile technology‐supported audio annotation system that can be used for attaching free‐formatted audio annotations to physical objects. The solution can help visually impaired people to identify objects and associate additional information with these objects.

Design/methodology/approach

A human‐centred design approach was adopted in the system's development and potential end‐users were involved in the development process. In order to evaluate the emerging use cases, as well as the usefulness and usability of the application, a qualitative field trial was conducted with ten visually impaired or blind users.

Findings

The findings show that visually impaired users learned to use the application easily and found it easy and robust to use. Most users responded positively towards the idea of tagging items with their own voice messages. Some users found the technology very useful and saw many possibilities for using it in the future. The most common targets for tagging were food items; however, some users had difficulties in integrating the solution with their everyday practices.

Originality/value

This paper presents an innovative mobile phone application with a touch and audio user interface. The actual use cases describe the everyday needs of visually impaired people and this information might be valuable to service providers and technology developers. Also, the experiences gained from these trials can be used when developing software for the visually impaired on other platforms.
A virtual environment for people who are blind – a usability study
Authors: Lahav Orly , Schloerb David , Kumar Siddarth , Srinivasan Mandyam
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This research is based on the hypothesis that the supply of appropriate perceptual and conceptual information through compensatory sensorial channels may assist people who are blind with anticipatory exploration. The two main goals of the research are: evaluation of different modalities (haptic and audio) and navigation tools; and evaluation of spatial cognitive mapping employed by people who are blind.

Design/methodology/approach

In this research the BlindAid system, which allows the user to explore a virtual environment, was developed and tested. The research included four participants who are totally blind.

Findings

The preliminary findings confirm that the system enabled participants to develop comprehensive cognitive maps by exploring the virtual environment. The BlindAid system could be used as a training‐simulator for O&M rehabilitation training, as a O&M diagnostic tool, and to support people who are blind in exploring and collecting spatial information in advance.

Originality/value

This preliminary study aims to highlight which VE properties could provide perceptual and conceptual spatial information and allow users who are blind to gather and expand their spatial information.
Steps to independence – supporting every day decision making with computers
Authors: Oldreive Warren , Moore Neil , Waight Mary
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the use of computer software as a tool aimed at promoting independence in a range of activities of daily living. This involves enabling access to information and structuring decision making.

Design/methodology/approach

Working directly with an individual, the paper describes the trialling of software to support the ability of that individual to choose which clothes to wear. After success with this format, the individual was supported to access wider information. The review format employed is introduced.

Findings

The individual demonstrated the ability to access the software and use the program to make decisions within sessions.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates how computer software can be used to support the reasoning skills required to enable individual decision making in tasks. It also introduces the format employed to evaluate success of the intervention.
Using interactive white boards as a tool to motivate and engage student learners with learning difficulties and disabilities
Authors: Mead Lloyd
Published: March 2012

Purpose

Interactive whiteboards (IWB) have become a common tool in education. The purpose of this paper is to look at some of the ways that this tool has been successfully used to engage and motivate teenage student learners with learning disabilities and difficulties (LLDD).

Design/methodology/approach

The author draws upon his teaching practice to look at how IWBs have been used to engage and motivate teenage student learners with LLDD. The article compares the author's experiences with other teaching ideas identified, in order to reflect in more depth on teaching practice.

Findings

The author concludes that interactive white boards are an effective tool for the engagement and motivation of students with learning difficulties and disabilities, despite there being very little research evidence for their use with this group in further education settings.

Originality/value

Use of the interactive white board has enabled the author to deliver ideas in a different style of teaching, developing more interactive and engaging lessons for students with learning difficulties and disabilities.
The search for a suitable outcome measure for use in evaluating the outcome of provision of an environmental control system
Authors: Palmer Phil , Jepson Jill
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on the journey, by the Access to Communication and Technology (ACT) Service, towards a suitable measure for use in evaluating the outcome of provision of an environmental control (EC) system.

Design/methodology/approach

This journey has involved various approaches and methodologies. A literature search together with qualitative research, by the first author, demonstrated that the power of EC provision lies in the psycho‐social domain. Subsequently, ACT evaluated the 26‐item Psycho‐social Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS), as a research project. This was deemed to be not fit for the purpose of outcome measure in routine clinical practice. During the course of this ACT research project, a shortened version of PIADS (the PIADS‐10) was developed at the University of Western Ontario.

Findings

ACT has concluded that the PIADS‐10 is more likely to be fit for purpose, as it is shorter, more understandable for the patient, and easier for the clinician to administer.

Originality/value

Service providers and commissioners should consider PIADS‐10 as a means to evaluate outcome in EC.
Ethical issues around telecare: the views of people with intellectual disabilities and people with dementia
Authors: Perry Jon , Beyer Steve
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the views of people with intellectual disabilities (PWID) and people with dementia (PWD) on the ethical issues around assistive technology and telecare (AT&T).

Design/methodology/approach

Two focus groups were convened twice to discuss and validate the topic areas/results of a Delphi study on the ethical issues around telecare. The focus groups comprised five PWID and five PWD, respectively.

Findings

Participants' ratings indicated that they felt there were important ethical issues around seven areas related to AT&T: motivation for telecare, risk, assessment and review, consent, privacy, social isolation and equipment installation.

Research limitations/implications

This is an exploratory study with relatively few participants so the results cannot be generalised.

Originality/value

People receiving AT&T have strong opinions on the related ethical issues and it is important that these views are heard. This study provides that opportunity.
Analysis of churn behavior of consumers in Indian telecom sector
Authors: Geetha M. , Abitha Kumari Jensolin
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed analysis of the usage pattern of non‐revenue earning customers (NREC) who cause revenue churn in the company and are susceptible to churn in the near future. These NREC customers were analyzed to discern a pattern in their usage and to serve as proactive measure to prevent customer churn.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from a leading telecom service provider were analyzed. The company has around seven lakh consumer mobile users. Within the seven lakhs consumer mobile users around two lakh customers are active users, i.e. revenue earning customers. This group of active customers also consists of around 37,388 customers who move to dormant state (from revenue earning to non‐revenue earning) every month. These customers were analyzed to understand their susceptibility to churn.

Findings

Analysis of revenue dump data indicates consumers with overall usage revenue per minute greater than 75 paise (USD 0.01) and those with greater usage of value added services are susceptible to churn. Also based on the nature of calls, churn occurs with the subscribers making more calls to other networks rather than to the same network.

Research limitations/implications

In a fiercely competitive market, service providers constantly focus on customer retention. The study has high importance as it helps to find out the customers who are likely to churn. This would help telecom companies create proactive rather than reactive strategies toward customer churn.

Originality/value

Earlier studies identified the reasons for customer churn and attributed the same to it. The authors propose that prior to customer churn there is a distinct shift in his/her usage pattern with the current service provider and this behavior is termed revenue churn. This revenue churn ultimately leads to customer churn from the network. This revenue churn is not explored much in detail in the literature.
Predictors of preference for financial investment products using CART analysis
Authors: Kalra Sahi Shalini , Dhameja Nand , Pratap Arora Ashok
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the use of a post hoc predictive segmentation procedure to find out the variables that are the most important predictors of investor's preference for specific financial investment products.

Design/methodology/approach

The study considers various demographic, socio‐economic and psychographic variables for the purpose of understanding the investor's preferences. Using a sample of individual investors (n=377), a classification and regression tree (CART) methodology was used to determine whether psychographic variables were better predictors than demographic and socio‐economic variables for understanding an individual investor's preference for the investment alternatives.

Findings

The results showed that psychographic variables emerged as the most important predictors in the case of investment products with greater degree of risk, and the demographic and socio‐economic variables emerged as the most important for the investment instruments with lesser degree of risk. However, when the sample was divided based on occupation profile (government and non‐government), for both the fixed returns based instruments and the non‐fixed instruments, psychographic variables emerged as the most important predictors.

Practical implications

These results show the need for financial service providers to consider the psychographic variables along with demographic and socio‐economic variables, so as to better understand and advise the financial consumers. This would enable the financial service institutions to target their audience more sharply, so as to develop appropriate marketing strategies and further build the investor's trust.

Originality/value

This paper is a first of its kind to empirically identify the most important variable that determines the financial consumer's preference for investment products in India, using CART technique. This study contributes to furthering the understanding of investor behavior.
Exploring the impacts of involvement and flow experiences in Second Life on people's travel intentions
Authors: Huang Yu‐Chih , Backman Sheila J. , Backman Kenneth F.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The virtual world environment presents new business opportunities for building destination images that allow customers to make an informed decision and initiate travel arrangements. The purpose of this study is to investigate the applicability of flow theory and the concept of involvement in understanding the impacts of virtual experiences of Second Life on people's travel intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

Undergraduate college students at Clemson University were chosen as participants and data was collected in April 2009, entailing 42 usable surveys.

Findings

The results validate the notion that flow is a useful and practical instrument to understand users' experiences while navigating the 3D virtual world of Second Life. The achievement of an engaging and pleasant experience in Second Life is influenced by three factors: the skills available to tackle challenging tasks, the perception of interactivity, and the degree of presence sensation perceived by customers. Furthermore, the findings indicated that flow experience mediated the association between involvement and people's behavioral intentions.

Originality/value

This study is a stepping stone on the road to investigating new marketing media, as more systematic research is needed to investigate the virtual experience and its effects on how travelers make decisions.
Effects of e‐servicescape on consumers' flow experiences
Authors: Lee Seonjeong (Ally) , Jeong Miyoung
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the importance of e‐servicescape in the context of the lodging industry, based on the holistic perspective, by examining ambient, design, and social factors of the virtual environment. Employing the Stimulus‐Organism‐Response (S‐O‐R) model as a theoretical background, this study conceptually proposes a theoretical model, investigating the relationships among e‐servicescape, online consumers' flow experiences, emotion, satisfaction, and their behaviors. In addition, this study extends knowledge of e‐servicescape, incorporating individual differences, online consumers' self‐regulatory focus, in the proposed conceptual model.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on an extensive literature review, this study proposes a conceptual framework and eight propositions to investigate the dimensions of e‐servicescape (i.e., design, ambient, and social factors) and its consequences towards online consumers.

Findings

Based on the S‐O‐R and Regulatory Focus Theory as theoretical backgrounds, this study proposes eight propositions, positing the relationships between e‐servicescape and its consequences (flow experiences, emotion, satisfaction, and approach/avoidance behaviors), which will be moderated by each individual's self‐regulatory focus, either prevention‐focused or promotion‐focused strategy.

Originality/value

Fulfilling an identified need to further develop the virtual environment in the lodging industry, this study proposes a conceptual model of e‐servicescape to investigate its effects on online consumers' emotions, cognitions, and behaviors as well as an individual's self‐regulatory focus as a moderator.