bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning styles and online education
Authors: Zapalska Alina , Brozik Dallas
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to recognize that individual learning styles must be taken into account in the instructional design template used in online education. The paper argues that when students' learning styles are identified, it is possible to define an appropriate context of learning.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper identifies a set of instructional principles for online learning environments that are derived from multiple theories of learning with a consideration of different learning styles. The VARK questionnaire was used to determine learning styles of students who participated in two online courses. The VARK instrument identifies four distinct learning styles: visual (V); aural (A); reading/writing (R) and kinesthetic (K). These four dimensions are used to analyze the appropriateness of online learning structures.

Findings

The paper identifies teaching strategies in online courses while recognizing the four learning styles. The paper concludes that the achievement of online learning can be improved by providing instruction in a manner consistent with each student's learning style. However, it is important to keep in mind that, even if a specific student learns best in a certain way, he or she should be exposed to a variety of learning experiences to become a more versatile online learner.

Originality/value

The new result indicates that students with the auditory learning preference do not select online education as their first choice for learning. The combination of different techniques can make it possible for students with all types of learning styles to be successful in an online course.
Learning and teaching 24/7: daily internet usage patterns at nine Australian universities
Authors: Spennemann Dirk H.R.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to look at the usage of the internet by students, academics and university administrators as part of their normal working day. It investigates whether access to computer facilities and the mode of study have any influence, or whether other factors need to be considered when providing services.

Design/methodology/approach

To assess this, the paper considers the diurnal nature of general internet usage in Australia, addresses the daily average internet use at various Australian universities, and considers how much the usage profile says about the student profile and student study habits.

Findings

Web usage is high at the start of the work day and then peaks at the end of the work period, with another slight peak by 7 p.m., presumably after the dinner period, representing those who come on‐line in the evening.

Originality/value

The analysis of the proxy usage of nine Australian universities has shown that the vast majority of usage in the Victorian and South Australian universities in the sample is limited to office hours with 81 per cent of all usage occurring during the standard working hours and flexi‐time period between 08:00 and 18:00 (72 per cent between 09:00 and 17:00).
Electronic resource usage statistics: the challenge and the promise
Authors: Medeiros Norm
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the challenge and promise of electronic resource usage statistics.

Design/methodology/approach

Discusses the ways in which libraries could take better advantage of usage statistics with the help of systems.

Findings

Provides a brief description of a grassroots effort to develop a decision support system for electronic resources.

Originality/value

Provides insight into the challenges and potential uses of electronic resource usage statistics.
Website redesign and testing with a usability consultant: lessons learned
Authors: Tolliver Robert L. , Carter David S. , Chapman Suzanne E. , Edwards Phillip M. , Fisher Jeanie E. , Haines Annette L. , Krolikowski Lana E. , Price Rebecca M.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The aim of this case study is to present one library's experiences consulting with a usability expert during the design and implementation phases of a new academic library website and the lessons learned during the process.

Design/methodology/approach

The library staff worked with the consultant so that he understood the work of the librarians and goals for the website. Together the consultant and library staff developed a series of tests to measure the usability of the site. The librarians implemented the tests, gradually taking the leadership role in the process.

Findings

The study confirms the value of usability testing as a tool to bring to light some of the ambiguities and complexities of a library website for users. The study demonstrates that librarians have developed an expertise and knowledge base that transfers well to the evaluation of websites and online resources. The experience of the University of Michigan AAE Library reveals that usability testing should be an ongoing exercise so that the website remains relevant to the users.

Practical implications

This study advises librarians of the value of testing and that, on the one hand, test results confirm what one imagines about the users' experiences, but on the other hand they reveal the unexpected strategies and understandings of the users.

Originality/value

This case study provides a useful example of the value of working with a usability expert, a discussion of what to expect during the process, and advice about the role of the librarian in such an endeavor.
Usability analysis of Northern Illinois University Libraries' website: a case study
Authors: VandeCreek Leanne M.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To describe the process and present the findings of a usability assessment of the Northern Illinois University Libraries' website.

Design/methodology/approach

After significant planning, Northern Illinois University Libraries conducted a usability analysis using a trilateral approach: usability testing, focus group sessions, and survey questionnaires.

Findings

Quantitative and qualitative data are presented and discussed. Quantitative data does not adequately reflect what the test moderators and recorders observed during test sessions. Thus, qualitative data prove to be more valuable. Results were used to redesign the library's website.

Research limitations/implications

Questionnaire return rate was extremely low, and therefore these results could not be compared with the results of the other two data collection methods.

Practical implications

The detailed methodology section can provide guidance for other libraries considering performing usability test analyses.

Originality/value

This study utilized a unique combination of usability testing, focus group, and survey questionnaire data collection methods to solicit feedback from users. Discussion of the results leads to a new and important question for future research: what can usability testing reveal about patrons' level of information literacy skills?
Library homepage design at medium‐sized universities
Authors: Harpel‐Burke Pamela
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Website design guidelines which have proven effective throughout the commercial sector could be adapted for library homepage design. Acceptance of industry standards for homepage usability, specifically Nielsen and Tahir's criteria, would give library users recognizable features and increase their confidence and comfort levels when using library websites. The paper aims to present a comparison of library homepages with these criteria to provide an assessment of how libraries fare in comparison with the commercial sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Little research has been undertaken to evaluate the appeal and efficacy of homepages of libraries associated with medium‐sized universities, which have different audiences than do larger universities. The dataset of 80 academic libraries associated with medium‐sized universities (8,000‐13,000 students) was compiled with data from the National Center for Education Statistics and Peterson's College Bound. Data on 14 variables derived from Nielsen and Tahir were examined on these 80 library homepages. Variables are grouped into four categories: search, navigation, design, and general features.

Findings

Based on Nielsen and Tahir's criteria, library homepages fared well in comparison to business homepages. Statistical analysis of the findings revealed that library homepage designs were significantly different from businesses for only four variables: the ability to search the website, the use of a search box or a link, the use of animation, and a change of link colors to indicate viewed links. A greater amount of business homepages used a search box as opposed to a search link. Fewer libraries facilitated navigation by creating links that changed color after use. Library homepages generally had fast download times, and avoided animations and automatic music.

Research limitations

A comprehensive review of all of Nielsen and Tahir's design characteristics for homepage usability cannot be fully considered in a study of this size.

Originality/value

Information‐seeking behaviors of college students and internet users within this age range suggest that design conventions established on the web and tested by usability experts may provide a framework for effective library homepage design.
Content matters: analysis of a website redesign
Authors: Shelstad Mark
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To examine the redesign of an academic archive and manuscript repository's fourth‐generation website.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the process used by a task force to revamp a website, including determining the goals of the site, its main features, audiences, vendor and software selection, relationship to the parent institution's design guidelines, and user testing results.

Findings

Only with the cooperative effort of staff, interested outside parties, and users will web redesigns be worthwhile efforts that translate into sites with depth and meaning.

Originality/value

Article provides background information and analysis of a series of website redesigns.
The future of the Anglo‐American cataloguing rules
Authors: Medeiros Norm
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Discusses the goals of RDA: resource description and access.

Design/methodology/approach

Describes some potential uses of the new code.

Findings

Contends that RDA will be a powerful tool adopted by a large array of information providers.

Originality/value

Provokes thought on an internationally‐important topic.
Digital image library development in academic environment: designing and testing usability
Authors: Roda Claudia , Murphy Borel Ann , Gentchev Eugeni , Thomas Julie
Published: January 2007

Purpose

By reporting the experience gained in the development of a digital image library in the academic environment, this paper aims at providing perspective developers with insights on the main usability issues raised by this type of project.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper addresses three common needs in academia with respect to image collections: preservation, access, and reuse. In the framework of the specific project experience, it discusses how usability issues have been tackled at design time, highlights the usability problems revealed by tests on the first implemented prototype, and advances proposals on how these problems may be addressed.

Findings

Team formation and high turn‐over impact usability design; collection management functionalities effect final product usability; usability and resource reuse levels are severely reduced if the services are limited to those of classic digital libraries.

Research limitations/implications

All usability issues are discussed with respect to the specific project characterized by a small, in‐house development team with high turn‐over; a participatory design approach; a fairly small, accessible, and heterogeneous user (and stakeholder) population; very limited financial resources but also limited time constraints.

Practical implications

A usability guide for future developers of digital image libraries in academia.

Originality/value

Addressing usability issues related specifically to the design of digital image libraries rather than text‐based digital libraries. Addressing the objectives of image reuse and of widespread adoption. Discussing usability design by a team of students with heterogeneous background in academic environment.
Usability of digital libraries
Authors: Mara Ferreira Sueli , Nunes Pithan Denise
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The conception, planning and implementation of digital libraries, in any area of knowledge, demand innumerable studies in order to verify and guarantee their adequacy to the users' necessities. Such studies find methodological, conceptual and theoretical support in some areas of knowledge, such as human‐computer‐interaction (HCI) (usability studies, in particular) and information science (IS) (especially studies about users' necessities and behavior in information search and use). This research, therefore, intends to integrate concepts and techniques from these two areas, that is, to analyze the usability of the InfoHab digital library, having as theoretical base the constructivist model of user study proposed by Carol Kuhlthau and the criteria of usability established by Jacob Nielsen.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to do so, a qualitative study with six users with different levels of academic formation and experience in the use of recovery systems was developed. Data were collected through personal interviews, prototype of the library, direct observation, image and sound records. The variables of this study included the following criteria: learnability, efficiency and effectiveness of the digital library, management of errors, memorability and the user's satisfaction from the perspective of cognitive and affective aspects and the actions taken by the users during the information search process.

Findings

The aspects identified in the collected data are discussed and the results are evidence of the possible synergy between the HCI and IS fields.

Originality/value

The authors expect to contribute conceptually for a discussion about a model of usability study that can be more inclusive and incorporate the aspects pointed by the constructivist model.
The flight plan of a digital initiatives project, part 2
Authors: Long Holley , Lage Kathryn , Cronin Christopher
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To provide the results of research to evaluate the usability of a University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries digital initiatives project that provides online access to historical Aerial Photographs of Colorado.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes usability testing conducted as a part of a user‐centered redesign. The three stages of the evaluation – a requirements analysis, a heuristic evaluation, and user testing – are explained and the findings are discussed.

Findings

The usability testing revealed the needs of the project's target user group and identified issues with the interface that will be addressed in its redesign. It has also contributed to the larger understanding of how researchers use digital Aerial Photographs and their preferred methods of access and desired functionalities.

Practical implications

Results from the study will be used to guide the redesign of the Aerial Photographs of Colorado digital library and can be generalized to add to a broader understanding of the usability requirements for a digital library of geospatial materials. Libraries providing a digital collection of geospatial materials may use these findings to inform design decisions.

Originality/value

Much research has been done on the use and evaluation of digital libraries, but few articles have reported on usability studies of online collections of cartographic materials similar in structure to Aerial Photographs of Colorado. It is hoped that these findings will be instructive to librarians designing and evaluating similar digital libraries.
Accommodating consortia within electronic resource management systems
Authors: Medeiros Norm
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This article aims to identify areas where the ERMI specifications should extend to accommodate library consortia.

Design/methodology/approach

The article notes current ERMI field definitions and their limitations vis‐à‐vis libraries wishing to share an electronic resource management system (ERMS).

Findings

The article makes clear the reasons for the proposed ERMI extensions, and provides a means of effecting the extensions.

Originality/value

Readers interested in purchasing an ERMS as part of a library group will be familiarized with potential pitfalls to their implementation.
In our cages with golden bars
Authors: Frumkin Jeremy
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to postulates on the current limitations of digital libraries, and what digital libraries might be if librarians and digital library developers thought about digital libraries differently.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is in the form of an experiential commentary.

Findings

The paper finds that libraries should be more accepting of change and embrace the digital world.

Originality/value

This paper seeks to move the thinking about the future of digital libraries beyond its current scope. It should be of interest to digital library developers, librarians, and information scientists.
Project risk management
Authors: Cervone H. Frank
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The aim of this article is to develop an understanding of the issues related to risk management in digital library projects as well as techniques for mitigating risk in these projects.

Design/methodology/approach

Using evidence from other research in the area, this article outlines the major risk issues within a project and then defines a model for mitigating risk within a project.

Findings

The article finds that understanding the risk management entails understanding the underlying factors that contribute to project risks. These risks are often the same, regardless of the nature of the project. The first step in risk assessment is risk identification. Once risk identification is complete, risk analysis is used to identify the likelihood the risks that have been identified will happen. While there are several formal methods that can be used for risk analysis, many project managers use some type of matrix‐based decision process for analyzing and evaluating project risk. The most successful project managers maintain open lines of communication throughout their organizations to stay in touch with constituent's needs.

Originality/value

This article fills a gap in the digital project management literature by helping project managers understand the issues related to project risk and how to avoid them, thereby insuring greater probability their project will come to a successful and satisfying conclusion.
Collaborative approaches to designing effective digital image databases for the study of three‐dimensional museum collections
Authors: Trzeciak Jeff , McCann Shawn , Martin Matthew
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This technical paper aims to define the steps necessary to create an effective two‐dimensional image databases representing three‐dimensional museum objects for the purpose of instruction.

Design/methodology/approach

The participating institutions reviewed six key types of services: finding content, collecting content, accessing content, documentation, accessibility, and access control. The project created, converted, described and transferred digitized images and data records from each partner to the web where they became universally accessible through a single common search interface.

Findings

The paper finds that collaboration between different institutions creates rich collections, and relationships that benefit the community.

Research limitations/implications

Capturing elements of three‐dimensional objects in a traditionally two‐dimensional medium provides unique challenges for web delivery.

Practical implications

Provides learning materials and access to objects that were once locked in storage and rarely exhibited, especially fragile and delicate objects. Also provides an environment for students to learn how to work professionally they would not acquire in the classroom.

Originality/value

New techniques in digitization were used and experimented with that are not widely used with these type of collections.
Towards user‐centered indexing in digital image collections
Authors: Matusiak Krystyna K.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

User‐created metadata, often referred to as folksonomy or social classification, has received a considerable amount of attention in the digital library world. Social tagging is perceived as a tool for enhancing description of digital objects and providing a venue for user input and greater user engagement. This article seeks to examine the pros and cons of user‐generated metadata in the context of digital image collections and compares it to professionally created metadata schema and controlled vocabulary tools.

Design/methodology/approach

The article provides an overview of challenges to concept‐based image indexing. It analyzes the characteristics of social classification and compares images described by users to a set of images indexed in a digital collection.

Findings

The article finds that user‐generated metadata vary in the level of description, accuracy, and consistency and do not provide a solution to the challenges of image indexing. On the other hand, they reflects user's language and can lead toward user‐centered indexing and greater user engagement.

Practical implications

Social tagging can be implemented as a supplement to professionally created metadata records to provide an opportunity for users to comment on images.

Originality/value

The article introduces the idea of user‐centered image indexing in digital collections.
Web page prediction from metasearch results
Authors: Chen Lin‐Chih , Luh Cheng‐Jye
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This study aims to present a new web page recommendation system that can help users to reduce navigational time on the internet.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed design is based on the primacy effect of browsing behavior, that users prefer top ranking items in search results. This approach is intuitive and requires no training data at all.

Findings

A user study showed that users are more satisfied with the proposed search methods than with general search engines using hot keywords. Moreover, two performance measures confirmed that the proposed search methods out‐perform other metasearch and search engines.

Research limitations/implications

The research has limitations and future work is planned along several directions. First, the search methods implemented are primarily based on the keyword match between the contents of web pages and the user query items. Using the semantic web to recommend concepts and items relevant to the user query might be very helpful in finding the exact contents that users want, particularly when the users do not have enough knowledge about the domains in which they are searching. Second, offering a mechanism that groups search results to improve the way search results are segmented and displayed also assists users to locate the contents they need. Finally, more user feedback is needed to fine‐tune the search parameters includingαandβto improve the performance.

Practical implications

The proposed model can be used to improve the search performance of any search engine.

Originality/value

First, compared with the democratic voting procedure used by metasearch engines, search engine vector voting (SVV) enables a specific combination of search parameters, denoted asαandβ, to be applied to a voted search engine, so that users can either narrow or expand their search results to meet their search preferences. Second, unlike page quality analysis, the hyperlink prediction (HLP) determines qualified pages by simply measuring their user behavior function (UBF) values, and thus takes less computing power. Finally, the advantages of HLP over statistical analysis are that it does not need training data, and it can target both multi‐site and site‐specific analysis.
Integrated strategy of industrial product suppliers
Authors: Johnson Mark A. , Johnson Dana M.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The primary purpose was to learn about different variables of an integrated strategy associated with choosing to supply through business‐to‐business (B2B) intermediaries and apply the variables to a series of cases.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review served as a basis to develop an integrated model. A combination of primary and secondary research was conducted to apply the concepts of the model to different internet trading exchanges.

Findings

Each trade exchange offers a different set of customers and suppliers vying for business opportunities. There are no common platforms for software and hardware. If a small company is interested in trading through an internet exchange, they want to select based on the variables identified that best meet their needs and integrate with their business strategy.

Research limitations/implications

The focus was on industrial products and may not be applicable to consumer products.

Practical implications

Suppliers must carefully operate in the future by evaluating each customer and determining which trade exchanges will provide them with the greatest benefit at the lowest cost. The infrastructure investment is an unavoidable cost that cannot be forgone unless the supplier wants to discontinue providing to most of its customers. The supplier needs to look at all aspects identified in the integrated business model and the foundation and facilitation for success lie in the information management of the entire entity.

Originality/value

This paper takes the existing body of knowledge and applies it to the development of an integrated e‐business model for industrial suppliers used to compare different internet trading exchanges.
Influence of environmental and organizational factors on the success of internet‐based interorganizational systems planning
Authors: Lee Gwo‐Guang , Lin Hsiu‐Fen , Pai Jung‐Chi
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To examine the influence of environmental factors (environmental uncertainty and trading partners' influence) and organizational factors (CEO/CIO relationship and internet‐based IOS maturity) on the internet‐based interorganizational systems (IIOS) planning success and whether more leads to superior organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data gathered from 202 IS executives in large Taiwanese organizations were employed to test the relationships between the research model constructs. Moreover, the structural equation modeling technique was used to evaluate the research model.

Findings

One of the environmental factors (trading partners' influence) and two organizational factors significantly influence the IIOS planning success. The results also indicate that the success of IIOS planning enables the firm to achieve organizational‐level outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

Future studies could seek an enhanced understanding of the effects on IIOS planning of the environmental and organizational factors investigated in this study through structured interviews and case studies of IS executives dealing with ongoing or recently completed IIOS planning projects.

Practical implications

IIOS planning is an organizational and inter‐organizational process. Top management and IS executives considering IIOS involves not only technical innovations, but also considerable environmental and organizational changes.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to IIOS planning research by clarifying the effects of both environmental and organizational factors on the success of IIOS planning, and provides a valuable reference for e‐business managers and IIOS planners, as well as researchers interested in IIOS planning and management.
Sectet: an extensible framework for the realization of secure inter‐organizational workflows
Authors: Hafner Michael , Breu Ruth , Agreiter Berthold , Nowak Andrea
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This contribution aims to present the core components of a framework and illustrate the main concepts of a methodology for the systematic design and realization of security‐critical inter‐organizational workflows with a portion of a workflow‐scenario drawn from e‐government. It is additionally shown how the framework can be adapted to incorporate advanced security patterns like the Qualified Signature, which extends the concept of digital signature by requiring a natural person to sign.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework is based on a methodology that focuses on the correct implementation of security‐requirements and consists of a suite of tools that facilitates the cost‐efficient realization and management of decentralized, security‐critical workflows.

Findings

The framework has been prototypically validated through case studies from the healthcare and e‐government sector. Positive results in pilot applications with industrial partners encourage further steps: the set of supported security requirements is continuously extended (e.g. rights delegation, four eyes principle), a testing environment for industrial settings is being implemented, and the requirements for the efficient management of inter‐organizational workflows are being analysed systematically.

Practical implications

The framework caters to the needs of an industrial audience, in need of a cost‐efficient support for the systematic and correct realization of secure, inter‐organizational workflows.

Originality/value

The contribution provides a description of the Sectet framework. It is shown how it can be adapted to incorporate advanced security patterns like the Qualified Signature, which implement a legal requirement specific to e‐government.
An electronic voting system supporting vote weights
Authors: Eliasson Charlott , Zúquete André
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a solution for allowing an arbitrary number of weights and weight values to be used in an electronic voting system.

Design/methodology/approach

Robust Electronic Voting System (REVS) was chosen, a voting system designed to support internet voting processes, as the start point for studying the introduction of vote weights.

Findings

The work resulted in an internet voting system supporting vote weights, based on REVS.

Research limitations/implications

In the solution presented, there is still a problem regarding anonymity, for the case of a single voter with a particular weighted vote. This is a fundamental problem, since it also exists in paper‐based elections.

Practical implications

This version of REVS has the same properties as the original REVS, apart from the anonymity issue above. Apart from this the process of registering voters got more complicated, since now it includes an extra action for binding a weight.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this modified version of REVS is the first electronic voting system supporting vote weights. Another novelty of this work is the modulus sharing optimization used for the RSA key pairs of each entity.
Security patterns and requirements for internet‐based applications
Authors: Rosado David G. , Gutiérrez Carlos , Fernández‐Medina Eduardo , Piattini Mario
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is that of linking security requirements for web services with security patterns, both at the architectural and the design level, obtaining in a systematic way a web services security software architecture that contains a set of security patterns, thus ensuring that the security requirements of the internet‐based application that have been elicited are fulfilled. Additionally, the security patterns are linked with the most appropriate standards for their implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

To develop secure WS‐based applications, one must know the main security requirements specified that applications have to fulfil and find appropriate security patterns that assure, through combination or relationships between them, the fulfilment of the implicated security requirements. That is why a possible link or connection between requirements and patterns will have to be found, attempting to select for a determined security requirement the best security patterns that solve this requirement, thus guaranteeing the security properties for internet‐based applications.

Findings

Using security patterns, that drive and guide one towards a secure development as well as towards security software architecture, one can be sure that this design based on these patterns fulfils and guarantees the most important security requirements of the internet‐based applications through the design and implementation of security solutions that provide reliable security services.

Practical implications

Security architecture for internet‐based applications and web services can be designed considering the security requirement types that it must fulfil and using the most appropriate security patterns.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a relationship between security requirements that can be specified for internet‐based applications and the possible security patterns that can be used in the design and implementation of the secure system based on the internet, guaranteeing that these security requirements are fulfilled.
On the validity of client‐side vs server‐side web log data analysis
Authors: Woong Yun Gi , Ford Jay , Hawkins Robert P. , Pingree Suzanne , McTavish Fiona , Gustafson David , Berhe Haile
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to discuss measurement units by comparing the internet use and the traditional media use, and to understand internet use from the traditional media use perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Benefits and shortcomings of two log file types will be carefully and exhaustively examined. Client‐side and server‐side log files will be analyzed and compared with proposed units of analysis.

Findings

Server‐side session time calculation was remarkably reliable and valid based on the high correlation with the client‐side time calculation. The analysis result revealed that the server‐side log file session time measurement seems more promising than the researchers previously speculated.

Practical implications

An ability to identify each individual user and low caching problems were strong advantages for the analysis. Those web design implementations and web log data analysis scheme are recommended for future web log analysis research.

Originality/value

This paper examined the validity of the client‐side and the server‐side web log data. As a result of the triangulation of two datasets, research designs and propose analysis schemes could be recommended.
All professors as philosophers; not, all philosophers as professors
Authors: Abeles Tom P.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The function of college degrees in general, and PhDs, in particular, seems increasingly, to serve as a measure of certification and, in some instances, control for entrance into a profession. Advanced degrees in the humanities seem to have lost credence outside of academic circles as hard scientists have assumed the bully pulpit on many issues once the domain of the philosophers, as students, increasingly, question the rhetoric of “The Academy” (and some in the private sector) promoting broad liberal studies, a, especially, as less of the cost is provided by public funds. The entire post secondary experience is becoming increasingly questionable when analysis shows, that for the foreseeable future, less than 30 percent of US jobs really require a college degree. The facts are that in the USA over 44 percent of faculty are adjuncts, often with less than a PhD, and less than 40 percent of current positions are tenure track. This editorial aims to alert readers to underlying trends which are reshaping the roll of the academic both within The Academy and the world at large. It may suggest the need to bring rhetoric of the past in line with the reality of the present/future and change the model of post secondary education.

Design/methodology/approach

Looks at the area of the PhD in the humanities in the academic world.

Findings

Administrators and policy analysts need to assess the changing roll of faculty and the implications for both the fiscal and structural soundness of the university in the digital age as well as its roll and position within the larger society.

Originality/value

Provides information that is useful to administrators and policy analysts.
The MBA is dead – part 1: God save the MBA!
Authors: Blass Eddie , Weight Pauline
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is becoming increasingly publicly criticised by the likes of Mintzberg and other management writers. Much of their criticism is based on personal experience and opinion rather than any systematic research, and ready‐made solutions are proposed as alternatives. This paper (and its counterpart) are the result of a year of research into the future of the MBA. Its purpose is to question whether its current market decline is terminal or if indeed it can be resurrected.

Design/methodology/approach

A year‐long future study was undertaken at Cranfield School of Management combining a range of traditional research methods and samples including literature review, surveys of alumni, academics and futurists, interviews with recruiters and human resources (HR) managers, a Delphi study with international participants, and interviews and a focus group with business leaders. The results were then analysed and combined to form the pictures developed in this article and its counterpart.

Findings

The MBA is positioned here as a qualification that is plagued by market confusion as to what it actually represents and what its value is. A pre‐emptive post‐mortem is carried out into the future of the MBA and the future senior manager/leader, which highlights the gap between research and practice, league tables, e‐learning and attempts at internationalisation as some of the causes of the current malaise. The paper also looks at how some business schools are starting to address these issues in order to maintain the MBA as a valued qualification in the management marketplace.

Originality/value

This paper provides a comparison of MBA offerings and potential substitutes. It opens the arena of senior management education for debate by charting the future decline of the MBA, challenging business schools to make changes or witness the death of their cash‐cow.
Employee disengagement: is there evidence of a growing problem?
Authors: Pech Richard , Slade Bret
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The article discusses employee disengagement, a phenomenon where employees are at work but are minimizing their work contribution.

Design/methodology/approach

Examples of disengagement are discussed as well as possible causes. This is a call for further research in order to examine whether employee disengagement is rampant in our organizations, and on the increase while being largely ignored by managers, or whether it is a myth and should be of little concern to anyone.

Findings

The phenomenon of employee disengagement appears to be correlated with conditions where there is a lack of psychological identification and psychological meaningfulness. Disengagement also appears to be maximized under conditions of poor leadership and when levels of trust between managers and subordinates are low. Evidence suggests that there are large discrepancies in the methods and the scales used to measure employee engagement and disengagement.

Practical implications

There is much conflicting and anecdotal evidence that employee disengagement is increasing. Disengagement may result from numerous causes and conditions. Once the catalysts for disengagement are understood, managers can be better equipped to deal with falling employee commitment and energy levels, thus gaining greater traction on the global business landscape.

Originality/value

This paper argues that the phenomenon of employee disengagement is increasing but that the methods for its identification are inadequate. Finally, the authors argue that the majority of managers seem unwilling or unable to halt the rising tide of employee disengagement.
Mastering the dynamic nature of modern strategy
Authors: Daniell Mark H.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To improve the quality of strategy development and implementation in a large or small enterprise.

Design/methodology/approach

Principles extracted from the author ís observation and experience and set out as a checklist for strategy formulation.

Findings

By acting on ten key principles or trends, businesses can reduce risks and take advantage of future market opportunities.

Practical implications

Improve strategy through an ability to anticipate change in the environmental business model.

Originality/value

The article creates a practical approach to allow business strategists to think through the micro application of macro trends.
Strategic opportunities at the intersection of globalization, technology and lifestyles
Authors: Sengupta Sanjit , Mohr Jakki , Slater Stanley
Published: January 2007

Purpose

In this article, we discuss four “hot” strategic opportunities for the next three‐five year time frame arising from globalization and technology trends and present frameworks that can help business executives leverage these opportunities.

Design/methodology/approach

The methods used include review and synthesis of the academic and popular business literature to identify trends, opportunities and managerial problems, and conceptual analysis and inductive generalization of frameworks as useful tools for managers to deal with those opportunities.

Findings

Companies across a wide spectrum of industries have to contemplate and position themselves with respect to the following four strategic opportunities. R&D outsourcing may seem attractive from a cost perspective but appropriate safeguards have to be negotiated so that a company’s intellectual property does not get appropriated. Digital convergence requires firms to think creatively about complementary products and services without straying too far from their core competencies. Identifying customer needs and emerging markets needs new tools and techniques to be embraced for gathering market intelligence. Finally new technologies and business models should stimulate companies to develop policies on digital rights management after balancing stakeholder interests and assessing the threat of disruptive innovations.

Originality/value

This article identifies four current strategic opportunities that global firms should be thinking about if they are not doing so already. It discusses the benefits and challenges of getting into these areas with new technologies, new partners and new business processes. As such this article will be of interest to senior business executives responsible for setting the strategic direction of their company. Careful consideration and exploitation of these strategic opportunities will yield significant payoffs for proactive firms.
Competitive strategy in a global industry: tourism
Authors: Font Xavier , Tapper Richard , Cochrane Janet
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper demonstrates how the tour operating industry must take responsibility of the sustainability of its suppliers as part of the quality expected by tourists, in order to remain competitive.

Design/methodology/approach

Case studies resulting from telephone surveys, interviews and document searches. The theoretical approach is that of using sustainable supply chain management both as a method of corporate social responsibility and a strategy for industry survival.

Findings

Price wars have forced mass tourism operators to small margins, while ignoring the growing special interest market. Sustainability is now part of quality expectations and the industry as a whole has to reinvent itself to meet changing demands, while also embedding corporate social responsibility in a way that makes business sense.

Research limitations/implications

The challenge is transferring experience to less sophisticated and mature markets, where at present there is little evidence of demand for sustainable products.

Practical implications

Industry wide standards are necessary as the lever for change in those industries where short return on investment eco‐savings will not be possible, and where the future of a whole industry relies on joint action.

Originality/value

The paper makes a contribution to the limited knowledge of sustainable supply chain management in the service sector. Most research emphasizes environmental issues in manufacturing.
Managing for strategic success in emerging markets
Authors: Haley Usha C.V. , Haley George T.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To develop a strategic model for effective management that incorporates aspects of strategic decision‐making from both industrialized and emerging markets.

Design/methodology/approach

To interview senior managers (many at CEO level) of successful companies operating in emerging markets. We assume the senior managers best understand strategy formulation and implementation.

Findings

A strategic model for both information rich and information void business environments.

Research limitations/implications

We did not use a random sample, but rather a convenience sample of CEOs and senior managers of companies operating in emerging markets. This sample limits the study’s generalizability.

Practical implications

Successful managers argued that best practices developed for information‐rich Western markets were not effective in information‐void emerging markets.

Originality/value

The paper has value for managers moving from industrialized economies to emerging economies and vice‐versa, and to academics researching strategic decision‐making in emerging markets.
Beyond advertising: why people are the new media
Authors: Degraffenreid Scott
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To identify and explain the causative factors in the ongoing and chronic decline of general advertising effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

Methodology is Social Network Analysis. Specific tools used multiple regression analysis, AnCoVa, and various proprietary algorithms.

Findings

Traditional media advertising has lost significant impact at an accelerating rate over the past 20 years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Referrals are the primary viable alternative for reaching customers and can be used to reinvigorate traditional marketing.

Research limitations/implications

Research was based primarily on author’s extensive work with clients in numerous industries, also on available advertising industry data. No controlled tests were possible.

Practical implications

Organizations that ignore the importance of referral marketing will find markets increasingly expensive and difficult to access and will lose competitive advantage with organizations that do understand and manage the value of word‐of‐mouth marketing.

Originality/value

It explains why traditional marketing is failing and suggests an effective solution.