bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Gadgets Worth Exploring
Authors: Brown Mitchell
Published: October 2007

Purpose

Aims to review some new technology “gadgets” and personal electronics that may address work‐related functions and entertainment interests of library service providers and library users.

Design/methodology/approach

A review with descriptions of new technologies which might impact library services.Findings –Computer technology expanding into everyday life has ensured that gadgets play a significant role in our daily routines. We use them at work, home, and during leisure time. The gadgets range from smartphones, keyboards, headphones, media storage devices, and more. The range of materials, functionality, and application increases every quarter and changes can be seen in many different products. This list of new gadgets is, just that, a demonstration of creative invention at work to make life and work simpler, and more fun.Originality/value – Provides descriptions of some gadgets of value to information seekers.
Riding the Wave to Excellence in Engineering Education: 2007 ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education Engineering) ELD (Engineering Libraries Division) Annual Conference
Authors: Watkins Patricia , Fleming Kathleen
Published: October 2007

Purpose

To share information about the American Society for Engineering Education Engineering (ASEE) Engineering Libraries Division (ELD) Annual Conference on instruction, training and support for engineering education. A conference report that touches on disciplines of engineering, technology education and engineering librarianship.

Design/methodology/approach

Conference report.

Originality/value

The paper provided a review of programs and technology presentations by engineering librarians of interest to libraries and information professionals.
ALA Annual Conference, Washington DC: LITA/IRSIG Program “The Ultimate Debate: Do Libraries Innovate?”
Authors: Brown Mitchell
Published: October 2007

Purpose

To report the highlights of the 2007 American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington, DC.

Design/methodology/approach

Provides a brief review of the conference program on technology issues in libraries.

Findings

This summary of library program with presentations and information. The presentations focus is on new technologies and their applications in a variety of library environments. The program offered a wide variety of timely presentations that were on new and emerging technologies and the application to the library environment.

Originality/value

Provides descriptions of programs and presentation of interest to library and information professionals.
ALA Annual Conference, Washington DC: LITA Top Tech Trends Update
Authors: Brown Mitchell
Published: October 2007

Purpose

To report the highlights of the annual Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) Top Technology Trends program at 2007 American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington, DC.

Design/methodology/approach

Provides a brief review of the conference program on technology issues in libraries.

Findings

This summary of LITA section Top Technology Trends program with presentations and information. The presentations focus is on new technologies and their applications in a variety of library environments. The program offered a wide variety of timely presentations that were on new and emerging technologies and the application to the library environment.

Originality/value

Provides descriptions of opinions on technological trends in library and information services from industry professionals.
Games and Learning and Society (GLS) Conference 3.0
Authors: Dieterle Ulrike
Published: October 2007

Purpose

To share information about this third annual conference on Games, Learning and Society. Increasingly popular and growing in interests among educators and industry leaders who together are trying to develop gaming products that promote learning.

Design/methodology/approach

Conference report.

Originality/valve

Lots of developments and continued growth in the industry and greater interest among educators and academics about the increased value of games for learning.
Shifts in Library and Librarian Roles: ALA/TechSource Gaming, Learning and Libraries Symposium
Authors: Peterman Dana , Grieg Timothy
Published: October 2007

Purpose

Aims to review some new developments of virtual online environments and their potential for use in library environments.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of use of gaming, virtual world simulations and online environments in libraries.

Findings

Presentations on the state of gaming in libraries presented by library school faculty, librarian and industry professionals.

Originality/value

Reports on research and implementation of gaming systems in libraries.
Libraries Get Personal: Facebook Applications, Google Gadgets, and MySpace Profiles
Authors: Harris Andrew , Lessick Susan
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe applications, gadgets, and profiles that libraries have developed and distributed through the Facebook, iGoogle, and MySpace communities.

Design/methodology/approach

provides a general review.

Findings

Growing number of libraries and library‐related organizations are creating practical tools using Web 2.0 technologies.

Originality/value

Librarians need to keep abreast of and experiment with these new methods of packaging and delivering information.
Library Toolbars for Use and Development
Authors: Brown Mitchell
Published: October 2007

Abstract – Purpose

Aims to review some new developments in browser toolbars to enhance information searching activities.

Design/methodology/approach

A review with descriptions of new options for developing library‐specific internet browser toolbars to enhance user search options.

Findings

Several software development coding platforms are available to create toolbars, bookmarklets, browser extensions, and search tools for library applications.

Originality/value

This article provides descriptions of software development for internet browser toolbars and web gadgets.
Internet Use by Research Scholars in University of Delhi, India
Authors: Madhusudhan Margam
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to examine the use of Internet among the research scholars of the Central Science Library (CSL), University of Delhi, India. The prime objective is to find out the current trends in information search through Internet by the research scholars and type of problems faced by them in their research work.

Design/methodology/approach

Tools used for the study are questionnaire, observation and informal interview using stratified method. Content analysis is used to analyse open‐ended questions. Data were collected from the 51 research scholars in the CSL, University of Delhi. The questionnaire consists of 15 main questions with many of the main questions having a number of subsidiaries. The questions are designed for the research scholars to elicit their experience with the Internet use for their research work.

Findings

The study finds that Boolean logic, truncation and wildcards are the most often used search techniques, web directories, while subject gateways are least used navigational tools, and the researches are beset with the problems of inadequate computers with Internet facilities, slow Internet connection and lack of skills and training. The survey also reveals that 57 per cent of the respondents are facing retrieval problems. Some research scholars lack research techniques and training.

Originality/value

This is the first comprehensive study of the use of the Internet by the University of Delhi science research scholars. Its findings should help CSL, University of Delhi in its plans and programmes related to effective and efficient use of Internet to fulfill information requirements of the research scholars and also proposes proper Internet searching training to research scholars to keep up‐to‐date on harnessing the immense potential of the Internet as a source of information for their research work.
Web 2.0? I am not Finished with 1.0 yet!Back to Basics at the 2007 American Library Association Conference
Authors: Fifarek Aimee
Published: October 2007

Purpose

To report on the American Library Association 2007 Conference activities and resources available to small and mid‐sized Libraries to aid in technology management.

Design/methodology approach

Conference report.

Findings

The LITA Public Libraries Technology Interest Group was specifically created as a forum for library staff from small and mid‐sized libraries to share ideas and discuss trends.

Originality Value

The PLT‐IG presented a managed discussion at the 2007 conference focusing on the technology successes of the Carroll County (MD) Public Library. The group intends to put on a programme at the 2008 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA that will focus on resources to help smaller libraries manage and improve their technologies.
Making all children winners: confronting social justice issues to redeem America's soul
Authors: Normore Anthony H. , Rodriguez Louie , Wynne Joan
Published: October 2007

Purpose

“If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound with mine, then come, let's work together”. These words of Lill Watson, an indigenous activist, frame the context for this article. The purpose of this research was to examine the historical evolution of “grassroots movement leadership” model and its incarnation in the present time. A corollary purpose focused on how this model can transform urban schools by focusing on “movement” efforts of one large urban school district that espouses the values of this form of leadership. As part of a larger reform effort, the district engaged students, parents, teachers, school leaders and communities in becoming equal partners in urban school reform in an effort to co‐create schools and communities that might lead all of us toward liberation and learning.

Design/methodology/approach

Theory and practice come together through the lens of three researchers who operate from a similar philosophical stance for educational transformation, best described in the words of grassroots leader Ella Baker, who said, “We are the people we have been waiting for”. Qualitative research procedures (i.e. interviews, field notes and observations) were used to generate data on a “movement model” for grassroots leadership. This model is best demonstrated in various youth‐oriented initiatives (i.e. Student Exhibits, Action‐Research Projects, Algebra Project) within a local urban school district. This model, influenced by Civil Rights legend Robert Moses, has implications for educational leadership and urban school reform and simultaneously grounds our scholarship and research in liberation epistemology.

Findings

It is argued that children are often the victims of ideas, structures, and actions that come to be seen by the majority of people as wholly natural, preordained, and working for their own good, when in fact they are constructed and transmitted by powerful minority interests to protect the status quo that serves those interest. The words of Ella Baker epitomize the authors' struggles to steer away from models of hierarchal leadership in education and stay connected to the practice of excavating community wisdom through the “Movement Model”.

Originality/value

This study bears a substantive argument for community leadership efforts that focus on “grassroots leadership”. It further fosters new insights and propositions for future research in the form of a “Movement Leadership Model”.
Looking towards the source – social justice and leadership conceptualisations from Tonga
Authors: Johansson Fua Seu'ula
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This article aims to explore Tongan conceptualisations of social justice and leadership from a cultural perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken is from a cultural perspective based on evidence that culture influences our thinking and consequently our behaviours, and the argument that social justice is about recognising our values, philosophies, processes and structures in our education system and that theorising social justice should be founded on our knowledge systems that are embedded in our cultures.

Findings

The Tongan conceptualisation of social justice is based onFaka'apa'apa(respect) while Tongan leadership is based onVa¯(relationships); both concepts converge on the role of leadership. The example of the Tongan conceptualisation is given as a guide for other Pacific countries to consider when confronted with global educational instruments.

Originality/value

By conceptualising social justice from a cultural perspective, an alternative understanding is brought forward and a more global perspective is evident.
Educational administrators' conceptions of whiteness, anti‐racism and social justice
Authors: McMahon Brenda
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the intersections of whiteness, anti‐racism and social justice in educational administration. It is an attempt to understand how white administrators who work in racially minoritized school communities reconcile the moral challenges of articulations of racial equity with the hierarchical institutions of schooling.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study asks ten white administrators how they understand themselves as raced, the ways they see race operating at individual and institutional levels in schools and districts, and factors that facilitate and/or hinder social justice work as it pertains to race.

Findings

The data indicates that whiteness is a difficult subject for white administrators, even those who agreed to be interviewed about whiteness, racism, equity and social justice. As agents of the school districts where they are employed, the administrators generally view these issues from an organizational perspective that does not challenge hegemonic structures. They typically understand social justice from non‐critical perspectives, see whiteness at the level of the individual, racism as unacceptable individual acts, and multiculturalism as preferable to anti‐racism.

Research limitations/implications

The findings cannot be generalized; however, they show that academic education and certification programs need to be revised in order to prepare administrators to deal with issues of locatedness and difference.

Originality/value

The study is set in a Canadian context where, in spite of overwhelming evidence that visible minority students are marginalized in and by school policies and practices, racism is often overtly and emphatically conceptualized as a phenomenon that happens in other times and places.
“She didn't ask me about my grandma”
Authors: Kana Pare , Aitken Viv
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This purpose of this paper is to describe a collaborative project from the University of Waikato, Hamilton New Zealand, in which the authors used process drama to engage final year teaching students with complex issues of cultural diversity, enabling them to “grow into” different kinds of leadership positions in an imagined educational setting. The paper describes the project and makes a case for process drama as a means of providing opportunities for leadership and as a potent tool for learning about issues of social justice.

Design/methodology/approach

The drama was based on a fictional scenario described by Hall and Bishop, where a beginner teacher (of European descent) unwittingly diminishes the experiences of Maori and other non‐European children in her class. Using a three‐phase process planning model and with facilitators in role alongside the students, the drama explored the scenario from all points of view. Students were encouraged to build empathy for the beginner teacher and for the children and also to explore the dilemma faced by the teacher's tutor in deciding whether, and how, to confront the teacher on the issue.

Findings

Through the drama, students built a sense of empathy for all sides of the issue and engaged in deep thinking about the experience of cultural exclusion. The safety and distance provided by the drama “frame” spurred students to take leadership roles and “stand up” for issues of social justice. The authors suggest that through such dramas students gain skills and perspectives that they may carry into their professional lives.

Research limitations/implications

The paper describes a small project, over one lesson with a specific group of students. More research is needed into the effectiveness of process drama as a sustained strategy for teacher education.

Originality/value

This scenario explored in the drama has currency in Aotearoa New Zealand, where the population is increasingly culturally diverse, where underachievement of Maori students continues to be of concern, and where research has shown the centrality of teacher‐student relations in raising educational achievement for Maori. The authors believe this paper makes a compelling case for the value of drama as a tool for student teachers to encounter social justice issues in a meaningful way, and suggest that the paper is a valuable contribution to more than one discipline, as it straddles the fields of professional practice and drama as pedagogy.
Leadership for social justice in Hong Kong schools
Authors: Ming Chiu Ming , Walker Allan
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This article aims to instigate a focused dialogue of social justice in Hong Kong schools and of the responsibilities this holds for school leaders.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw on economic, psychological, and sociological research to illustrate how the unequal allocation of resources and school status hierarchies affects students and challenges leaders' understandings and actions.

Findings

This article identifies several contextual factors prevalent in Hong Kong that maintain inequality and then applies research findings to explain how these discriminate against both disadvantaged and advantaged students. To address social justice issues, school leaders can start by understanding these inequality mechanisms, their own values and beliefs, and those prevalent in their communities. Then, they can introduce structural and cultural changes to reduce inequality.

Originality/value

This article exposes several mechanisms that sustain inequality in Hong Kong schools and suggests how leaders can address them through specific pragmatic actions.
Constructing theory for leadership in intercultural contexts
Authors: Collard John
Published: October 2007

Purpose

Established educational leadership discourse has been dominated by Anglo‐American perspectives oblivious to the cultural diversity that characterizes the contemporary world. It has frequently privileged mono‐cultural, mainstream values which have meant indigenous and ethnic groups have suffered alienation, exclusion and disadvantage. Western‐led educational interventions in developing nations also frequently fail to acknowledge the rich cultural traditions of recipient societies and theories and practice are rarely appropriately scrutinized for “cultural fit”. The purpose of this paper is to construct a theory for leadership in intercultural contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The article reviews how monocultural assumptions of colonial and national leadership cultures in the past were frequently inappropriate for the diverse populations they were intended to serve. The global era has witnessed the emergence of cross‐cultural theory and research paradigms to combat cultural blindness and develop cultural sensitivities. While applauding these developments, the epistemological assumptions that underlie such research are questioned. A case for more nuanced theory, which acknowledges complex interactions between agents from different cultures, is developed. This includes a call for more dynamic research tools based upon constructivist and phenomenological premises.

Findings

Cross‐cultural research has generated territorial maps that promote insight and mutual understandings. However, it relies upon essentialist stereotypes that mask the existence of complex sub‐cultures and dynamic forces of change within national cultures. Case study research which taps the subjective understandings of cultural actors is cited to reveal a more complex process of interaction between cultural agents.

Research limitations/implications

This is a theoretical exploration, not an empirical report. It is limited by the scarcity of existing research in a fledgling field.

Practical implications

The article encourages researchers to move from observationally based, stereotypical portraits to more nuanced concepts of cultures as complex, multi‐layered and changing phenomena. It establishes the epistemological foundations for future research in inter‐cultural contexts.

Originality/value

The paper develops new directions for future theory and research.
Black leadership, white leadership: race and race relations in an urban high school
Authors: Brooks Jeffrey S. , Jean‐Marie Gaetane
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate how race and race relations influence school leadership practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This ethnographic study was conducted in a high‐poverty, high‐minority, urban high school in the Southeastern USA. The authors utilized an anthropological conceptual framework called a moiety, through which the school's leadership culture was conceived as two distinct racial leadership subcultures, one black and one white.

Findings

Findings suggested that the members of each of these leadership subcultures conceived of and enacted leadership in a different manner. Members of each subculture interacted with one another in a manner consistent with anthropological inquiry focused on moiety cultures.

Research limitations/implications

Though under‐used in educational leadership research, the moiety approach seems to have potential for explaining certain (sub)cultural dynamics of leadership in organizations. In the context of this school, race and race relations had a tremendous influence on the ways school leaders interacted with non‐moiety members in terms of reciprocity, rivalry, antithesis, and complementarity.

Originality/value

These findings suggest that school leaders should understand how race and race relations within and between various school subcultures influence leadership practice.
A case study in leading schools for social justice: when morals and markets collide
Authors: Stevenson Howard P.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This paper explores how school leaders seek to promote social justice agendas within the context of multi‐ethnic schools in England.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on data from five case‐study secondary schools in England. Qualitative data was derived from interviewing principals in each institution together with interviews with staff, students and members of the wider community.

Findings

Effective principals in multi‐ethnic schools had strong values commitments to social justice and were able to articulate these values across and through the policies and practices in their schools. However, in some cases value commitments to equity and inclusivity could be challenged by the consequences of policies promoting school choice and the development of a quasi‐market for school education. This could present school leaders with complex moral dilemmas that counter posed inclusion aspirations against performance in the local market.

Originality/value

School leadership committed to promoting social justice can be both supported and undermined by the context created by national policy initiatives. This paper highlights the need to ensure education policy is fully aligned with social justice objectives if it is facilitate, not hinder, efforts in school to challenge inequalities.
Concluding reflections on “Leadership for learning in the context of social justice
Authors: Skrla Linda , Bell McKenzie Kathryn , Scheurich James Joseph
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to reflect on and respond to the papers contained in this Special Issue of Journal of Educational Administration.

Design/methodology/approach

A commentary is provided for each of the nine articles in the Special Issue.

Findings

The papers in the Special Issue constitute a substantial and important contribution toward incorporating international perspectives into an existing research discourse on educational leadership for social justice. One of the immediate challenges that will need to be addressed is how to systematically work against the hegemony of Western thought and colonialism that infiltrates all our discourses, even those that generate scholarship such as that found in this Special Issue.

Originality/value

The paper reflects on the current Special Issue, and provides directions for future research.
The effect of academic culture on the implementation of the EFQM Excellence Model in UK universities
Authors: Davies John , Douglas Alex , Douglas Jacqueline
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to explore the effect of academic culture on the implementation of the European Foundation for Quality Management's (EFQM) Excellence Model in UK universities.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review reveals several aspects, which collectively define the academic culture in UK universities. These aspects were explored in four case studies of the implementation of the EFQM Excellence Model in UK universities.

Findings

It was found that certain of these aspects had a good “cultural fit” with the EFQM Excellence Model and its underpinning concepts and others acted as cultural barriers to the implementation of the model.

Research limitations/implications

The research only covers four cases and is therefore only generalisable back to theory rather than to the population of UK university academic units. The paper identifies aspects of academic culture.

Practical implications

The paper proposes an ideal mix of cultural aspects to facilitate implementation of the EFQM Excellence Model. Strategies are recommended for dealing with situations where the assessed academic culture does not fit well with the use of the model. These strategies include both attempts to influence and change the academic culture to provide a better fit with model and also suggested amendments to the use of the model to provide a better fit with the academic culture.

Originality/value

This paper makes a contribution to the understanding of academic culture and its effect on the implementation of a quality improvement methodology. Academic managers in universities may find its recommendations useful if planning a similar implementation.
Zen, motorcycle maintenance and quality in higher education
Authors: Lomas Laurie
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to deepen the understanding of university lecturers' perceptions of quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs a literature review to establish a robust analytical framework and the use of in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with a random sample of 20 lecturers in a range of UK universities. The interview data was categorised using the constant comparative method.

Findings

The majority of the respondents perceived quality to be largely related to fitness for purpose and accountability rather than transformation. Many respondents made reference to quality assurance or terms associated with it. On the other hand, very few respondents referred to quality enhancement or associated terms.

Research limitations/implications

The research would suggest that enhancement activities in universities need to be developed further and then highlighted as the respondents in this small sample perceived quality to be more about assurance than enhancement. The research would need to be extended to a far greater number of respondents, as at the moment the results are largely illuminative.

Practical implications

Academic development staff should review the impact of their quality initiatives and, if necessary, consider different ways in which they can enhance the quality of the teaching in their universities.

Originality/value

There has been an evaluation of the effect of particular Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund initiatives and the impact of subject reviews, but there has been relatively little consideration of lecturers' perceptions of quality.
The quality of an action research thesis in the social sciences
Authors: Zuber‐Skerritt Ortrun , Fletcher Margaret
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to identify the quality characteristics of critical action research and action research theses compared to traditional research thesis writing.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the literature and the authors' experience with supervising and examining action research theses, the paper identifies key problem areas in the literature and suggests effective strategies for meeting these challenges and avoiding pitfalls through reflective practice and questioning insight. The paper includes sets of crucial questions for higher degree students to address.

Findings

The paper presents definitions of and checklists for quality action research, a quality thesis, and a quality action research thesis. It also presents two conceptual models that illustrate the differences between the “research” and thesis “writing” activities and processes in general, and the collaborative core action research in the fieldwork and the critical action research thesis that needs to be the candidate's independent contribution to knowledge in theory and practice.

Originality/value

The definitions, checklists and conceptual models will be useful to postgraduates, supervisors and examiners of action research theses, because they clarify for them the similarities and differences between a traditional thesis in the social sciences and a thesis by action research.
What is a competent “competence standard”?
Authors: Mclellan Effie
Published: October 2007

Purpose

Using the UK's recent disability legislation as a trigger, the paper explores issues in evidencing competence in the current context of using assessment as a tool for learning.

Design/methodology/approach

A modified version of the pragmatic method is used, in which assessment theory is used to explore the tension in assessment which is both legislatively compliant and theoretically coherent.

Findings

In the current context of requiring assessment to be edumetrically sound, the legislation of competence standards is problematic in four respects. Task validity is now a much more diffuse concept. Scoring validity has to contend with many possible accommodations. Assessment generalisability has to consider both the relevance and representativeness of the assessment task. Consequential validity is essentially concerned with formative assessment, which is considered pedagogically important but, politically, is of less significance than summative assessment.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis here is in terms of legislation within the UK and therefore may not refer to nuances of difference in the anti‐discrimination legislation in other jurisdictions.

Practical implications

The study offers academics and administrators a framework within which to review the edumetric soundness of their assessment practices and policies. In so, doing possible difficulties in equitable assessment can be made explicit. This, in turn, has implications for staff development.

Originality/value

The paper uses significant pedagogical theory to illuminate a legislative requirement and thereby contextualise difficulties in implementing equitable assessment.
Building trust in construction projects
Authors: Khalfan Malik M.A. , McDermott Peter , Swan Will
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The objective of this paper is to present different perspectives on building “trust” among supply chain participants working on construction projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study methodology was adopted; with five construction projects selected as five case studies for the trust in construction project on the basis a selection criteria devised for the research project. Over 40 interviews were conducted with participants operating at different levels in their respective organisations and at different point in the supply chain.

Findings

The information provided by the multiple informants was, to a large extent, consistent with much of the academic literature relating to the importance of and barriers to trust. Specifically, the case studies highlighted: what people within the construction industry understand by trust, reliance, and honest professional relationship; the key factors that contribute towards building trust and factors that result into breakdown of trust; and organisational and project related factors that influence trust and relationships among people within the industry.

Research limitations/implications

The findings from this study are limited due to: a small number of case studies undertaken, focused within the North West Region of England, and limited time and resources available. However, the ideas proposed for ways to develop trust in construction projects as seen from project findings have important implications for not only the clients but also for the main contractors and sub‐contractors who need to pay greater attention to build trusting and long‐term relationship as part of an integrated supply chain in order to deliver the continuous demand for services especially from public sector clients.

Practical implications

If more businesses operating in the construction sector gave more thought to the importance of trust in construction projects then this could have a significant impact on contract design and over all procurement strategy. Specifically the repetitive work carried out by the local authorities in the UK, such as school building and maintenance, social housing stock improvement, etc., can be subcontracted to the contractors on a longer term basis resulting into long term supply chain relationship among organisations and cost savings.

Originality/value

The research is among the first attempts in response to Latham report published in 1994, in order to explore the role of trust in construction projects, from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. The paper provides insights into the practical issues that prevent the widespread development of trust within the construction industry, which is a challenge that clearly warrants further attention from academics and practitioners.
From serendipity to sustainable competitive advantage: insights from Houston's Farm and their journey of co‐innovation
Authors: Bonney Laurie , Clark Rob , Collins Ray , Fearne Andrew
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the importance of a strategic approach to collaborative innovation and the use of a value chain research methodology for identifying opportunities for co‐innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

Value chain analysis is used to map three flows in the Houston Farms value chain; material flow, information flow and relationships. Having diagnosed the current level of co‐innovation we then identify improvement projects and opportunities for co‐innovation to reduce cost and add value, for the benefit of the value chain as a whole.

Findings

The application of the value chain analysis methodology to the Houston Farms value chain revealed the importance of strategy and robust processes in key areas for co‐innovation – R&D and new product development. It also revealed that small businesses can enjoy a degree of success as a result of comparative advantage in certain areas but that sustainable competitive advantage cannot occur by chance – identifying the potential for co‐innovation is an important first step in the right direction.

Research limitations/implications

The value chain innovation roadmap represents a useful framework for exploring the current state and future capability for co‐innovation in a value chain. The value chain analysis methodology is an effective diagnostic tool as it focuses on what happens at the interface between stakeholders and how this relates to what final consumers regard as value adding, rather than traditional financial and functional KPIs which make it difficult to explore the competitiveness of the value chain as a whole.

Originality/value

The explicit and objective measurement of what consumers value is an important addition to the value chain analysis methodology and the co‐innovation roadmap is an original attempt to illustrate the core drivers and capabilities for achieving co‐innovation in a value chain. The insights from the case demonstrate the value of this approach to companies who are open to innovation and recognise the need to focus the use of scarce value‐adding resources on specific value chains and the needs and wants of final consumers therein.
Performance measurement of supplier relationships
Authors: Giannakis Mihalis
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical model for assessing the performance of supplier relationships (SRs). The majority of performance measurement models incorporate hard quantitative measures that are not appropriate for the soft features of business relationships. As they are usually designed by the customer organisation, they are imposed on suppliers, they do not take into account the relationship as a unit of analysis and therefore they carry a bias in their interpretation.

Design/methodology/approach

For the development of the model, the nature of a SR is conceptualised in terms of two typologies: one based on the level of its analysis and one based on its genesis and development and the methodology of gap analysis is used.

Findings

The performance of SRs is assessed in terms of several disparities that exist between the participating parties' perceptions of the nature and their performance to the relationship as well as their perception of their partners' performance to the relationship. The proposed model can be utilised with qualitative (interviews) as well as quantitative (survey) data. The aim of any improvement strategy for the performance of SRs should be to minimise the gaps in partners' perceptions and pursuit the role that the parties play in the relationship and identify those factors that have greater importance to the relationship. Appropriate strategies should be then selected to minimise the gaps in the perceptions of the individuals against these factors.

Research limitations/implications

The usefulness of the model in assessing SRs' performance lies in the fact that a holistic view of SRs is achieved by taking into account both soft and hard dimensions of SRs. Contrasting the model to other performance management models its major limitation is that it cannot be used as a “scientific” diagnostic tool for suggestion of best practices. Further research is required to identify the causes behind poor performance in a particular area and then devise appropriate strategies.

Practical implications

The proposed model can be used in different context (manufacturing or services), does not require specialised knowledge or external consulting and provides scope for improvement of relationships between departments within an organisation.

Originality/value

This paper emphasises the importance of performance measurement of SRs and proposes an innovative for performance measurement model, which overcomes the limitations of existing tools and can be applied in several contexts.
SCM practices and the health of the SMEs in Pakistan
Authors: Khurrum S. Bhutta M. , Rana Arif I. , Asad Usman
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to provide a window into the supply chain practices of the small and medium enterprise sector in Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

The Small and Medium Enterprise Center (SMEC) at the Lahore University of Management Sciences undertook a survey in 2003 to gauge the health of this sector. A survey of 650 firms in ten districts in the country was conducted. This paper presents the results and analyses of the supply chain practices of these SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

There is dearth of independent data and research in the field of SME's in Pakistan. This paper provides a window to the supply chain practices of SME's in Pakistan and will enable future researchers to use this research as a building block in understanding these practices and the factors that pertain to successful firms.

Practical implications

The implications of this study are far reaching enabling trainers, consultants, donor agencies, and entrepreneurs in the SME sector to learn the practices of successful firms and adopt/help SMEs adopt these in their operations.

Findings

This paper we report some of the results of the survey and our analysis of factors related to supply chain management practices that seem to correlate with the health of the enterprise. The analysis shows that successful firms on average had more products, more customers as well as more new customers. SMEs into exports were the healthiest and exhibited most dynamic characteristics, followed by those that sold to OEMs. Another interesting insight is that growing firms sold more directly to end users while firms with higher sales per employee sold the least to the end user.

Originality/value

A major frustration for most policy researchers in the SME area is the virtual non‐existence of scientific data on this sector in the country. This is the first survey of its kind in Pakistan.
Skill requirements of senior‐level logisticians: a longitudinal assessment
Authors: Murphy Paul , Poist Richard F.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The logistics discipline has been characterized by tremendous change since the early 1990s. One result is that the logistician's relevant skill set has likely changed as well. To this end, the present paper aims both to update, and to provide a longitudinal perspective of, a 1991 study that investigated the skill requirements of senior‐level logistics managers using the business, logistics, management (BLM) framework.

Design/methodology/approach

Both studies used survey research of executive search firms to collect the relevant data. The surveys were transmitted via postal mail in the 1991 study and were transmitted electronically in the present study.

Findings

The results from the current study reinforce the 1991 study, which suggested that logisticians should be managers first and logisticians second. Comparison between the earlier and current study suggest a high degree of similarity in terms of the most important logistics skills, with less similarity in terms of business and management skills. The comparison also suggests that the contemporary logistician has more of a supply chain orientation than was the case in the early 1990s.

Practical implications

The manuscript discusses implications for various logistical constituencies. For example, educators could use the findings to plan and design continuing education programs.

Originality/value

The update to the original study should prove valuable by highlighting the relevant skills associated with successful logisticians in the contemporary business environment. The longitudinal comparison provides insights into the logistician's skill set in the early 1990s and today.
Just‐in‐time implementation issues among automotive suppliers in the southern USA
Authors: Matson Jack E. , Matson Jessica O.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the major supply chain issues of the automotive manufacturing industry in the southern USA.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on the results of a survey of automotive suppliers in Tennessee and Alabama. The survey focused on supply chain issues and demographics, specifically on 20 JIT‐related problems and 100 company characteristics.

Findings

Identifies the extent of JIT implementation in Tennessee's and Alabama's growing automotive industry and the general characteristics of the companies that use JIT. Also identifies the types of problems experienced by JIT automotive suppliers; categorizes the problems as one‐time, periodically recurring, or ongoing; and identifies the most troublesome problems.

Research limitations/implications

The survey results point to several problem areas of JIT suppliers for research focus, including identification of ways that small companies can resolve JIT implementation issues, the most common ongoing problem of unstable customer schedules, and the most frequently cited problems of poor production quality.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can help others considering a conversion to a JIT system improve the likelihood of a successful implementation by making them aware of the implementation issues experienced by the JIT automotive suppliers in Tennessee and Alabama. It also provides guidelines for specific improvements that could be implemented by Tennessee and Alabama suppliers.

Originality/value

This paper provides a concise review of JIT literature. It also examines the growing automotive manufacturing industry in the southern USA. These smaller, primarily non‐union automotive suppliers represent a research set that has not been previously studied.
Attracting Generation Y graduates
Authors: Terjesen Siri , Vinnicombe Susan , Freeman Cheryl
Published: October 2007

Purpose

Building on person‐organisation fit and gender self‐schema, this research aims to examine UK university final year students' perception of the importance of organisational attributes and their presence in three major graduate employers. This study also seeks to explore which organisational attributes attract Generation Y men and women to apply to a management trainee position.

Design/methodology/approach

In phase one, 32 repertory grid interviews identify 84 common constructs in undergraduates' organisational choice. A short list of 20 organisational attributes was carried forward to the phase two survey of 862 undergraduates in their final year at 22 UK universities. The respondents rate the attributes in terms of importance and then evaluate three employers in terms of perceived presence of these attributes. The students also provide the likelihood that they would apply.T‐tests, correlation and multiple regression are used to test hypotheses.

Findings

Among university students, the five most important organisational attributes are: “invest heavily in the training and development of their employees” “care about their employees as individuals” “clear opportunities for long‐term career progression” “variety in daily work” and “dynamic, forward‐looking approach to their business”. Sex differences exist in both the importance of organisational attributes and the perceived extent of their presence in three organisations. In describing an ideal employer, women rate eight attributes as more important than do their male counterparts: “really care about their employees as individuals” “variety in your daily work” “friendly, informal culture” “employ people with whom you feel you will have things in common” “use your degree skills” “relatively stress‐free working environment” “internationally diverse mix of colleagues” “require you to work standard working hours only”. Compared to women, men rate just one attribute as more important: “a very high starting salary”. The perception of presence of these important attributes is significantly linked to likelihood to apply.

Practical implications

Recruiting firms can better understand how Generation Y men and women graduates perceive the importance of organisational attributes and their presence in firms.

Originality/value

The paper represents a seminal study relating organisational attributes to likely applicant behaviour across a large number of UK university undergraduates.