bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender wage gaps in Australian workplaces: are policy responses working?
Authors: Chang Joshua , Connell Julia , Burgess John , Travaglione Antonio
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to focus on the implications of the gender wage gap in Australia, before considering policy responses and their effectiveness at both the government and workplace levels.

Design/methodology/approach

– The method concerns an extensive literature review and an examination of secondary data and reports relating to workplace gender equality and data.

Findings

– While the gender wage gap in most OECD countries has decreased over time, in Australia the gap has increased, with the largest contributory factor identified as gender discrimination. Consequently it is proposed that current policy responses supporting women in the workplace appear to be ineffective in closing gender wage gaps.

Research limitations/implications

– Further research is recommended to identify the impact of gender equality policies on hiring decisions and whether such decisions include an unwillingness to hire or promote women. As findings were based on secondary data, it is recommended that future research include workplace surveys and case studies.

Practical implications

– It is suggested that articles such as this one can assist in guiding public policy and workplace decisions on gender wage equality issues, in addition to providing human resource leaders with the information to make better decisions relating to gender equality.

Originality/value

– This paper suggests that current policy responses may not only be ineffective in closing the gender wage gap, but may even exacerbate it as employers may avoid hiring women or continue to pay them less than men, due to costs incurred when attempting to meet policy directives.
Oman's labour force: an analysis of gender in management
Authors: Kemp Linzi J , Madsen Susan R.
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the state of affairs in the Sultanate of Oman for the presence (or absence) of women in senior and managerial roles in private companies. The study also investigates where women are located within the organisations (e.g. as board members, chief officers, vice presidents, top management, division or unit heads).

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a quantitative study that analysed gender in the largest 122 private and publicly listed organisations in Oman. The study is based on data available from the Zawya database that tracks information about companies in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Findings

– Women are employed in Oman in small numbers when compared with the number of men. Women remain extremely underrepresented in senior roles in Omani organisations currently. Women are found slightly (but not significantly) more in departmental management roles (particularly in human resource management, marketing/communication, public relations, and project management) and in the transport and finance industries.

Research limitations/implications

– The Zawya database did not contain complete data on each company analysed. Hence, this is a descriptive study and lacked advanced statistical techniques for comparison and relationship analysis.

Practical implications

– This study increases the academic knowledge on international issues in gender and management. The study also provides insights for government leaders, educators, and scholars who work to help prepare women for leadership in this region.

Originality/value

– This is one of the first scholarly studies conducted on the presence of women in senior positions and management within Oman. It adds value as it is the first study to compare gender in management across roles, industrial classification, size of company, and ownership.
Hostile territory: employers’ unwillingness to accommodate transgender employees
Authors: Rudin Joel , Ruane Sinead , Ross Linda , Farro Andrea , Billing Tejinder
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of employers’ responses to the restroom requests of transgender employees, and to assess the ability as educators to reduce transphobia in the students.

Design/methodology/approach

– Subjects were 194 undergraduate business students at a medium-sized public university in the northeastern USA who were enrolled in an undergraduate course in organizational behavior. During class, they read a brief case which asked the students to play the role of a CEO in Little Rock, Arkansas, receiving a complaint from a female employee about using the same restroom as a coworker who is transitioning from male to female.

Findings

– The most inclusive response was also the rarest, with only 27 percent of students recommending unisex bathrooms. Hostile actions, forcing the transitioning employee to use the men's restroom, were recommended by 38 percent of those who correctly realized that an employee would be unprotected by sexual orientation discrimination law in this case and by 30 percent of those who thought that she could sue for that type of discrimination in that jurisdiction.

Research limitations/implications

– It would be interesting to replicate this with non-student samples such as human resource managers and executives. The use of a US sample and of a text-based case can also be viewed as weaknesses. Because gender identity is embodied, self-constructed, and socially constructed, no single research study can capture the totality of work life for transgender employees.

Practical implications

– Transphobia is so powerful that a substantial percentage of the students recommended courses of action that they believed to be illegal even though the study was designed to discourage a hostile response. Employers that are concerned about transgender rights will need to do a lot more than just grafting the word “transgender” onto their extant set of policies.

Social implications

– Since today's business students are tomorrow's business leaders, the authors could eventually make the business world more tolerant if the authors could identify a message that resonates with the students and causes them to re-evaluate their homophobia and transphobia.

Originality/value

– Empirical studies of transgender issues have been dominated by the qualitative approach, so there is a need for more quantitative research on this topic. The hostile responses usually indicated greater acceptance of transgender employees who have completed gender reassignment surgery. This seems difficult to reconcile with a conception of transphobia as a generalized distaste towards all those who transgress gender norms.
Net/working: higher education in the age of neoliberalism, crisis and social media
Authors: H. El-Shall Maryam
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examines the history and goals of online instruction in higher education by linking them to the neoliberal agenda emerging at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s. Here, the author argues that the move toward more online, socially mediated instruction in higher education is symptomatic of larger socio-political and economic constraints that have been placed upon the academy.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author demonstrates the practical impact of neoliberal shifts in higher education with the emergence of the online for-profit institution – The University of Phoenix. Here, the author shows the ways in which the advent of the internet, together with the expansion of social – both individual and institutional – networks, come together with neoliberal shifts in government to simultaneously render the university both more and less relevant as an institution. The author limits analysis to the language of connectivity and networking evident in online educational settings to highlight more directly the broader shifts in taking place in the contemporary academy surrounding the tension between professional integrity and institutional marketability produced by the proliferation of online, for-profit colleges and universities.

Findings

– In part four, the author argues that the institutional response to this state of affairs has been to both expand and limit the mission of the university from a space of formal education to a site of biopolitical production, where students come not merely to earn a degree in anticipation of landing a job, but also, to learn to configure and manage themselves.

Practical implications

– In the concluding section, the author explores the professional implications of these changes through an analysis of the popular professor rating site – Rate My Professors.

Originality/value

– The approach the author takes in this paper enables us to more closely exam the ways in which neoliberal mandates for quantifiable measures of institutional “effectiveness” center on a fundamental restructuring of the instructor-student relationship toward a service model wherein the instructor becomes the manager of emotions whose goal is connect with students and so model the kind of affective flexibility and resourcefulness they in turn will requires when joining the workforce.
Local entropy generation in co-flowing turbulent jets with variable density
Authors: Hichem Gazzah Mohamed , Belmabrouk Hafedh
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The effects of a co-flow and inlet jet temperature on local entropy generation in turbulent round jets have been studied numerically. The second-order closure turbulence model has been used. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Numerical results are presented and discussed.

Findings

– The numerical results for the mean quantities, entrainment of air, mixing efficiency, generation of entropy rate and Merit number are presented and discussed.

Originality/value

– The expansion of the jet at low velocity of the co-flow and high inlet jet temperature enhances the heat transfer rate and reduces the irreversibility of the jet.
Nanoparticle-laden gas flow around a circular cylinder at high Reynolds number
Authors: Tu Chengxu , Zhang Jian
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– Experiments to investigate the characteristic distribution of nanoparticle-laden gas flow around a circular cylinder were performed with a fast mobility particle spectrometer. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The fast mobility particle sizer spectrometer is used to measure quasi-instantaneous particle number density. The acquired particle number density, total concentration, and geometric mean diameter at free stream and in the wake were used to discuss the particle characteristic distribution. The time-averaged velocity field detected by particle imaging velocimetry was used to investigate the effect of carried phase on nanoparticles distribution.

Findings

– Results show that the total particle concentration in the free stream is larger than that in the wake. However, the geometric mean diameter of particle in the free stream is smaller than that in the wake for different Re. The total particle concentration and geometric mean diameter in the free stream and the wake both change in the same way, but with an obvious lag which increases with Re. Despite particle deposition, the number density of particles with electrical-mobility-equivalent diameters in the range from 220.7 to 523.3 nm in the wake is still higher than that in the free stream.

Originality/value

– Though the particles-laden gas flow around a circular cylinder had been studied experimentally and numerically before, where particles are larger than one micrometer, investigators paid little attention on the nanoparticles-laden gas flow where particles are smaller than one micrometer, especially at high Reynolds number, because numerical methods so far cannot deal these problems completely and satisfactorily. However, this issue is widely existing in nature and engineering application, such as superfine dust or microorganism captured by a circular cylinder model.
Analysis of orientation and tensor properties of airborne fibrous particle flow
Authors: Sun Ke , Lu Lin , Jiang Yu
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of particle shapes (spherical particle and nonspherical fiber) on their orientation distributions in indoor environment.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper adopted a particle model to predict the fibrous particle flow and distribution, and analyzed the orientation distributions of nonspherical fiber particles and spherical particles in airflows like indoor places. Fokker-Planck model was employed to solve the orientation behavior of nonspherical fiber particles.

Findings

– The simulation results discover that the nonspherical airborne fiber particles have very different characteristics and behaviors and their orientation distributions are totally different from the uniform distribution of spherical particles. The investigation of the particle orientation tensor and orientation strength indicates that the airflow field becomes more anisotropic due to the suspended fibers. The airborne fiber particles increase the viscosity of the room airflow due to the fiber induced additional viscosity.

Originality/value

– Orientation tensor, strength and additional viscosity in fibrous flow are seldom investigated indoor. This research reveals that the particle shape has to be considered in the analysis of particle transport and distribution in indoor places as most suspended indoor particles are nonspherical.
New numerical technique for solving the fractional Huxley equation
Authors: El-Sayed El-Danaf Talaat , Ali Zaki Mfida , Moenaaem Wedad
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possibility of extension to the variational iteration and the Adomian decomposition methods for solving nonlinear Huxley equation with time-fractional derivative.

Design/methodology/approach

– Objectives achieved the main methods: the fractional derivative of f (x) in the Caputo sense is first stated. Second, the time-fractional Huxley equation is written in a differential operator form where the differential operator is in Caputo sense. After acting on both sides by the inverse operator of the fractional differential operator in Caputo sense, the Adomian's decomposition is then used to get the power series solution of the resulted time-fractional Huxley equation. Also, a second objective is achieved by applying the variational iteration method to get approximate solutions for the time-fractional Huxley equation.

Findings

– There are some important findings to state and summarize here. First, the variational iteration method and the decomposition method provide the solutions in terms of convergent series with easily computable components for this considered problem. Second, it seems that the approximate solution of time-fractional Huxley equation using the decomposition method converges faster than the approximate solution using the variational iteration method. Third, the variational iteration method handles nonlinear equations without any need for the so-called Adomian polynomials. However, Adomian decomposition method provides the components of the exact solution, where these components should follow the summation given in Equation (21).

Originality/value

– This paper presents new materials in terms of employing the variational iteration and the Adomian decomposition methods to solve the problem under consideration. It is expected that the results will give some insightful conclusions for the used techniques to handle similar fractional differential equations. This emphasizes the fact that the two methods are applicable to a broad class of nonlinear problems in fractional differential equations.
A study of natural convection heat transfer in a nanofluid filled enclosure with elliptic inner cylinder
Authors: Sheikholeslami M. , Ellahi R. , Hassan Mohsan , Soleimani Soheil
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of natural convection heat transfer in a cold outer circular enclosure containing a hot inner elliptic circular cylinder. The fluid in the enclosure is Cu-water nanofluid. The main emphasis is to find the numerical treatment for the said mathematical model. The effects of Rayleigh number, inclined angle of elliptic inner cylinder, effective of thermal conductivity and viscosity of nanofluid, volume fraction of nanoparticles on the flow and heat transfer characteristics have been examined.

Design/methodology/approach

– A very effective and higher order numerical scheme Control Volume-based Finite Element Method (CVFEM) is used to solve the resulting coupled equations. The numerical investigation is carried out for different governing parameters namely; the Rayleigh number, nanoparticle volume fraction and inclined angle of elliptic inner cylinder. The effective thermal conductivity and viscosity of nanofluid are calculated using the Maxwell-Garnetts (MG) and Brinkman models, respectively.

Findings

– The results reveal that Nusselt number increases with an increase of nanoparticle volume fraction, Rayleigh numbers and inclination angle. Also it can be found that increasing Rayleigh number leads to a decrease in heat transfer enhancement. For high Rayleigh number the minimum heat transfer enhancement ratio occurs at.

Originality/value

– To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such analysis is available in the literature which can describe the natural convection heat transfer in a nanofluid filled enclosure with elliptic inner cylinder by means of CVFEM.
A finite element analysis on combined convection and conduction in a channel with a thick walled cavity
Authors: Rahman M.M. , Oztop Hakan , Mekhilef S. , Saidur R. , Chamkha A. , Ahsan A. , S. Al-Salem Khaled
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of thick wall parameters of a cavity on combined convection in a channel. In other words, conjugate heat transfer is solved.

Design/methodology/approach

– Galerkin weighted residual finite element method is used to solve the governing equations of mixed convection.

Findings

– The streamlines, isotherms, local and average Nusselt numbers are obtained and presented for different parameters. It is found heat transfer is an increasing function of dimensionless thermal conductivity ratio.

Originality/value

– The literature does not have mixed convection and conjugate heat transfer problem in a channel with thick walled cavity.
The meshless method of radial basis functions for the numerical solution of time fractional telegraph equation
Authors: Mohebbi Akbar , Abbaszadeh Mostafa , Dehghan Mehdi
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to show that the meshless method based on radial basis functions (RBFs) collocation method is powerful, suitable and simple for solving one and two dimensional time fractional telegraph equation.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this method the authors first approximate the time fractional derivatives of mentioned equation by two schemes of ordersO(τ3−α) andO(τ2−α), 1/2<α<1, then the authors will use the Kansa approach to approximate the spatial derivatives.

Findings

– The results of numerical experiments are compared with analytical solution, revealing that the obtained numerical solutions have acceptance accuracy.

Originality/value

– The results show that the meshless method based on the RBFs and collocation approach is also suitable for the treatment of the time fractional telegraph equation.
MHD natural convection flow in cavities filled with square solid blocks
Authors: Ashouri Majid , Behshad Shafii Mohammad , Rajabi Kokande Hossein
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of magnetic field on natural convection inside the enclosures partially filled with conducting square solid obstacles. Also, the effect of thermal conductivity ratio between the solid and fluid materials is investigated for different number of solid blocks.

Design/methodology/approach

– The dimensionless governing equations are transformed into sets of algebraic equations using finite volume method and momentum equations are solved by the SIMPLE algorithm with the hybrid scheme. The validation of the numerical code was conducted by comparing the results of average Nusselt number with previously published works.

Findings

– The results indicate that both the magnetic field and solid blocks can significantly affect the flow and temperature fields. It is shown that for a given Rayleigh number, variation of Nusselt number might be increasing or decreasing with change in solid-to-fluid thermal conductivity ratio depending on magnetic field strength and number of solid blocks.

Originality/value

– No work has been reported previously on the effect of magnetic field on natural convection flow in a cavity partially filled with square solid blocks. The numerical analysis of conductivity ratio between the solid and fluid materials under the effect of magnetic field have been carried out for the first time.
The role of relationship marketing investments in customer reciprocity
Authors: Lee Jin-Soo , Kim Seongseop , Pan Steve
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to, building on the concept of relational benefits, relationship marketing investments, gratitude, satisfaction and favorable reciprocal behaviors, examine the mechanism of cultivating relationships with valued customers at an upscale restaurant.

Design/methodology/approach

– To capture the traits of the population (upscale restaurant customers who perceive relationship marketing investments by experiencing relational benefits), upscale restaurant customers with membership cards were contacted in the survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test measurement and structural models.

Findings

– Empirical findings indicated that confidence and social benefits positively contributed to relationship marketing investments, whereas special treatment benefits were not significantly related to relationship marketing investments. In turn, relationship marketing investments positively affected both gratitude and satisfaction; relationship marketing investments were also more associated with gratitude than satisfaction. Gratitude positively evoked favorable reciprocal behaviors; however, satisfaction did not trigger favorable reciprocal behaviors.

Originality/value

– The integration of relationship marketing investments and gratitude into the conceptual model would allow the current findings to generate rich theoretical and practical implications that the extant hospitality literature has not elucidated.
Maximizing player value through the application of cross-gaming predictive models
Authors: Suh Eunju , Alhaery Matt
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to, considering the potential to generate additional revenue from cross-gamers, identify variables predicting predominant slot-players’ propensity to play table games, as well as predominant table-game players’ propensity to play slots (cross-game play). Casino marketers often promote cross-game play through game lessons and coupons for game trial.

Design/methodology/approach

– Logistic regression analysis was performed on the player data provided by a destination hotel casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Furthermore, the authors described how to estimate propensity scores, the probability of cross-game play, at the individual level, using a logistic regression equation.

Findings

– Comparisons of cross-gamers versus non cross-gamers indicated that the amount of play and gaming values of cross-gamers were much higher than those of slot-only players. The results of a logistic regression analysis show that a player’s cross-gaming propensity can be predicted using gaming-related behavioral data. More specifically, cross-gaming propensities were associated with the frequency and recency of casino trips, the amount of money won or lost in gaming, player values to the casino, the duration of play and the length of a customer–casino relationship.

Research limitations/implications

– It is recommended that future research apply the model tested herein to other samples and investigate other predictor variables to develop a better predictive model for cross-game play.

Practical implications

– The findings and the model introduced herein could help casino marketers identify players with cross-gaming propensity and develop more targeted strategies for customer-relationship management and database marketing.

Originality/value

– This study is the first attempt to estimate the cross-gaming propensity at the individual level and offers detailed guidance on how to use the propensity scores for targeting specific customers.
Assessing occupant satisfaction and energy behaviours in Toronto’s LEED gold high-rise residential buildings
Authors: Brown Craig , Gorgolewski Mark
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to present four purposes: to assess occupant satisfaction with indoor environmental quality (IEQ); to determine if occupants appear to be operating their dwellings in an energy efficient manner; to suggest ways that occupant satisfaction and behaviour can help or hinder energy efficiency; and to show that the post-occupancy evaluation approach is an effective tool in diagnosing and improving satisfaction and energy efficiency in high-rise residential buildings.

Design/methodology/approach

– Beyond measuring occupant satisfaction with IEQ, this paper uses scores and user comments from occupant questionnaires to identify success and indicate frustration and/or confusion with particular building technologies. It also extrapolates the energy efficiency implications of these responses in four Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold residential towers.

Findings

– The research highlights where problems occur, particularly with the adoption of new technologies which may not be well understood by the occupants. It also identifies behaviour patterns that may negate energy efficiency strategies.

Research limitations/implications

– The lack of dwelling metre data prevents this research from making causal links between behaviours and their energy implications. Also, the lack of Canadian benchmarks for satisfaction of occupants means that comparisons can only be made to cases from the UK, which is less robust.

Originality/value

– This type of work has never been done in Canadian residential high rise towers before. It helps to better understand the process of ensuring that occupants successfully adopt innovation that can lead to energy savings.
The relationship between project management process characteristics and performance outcomes
Authors: Mathur Gita , Jugdev Kam , Shing Fung Tak
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to examine the links between project management process characteristics and project-level and firm-level performance outcomes to test the hypotheses that project management assets being valuable, rare, inimitable and having organizational support leads to competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper analyzes data from responses to an online survey by 198 North American Project Management Institute® members. Regression analysis is used to examine the relationship between six factors extracted from an exploratory factor analysis that comprise the three project management asset characteristics – valuable, rare and inimitable, three factors that comprise organizational support for the project management process, and two factors that comprise project management performance outcomes – project-level and firm-level performance.

Findings

– Organizational support for the project management process, specifically project management integration, was found to significantly contribute to both project-level and firm-level performance. Of the asset factors examined, valuable project management knowledge was found to contribute to project-level and firm-level performance, though information technology (IT) tools did not. Inimitable proprietary tangible assets were found to contribute to both project-level and firm-level performance, and inimitable embedded intangible assets were also found to contribute to firm-level performance. Rare knowledge sharing tools and techniques were found to negatively contribute to project-level performance.

Research limitations/implications

– Limitations of this study include sample size, response rate and self-report bias, calling for a larger sample in ongoing research.

Practical implications

– This study draws managerial attention to project management assets as sources of competitive advantage, highlighting the need to have organizational support for the project management process through organizational integration, and emphasizing the importance of valuable project management knowledge-based assets and inimitable project management assets that are proprietary and tangible as well as those that are embedded and intangible.

Originality/value

– Few papers have applied the resource-based view of the firm to examine project management capabilities as a source of competitive advantage. This paper contributes to the literature on the resource-based view of the firm and to an improved understanding of project management as a source of competitive advantage.
Expanding international business research on foreignness
Authors: Joardar Arpita , Kostova Tatiana , Wu Sibin
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present our viewpoint on the research on foreignness and provide directions for future studies. We suggest that research on foreignness can be expanded by exploring its complexity.

Design/methodology/approach

– This article takes the form of a viewpoint.

Findings

– We identify three facets of foreignness – foreignness effect (liabilities or assets) foreignness level (organizational or individual) and foreignnesslocus(external or internal to an entity), which have not been sufficiently examined in prior research.

Originality/value

– We discuss how these aspects can inform a novel research agenda in this area.
Deepening the consequences of double fit for organisational performance
Authors: García-Carbonell Natalia , Martin-Alcazar Fernando , Sanchez-Gardey Gonzalo
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to go a step further in the analysis of double fit in the human resource management (HRM) strategy context, exploring how its effect on performance is influenced by employees’ perceptions about the HRM strategy. Traditionally, the literature has considered the need for a double fit (horizontal and vertical) in the design of HRM strategies. However, as recent critical reviews have argued, a deeper theoretical analysis seems to be needed to understand fully how they affect organisational performance, and why firms with similar levels of alignment have different human resource outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on the literature review, the paper proposes a new theoretical model combining two fields of the strategic HRM literature which had been traditionally disconnected: the double fit approach and the literature on employee satisfaction and involvement. The design of the HRM strategy is reviewed considering the classical distinction between universalistic, contingent, contextual and configurational perspectives.

Findings

– The findings of this paper provide an alternative model to examine the double fit in the HRM strategy context.

Originality/value

– Drawing on these approaches, the paper proposes the introduction of the “system strength” construct, which measures the perceived robustness of the HRM system, as a moderator of the effects of double fit on organisational performance.
Impact of RFID and information sharing on JIT, TQM and operational performance
Authors: J. Zelbst Pamela , W. Green, Jr Kenneth , E. Sower Victor , D. Abshire Roger
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This aim of this paper, from a systems perspective, is to focus on the effects of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology adoption and information sharing within a manufacturing facility on the just-in-time (JIT) and total quality management (TQM) practices and the subsequent impact on operational performance of manufacturing firms.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected from 104 manufacturing managers, supervisors and quality professionals and analyzed using a path analysis methodology.

Findings

– RFID technology utilization and supply chain information sharing combine to enhance a manufacturing organization’s JIT and TQM capabilities which lead to improve operational performance.

Research limitations/implications

– Although the sample size is large enough to support path analysis, it is not of sufficient size to support structural equation modeling. This limitation precludes assessing the model as a whole. Direct and indirect effects are assessed, however.

Practical implications

– Manufacturing managers are provided with a framework for assessing the synergistic impact of combining RFID technology and information sharing on the JIT and TQM capabilities and the subsequent impact on the operational performance of the firm.

Originality/value

– A systems approach to assessing the impact of a combination of RFID technology and information sharing on operations programs is developed and tested. The results verify the importance of implementing RFID technology within an information sharing environment and support the proposition that RFID technology enhances both JIT and TQM capabilities.
Creating measurement addiction – a tool for better advocacy and improved management
Authors: Chiranov Marcel
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to address an important but neglected aspect of evidence-based management, how to apply actionable data to strategic decision making to support the organization in reaching appropriate decisions. This process involves connecting advocacy work with active measures to collect and interpret impact data, which are the real ingredient to help understand the big picture and make advocacy more efficient.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper presents two complementary models of intervention to better use relevant data to help management decisions, within the program team and beyond the program team. In both cases the paper attempts to identify the key factors in understanding outcome evidence in order to have better communication and help the decision-taking process.

Findings

– Customizing evaluation results in order to present the information in an accessible form for various stakeholders appears to be a key factor in delivering the right message and having a successful advocacy campaign.

Originality/value

– This paper reports on two complementary approaches to persuade stakeholders (program managers, or stakeholders external to the program team) to take action based on specific impact or management data delivery. The idea is potentially appropriate for any program, or project, where advocacy processes are needed to determine appropriate actions. Processing and presenting data in an actionable way is a key success factor to determine the expected management decision or successful advocacy step.
The impact of library associations: preliminary findings of a qualitative study
Authors: Henczel Susan
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview, including methodology and preliminary findings, of a current and ongoing doctoral research study of the impact of national library associations. The study uses the impact assessment framework provided by ISO16439:2014 Methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

– If the professional associations supporting the profession are to become sustainable we need to understand the difference they make to the individual members of the profession, to the employers of those individuals and to the profession of librarianship. This study applies the framework provided by ISO 16439:2014 to the national library association environment to explore and gather evidence of impact. To align with the ISO model, impact is differentiated into impact on individuals; social impact – institution (library or employing organization); and social impact – community (the profession). Preliminary findings show evidence of impact in all categories.

Findings

– Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews that were conducted with members of national library associations in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the USA during the third quarter of 2013.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to research methodologies by testing the use of a qualitative assessment tool in a way that could be transferable to other associations both within and external to the library environment and to enable it to be adapted more broadly for other purposes within the library and information environment.
Measuring and assessing the impact of using volunteers in UK libraries: issues and methods
Authors: Broady-Preston Judith
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine a range of issues and methods in relation to measuring the impact of volunteer labour on the design and delivery of all types of library services. With the increasing use of volunteers to deliver library and information services in all sectors, managers need to assess their effectiveness and evaluate the impact of their use in relation to operational service design and delivery, and on the development of the profession and professional practice as a whole. Presented here is an initial scoping study, outlining a range of issues, methods and challenges for more detailed future investigation.

Design/methodology/approach

– A number of methodological challenges and perspectives are identifiable. Contemporary libraries exhibit increasing similarities with Third Sector organisations, namely a complex stakeholder community, and increasing use of volunteers to supplement or replace services delivered by professional staff. Therefore, a starting point for the research is a systematic review and analysis of the methodologies developed by the Third Sector Research Centre, and those studies in the ESRC contemporary Developing Impact Evaluation strand. As a rich picture is required, both quantitative and qualitative approaches are necessary, with the overall study adopting a mixed methods approach.

Findings

– This paper reports the findings of the preliminary documentary analysis, literature review and scoping aspects of a large-scale study.

Originality/value

– Research undertaken to date (June 2014) has failed to identify any published systematic review and examination of these issues.
Preparation and characterisation of silica supported organic hybrid pigments
Authors: Zhang Yong , Fei Xuening , Yu Lu , Cao Lingyun , Zhang Baolian
Published: November 2014

Purpose

The purpose of the work reported in this paper is to prepare hybrid pigments fabricated by depositing pigment yellow 12 (PY12) on the surface of silica gel to improve the application performance of the resulting pigments. The particle size distribution, optical properties, thermal stability, water dispersibility and flowability of the pigments with and without silica gel modification were studied.

Design/methodology/approach

The hybrid pigments were synthesised with different amount of silica gel. The modified pigments were characterised by Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.

Findings

The particle size distribution of the modified pigments was found to have been altered significantly. This can be explained by the interaction between pigments and silica gel, which prevented self-aggregation of pigment particles and hence improved the properties of pigments.

Research limitations/implications

Only silica supports and pigment yellow 12 were evaluated. Other pigments could also be studied.

Practical implications

Modification of pigment particles with smaller particle size can increase the efficiency of the modified pigment, in terms of colour shade and tinting strength, due to better particle size distribution.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates that inorganic core can prevent self-aggregation of pigment particles, and the application properties of such pigment depend on the resulting degree of dispersion of pigment particles.
Understanding the information literacy experiences of EFL (English as a foreign language) students
Authors: Johnston Nicole , Partridge Helen , Hughes Hilary
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to outline research that explores the information literacy experiences of English as a foreign language (EFL) students. The question explored in this research was: how do EFL students experience information literacy?

Design/methodology/approach

– This study used phenomenography, a relational approach to explore the information literacy experiences of EFL students. Phenomenography studies the qualitatively different ways a phenomenon is experienced in the world around us.

Findings

– This research revealed that EFL students experienced information literacy in four qualitatively different ways. The four categories revealed through the data were: process, quality, language and knowledge. This research found that language impacted on EFL students’ experiences of information literacy and revealed that EFL students applied various techniques and strategies when they read, understood, organised and translated information.

Research limitations/implications

– This research was conducted in a specific cultural and educational context; therefore, the results might not reflect the experiences of EFL students in other cultural or educational contexts.

Practical implications

– The findings from this research offer an important contribution to information literacy practice by providing important insights about EFL students’ experiences and perceptions of information and learning that can be used to inform curriculum development in second language learning contexts.

Originality/value

– There is currently a lack of research using a relational approach to investigate EFL students’ experiences of information literacy. There is also limited research that explores the impact language has on information literary and learning in EFL or English as a second language (ESL) contexts.
Public policy for productive and healthy workplaces
Authors: Totterdill Peter , Exton Rosemary
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The paper aims to discuss different ways in which public policymakers can intervene to support workplace innovation. Government intervention and regulation in the economy and labour market are much too important to be treated as an ideological battleground. Despite the availability of evidence that workplace innovation can improve organisational performance and employee well-being, too few companies and public sector bodies are acting on it. This has implications for a wide range of economic and social policy goals, not least at a time when Europe struggles to emerge from recession.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper calls for a mature and informed debate about “what works”, not least regarding the ways in which public policy can help to close the gap and generate win-win outcomes for enterprises and their employees.

Findings

– It looks at the different ways in which public policymakers can intervene to support workplace innovation and provides evidence from a number of countries which points to the benefits of a multidimensional approach based on policies which lead to close collaboration and shared understanding between employers’ organisations, trade unions, business support organisations, chambers of commerce and universities.

Originality/value

– Drawing on evidence from Finland, Flanders, France, Germany and Norway, it shows that there is an urgent need for new thinking about how public policy can help to shape more productive and healthier workplaces in much of Europe and that public intervention should be redefined in a way that reflects the evidence of what actually works in practice.
Joint inversion of long‐offset and central‐loop transient electromagnetic data: Application to a mud volcano exploration in Perekishkul, Azerbaijan
Authors: Haroon A. , Adrian J. , Bergers R. , Gurk M. , Tezkan B. , Mammadov A. L. , Novruzov A. G.
Published: November 2014

Mud volcanism is commonly observed in Azerbaijan and the surrounding South Caspian Basin. This natural phenomenon is very similar to magmatic volcanoes but differs in one considerable aspect: Magmatic volcanoes are generally the result of ascending molten rock within the Earth's crust, whereas mud volcanoes are characterised by expelling mixtures of water, mud, and gas. The majority of mud volcanoes have been observed on ocean floors or in deep sedimentary basins, such as those found in Azerbaijan. Furthermore, their occurrences in Azerbaijan are generally closely associated with hydrocarbon reservoirs and are therefore of immense economic and geological interest. The broadside long‐offset transient electromagnetic method and the central‐loop transient electromagnetic method were applied to study the inner structure of such mud volcanoes and to determine the depth of a resistive geological formation that is predicted to contain the majority of the hydrocarbon reservoirs in the survey area. One‐dimensional joint inversion of central‐loop and long‐offset transient electromagnetic data was performed using the inversion schemes of Occam and Marquardt. By using the joint inversion models, a subsurface resistivity structure ranging from the surface to a depth of approximately 7 km was determined. Along a profile running perpendicular to the assumed strike direction, lateral resistivity variations could only be determined in the shallow depth range using the transient electromagnetic data. An attempt to resolve further two‐dimensional/three‐dimensional resistivity structures, representing possible mud migration paths at large depths using the long‐offset transient electromagnetic data, failed. Moreover, the joint inversion models led to ambiguous results regarding the depth and resistivity of the hydrocarbon target formation due to poor resolution at great depths (>5 km). Thus, 1D/2D modelling studies were subsequently performed to investigate the influence of the resistive terminating half‐space on the measured long‐offset transient electromagnetic data.

The 1D joint inversion models were utilised as starting models for both the 1D and 2D modelling studies. The results tend to show that a resistive terminating half‐space, implying the presence of the target formation, is the favourable geological setting. Furthermore, the 2D modelling study aimed to fit all measured long‐offset transient electromagnetic Ex transients along the profile simultaneously. Consequently, 3125 2D forward calculations were necessary to determine the best‐fit resistivity model. The results are consistent with the 1D inversion, indicating that the data are best described by a resistive terminating half‐space, although the resistivity and depth cannot be determined clearly.