bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Library automation in sub Saharan Africa: case study of the University of Botswana
Authors: Mudogo Mutula Stephen 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThis article aims to present experiences and the lessons learned from the University of Botswana (UB) library automation project. The implications of the project for similar libraries planning automation in sub Saharan Africa and beyond are adduced.Design/methodology/approachThe article is a case study of library automation at the University of Botswana.FindingsThe successful implementation of the library automation project was attributed to a number of factors, among them ensuring strategic management buy‐in, extensive consultations with key stakeholders, alignment of library automation with goals of the university, capacity building of librarians and assuring librarians that their jobs were safe. The impact of the automation project included increased access to diversity of electronic resources, enhanced image of librarians, introduction of new services, freeing of library physical space, transformation of the library into a social learning environment, access to local content made possible through digitisation, new skills acquisitions, access to library electronic resources from remote sites, and increased roles and responsibilities for librarians. Challenges faced included staff anxiety about the prospect of losing jobs, learning of new skills, added responsibilities for librarians, raised expectations of users, high costs of subscription to full text journals, and bandwidth bottlenecks among others.Research limitations and implicationsThis article is based on a case study of library automation at the University of Botswana. The results may not therefore be widely replicated. Besides, the article did not delve deep into technology acceptance and diffusion of innovation issues that could illuminate further the case study.Practical implicationsMost university libraries in sub Saharan Africa are yet to successfully and fully automate their information services. Consequently the lessons learned from the University of Botswana case could help inform the planning and implementation of automations projects in similar libraries.Social implicationsThe automation of the University of Botswana library resulted in enhanced quality of information services, re‐skilling of librarians, enhanced image of librarians, user satisfaction and transformation of the university into a learning and research hub.Originality/valueThis article is based on practical experiences of library automation at the University of Botswana and its impact on services, and human and physical resources. Previous studies on this subject at the university only covered migration from one system to another and the technical perspectives of the process of library automation. This study is broad in scope covering both technical and managerial processes of managing change in the context of library automation at the University of Botswana.
Of private sector fear and prejudice
Authors: Al‐Waqfi Mohammed A. , Forstenlechner Ingo 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThe uncompromising preference of citizens for public sector employment throughout the Middle East is not new. However, with the recent saturation of the public sector job market and demographic pressures, it has grown to become a problem of unpredictable economic and social consequences. This paper aims to explore the factors determining career choice behaviour and the underlying career expectations and perceptions of young citizens in one Middle Eastern country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the preference for public sector employment is not only very strong, but is also perceived as increasingly problematic.Design/methodology/approachSemi‐structured interviews were conducted with a total of 60 UAE citizens in the age group of 18‐23.FindingsThe authors explore and discuss cognitive, social, and institutional factors that influence the job‐seeking behaviour of young Emiratis and lead to negative attitudes towards the private sector. They further suggest potential causes of the very low private sector employment levels among UAE citizens and discuss their implications for policy makers. The authors argue for two main approaches: first, a focus on training and orientation of young citizens to enable them to confidently pursue job opportunities in the private sector. This may also include ways for providing young UAE citizens with private sector exposure, as 98 per cent of the national workforce is currently working in the public sector and a lot of what young UAE citizens think they know about the private sector is not founded in reality. Second, interventions to address structural and institutional challenges hindering employment of citizens including gaps in employment conditions and remuneration levels for citizens between the public and private employment sectors.Originality/valueWhile much previous research in this field has focused on the perceptions of employers, this is the first paper to actually explore the perceptions of those at the centre of the discussion – young UAE citizens themselves.
Examining the exclusion of employees with Asperger syndrome from the workplace
Authors: Richards James 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically examine reasons for disproportionately high levels of exclusion from the workplace of adults with Asperger syndrome.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology adopted involves empirical analysis of secondary, qualitative datasets. The twin datasets applied are examined using labour process analysis.FindingsThe main findings highlight the role of new and subtle forms of management control, a deficient yet necessary conflict dynamic in the employment relationship, and a reluctance of employers to involve third parties, in the exclusion process.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited because of the use of secondary datasets. Further research should be based on primary data collection and analysis, particularly in terms of seeking the views of other important parties to the exclusion process.Practical implicationsThe problem of exclusion is unlikely to be improved without considering strategies to address the challenging customary social relations between employer and employee.Social implicationsImproving employment inclusion is likely to reduce mental health problems for adults with Asperger syndrome and reduce the burden on those who play a broader supporting role.Originality/valueThe topic of Asperger syndrome and employment has yet to permeate the academic literature on human resource management, employment relations and organisation studies.
Do “hard” diversity policies increase ethnic minority representation?
Authors: Verbeek Stijn , Groeneveld Sandra 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effectiveness of three types of diversity policies in improving the numerical representation of ethnic minorities in organizations: the assignment of responsibility for the policy within the organization, tiebreak preferential treatment, i.e. selecting the ethnic minority candidate if the best applicants are equally qualified, and the formulation of target figures.Design/methodology/approachThe dataset consists of 8,283 official reports of Dutch work organizations filed in 2001 and 2002 to comply with the Act Stimulation Labor Participation Minorities (Wet SAMEN). The research is embedded in the broader literature on the underlying motivations for diversity policies and on their potential “symbolic” character.FindingsThe analysis suggests that the three diversity policies and ethnic minority representation are correlated. However, the policies do not impact ethnic minority participation rates in the short run.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should also include long‐term effects, actual implementation processes, and the effectiveness of these three policies in combination with other policies and in specific contexts.Practical implicationsPolicymakers and strategic HRM practitioners should adopt a long time frame in trying to increase ethnic minority representation. In line with previous research, the study evaluates assigning responsibility within organizations most positively.Originality/valueThese “hard” policies are central to the debate on equal opportunities, employment equity, and ethnic diversity, but few large N effectiveness studies are available.
Reasons to expatriate and work outcomes of self‐initiated expatriates
Authors: Selmer Jan , Lauring Jakob 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThrough a large‐scale quantitative study, this paper aims to test and extend the qualitative findings of Richardson and McKenna and of Osland on reasons to expatriate and relate them to work outcomes.Design/methodology/approachExamining how reasons to expatriate may affect work outcomes, quantitative data was collected from self‐initiated expatriate academics from 60 countries employed in 35 universities in five northern European countries.FindingsResults mostly indicated support for the proposed hypotheses. The most striking finding was the apparently uniformly destructive influence of behaviour associated with escape from one's previous life as a reason to expatriate on all of the studied work outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThe self‐developed scales measuring reasons for self‐initiated expatriates to expatriate may have been inadequate to capture all relevant aspects of their behavioural intentions and the data from the retrospective type of questioning regarding the original reasons to expatriate may have been biased by memory effects.Practical implicationsAny organization recruiting self‐initiated expatriates may want to inquire about the reasons for them to expatriate. Although there may be a plethora of other requirements on job applicants, the findings of this study may be used as contributing to additional hiring criteria.Originality/valueMost of the fast growing literature on business expatriates has focused on organizational expatriates who have been assigned by their parent companies to the foreign location. However, there is much less research on self‐initiated expatriates, who themselves have decided to expatriate to work abroad.
Design of kitting system in lean‐based assembly lines
Authors: Selcuk Kilic Huseyin , Bulent Durmusoglu Mehmet 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a mathematical model for designing the kitting system by determining the optimum values of the related design parameters.Design/methodology/approachMain assembly feeding systems are explained with their advantages and disadvantages. Related literature is reviewed and gaps are determined. To fill the void and to be beneficial for real life lean assembly systems, the elements of the kitting system are explained in detail and a mathematical model minimizing the cost consisting of Work In Process (WIP) and number of workers for the design of a kitting system is developed. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the model.FindingsThis paper provides a mathematical model that provides the required design parameters for a kitting system such as the tour period, the number of workers and the quantities of the kits by minimizing WIP and labor costs.Originality/valueThe paper provides a mathematical model for the design of a kitting system.
Marketing planning and digital customer loyalty data in small business
Authors: Donnelly Christina , Simmons Geoff , Armstrong Gillian , Fearne Andrew 
Published: July 2012

PurposeRetailer loyalty card marketing intelligence presents actual customer purchasing preferences, competitor activities and performance. Typically, extant literature implies that larger firms with formal marketing planning approaches will be more able to leverage it, structured as it is within a formalized statistical format. Small business literature on the other hand emphasizes their more informal approach to marketing planning. The purpose of this paper is to consider, for the first time, the potential relationship between retailer loyalty card marketing intelligence and small business market orientation.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model is developed which diagrammatically interprets how retailer loyalty card marketing intelligence can relate to small business market orientation. Propositions provide a basis for further discussion with applied and research implications.FindingsA pertinent aspect of the conceptualization is the role of small business owner‐manager insight and intuition within an experiential learning context. A complementary relationship is posited in the leveraging of retailer loyalty card marketing intelligence to enhance small business market orientation, which with higher levels of entrepreneurship orientation can lead to positive organizational outcomes, such as facilitating more successful and informed engagement with larger suppliers.Originality/valueThe paper addresses the increasing pressure small businesses face in dealing with retailer loyalty card marketing intelligence. Generally, literature has yet to adequately address marketing planning implications for firms. The informal/formal tension when considering small businesses presents a particularly interesting area of conceptual development, integrating market orientation literature and also recent developments which point to interaction between market and entrepreneurship orientations. This paper therefore provides a basis for a new small business research agenda in an area which is highly topical and important, with a synthesis of the extant literature in developing a conceptualization and propositions. The conceptualization and propositions can facilitate the development of new research and thinking in this potentially fruitful area of future enquiry.
Measuring private labels brand equity: a consumer perspective
Authors: Cuneo Andres , Lopez Pilar , Jesus Yagüe Maria 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse whether private label brands (PLB) have been able to build brand equity throughout their development. Specifically, it aims to develop and test a measurement model that measures PLB brand equity across product lines.Design/methodology/approachA brand choice model is developed using a multinomial logit model and it is calibrated using a consumer panel database of two product lines of yoghurt from 8,000 Spanish households for a three‐year period.FindingsPrior research has considered PLB as the unbranded alternative to manufacturer brands. In this research empirical evidence is provided that PLB have built brand equity throughout their development and that this equity varies across the different PLB offered in the market, and across product lines.Practical implicationsThese findings offer valuable insights to retailers on how to manage PLB and to manufacturers on how to approach and compete against them.Originality/valueThe vast majority of academic research has not approached the PLB phenomenon from a branding perspective. This research constitutes a first attempt to measure brand equity on PLB. It measures PLB brand equity for each typology of PLB in the market.
The role of facilitators in project action learning implementation
Authors: Cao Rui , Bieng Chuah Kong , Chung Chau Yiu , Fai Kwong Kar , Yin Law Mo 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThis paper addresses the importance of a more proactive role of organizational learning (OL) facilitators, learning motivation reinforcer, through a two‐part longitudinal study in a case company. The first part of this study aims to investigate and analyze some unexpected challenges in the project action learning‐driven (PAL) OL implementation in the case company, and the second part seeks to discuss an enhanced role of OL facilitators to cope with the new challenges.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal case study supplemented with a series of carefully choreographed field research activities, e.g. interviews, on‐site observations, survey tests, was conducted to achieve the research purpose. In the first part of this study, the feedbacks regarding PAL implementation were collected from different PAL stakeholders to identify the problems and barriers that undermined the effectiveness of PAL implementation. In its second part, the proposed facilitator's interventions were introduced in the case company. The results were examined through a controlled group experiment conducted with an on‐going round of PAL implementation.FindingsThe study found that adverse changes in business circumstances and organizational restructurings could dampen staff's motivation toward organization's OL initiatives which would further reduce the OL effectiveness. To redress the situation, a set of facilitator's interventions was developed to reinforce OL members' learning motivation. Study results indicate that the proposed interventions can positively influence the learning motivation of the PAL members in the case company.Practical implicationsThis paper describes the difficulties encountered in a real life OL journey and the role OL facilitators could take on to help overcome them. It provides empirical evidence of how the learning motivation and commitment of OL members can be positively influenced by OL facilitation.Originality/valueThe authors believe such longitudinal case based OL research is rare and valuable to OL theorists and practitioners.
Protective capacity and absorptive capacity
Authors: Andersén Jim 
Published: July 2012

PurposeIn order to understand the pros and cons of an open organization regarding the flow of knowledge between firms, this paper introduces the concept of “protective capacity”. The purpose of the paper is to elaborate the concept of “protective capacity” especially in relation to absorptive capacity, by presenting a number of propositions.Design/methodology/approachLiterature on mainly interfirm relationships, absorptive capacity and resources‐based theory are reviewed and combined.FindingsProtective capacity is defined as the “capacity to sustain, or to reduce the speed of depreciation of knowledge‐based resources by preventing knowledge from being identified, imitated, and/or acquired by direct or indirect competitors”. Owing to the strong moderating factor of organizational openness, it is argued that protective capacity is inversely related to absorptive capacity. A number of propositions that can explain and moderate the inverse relationship between protective capacity and absorptive capacity are elaborated and discussed. These propositions concern organizational openness, knowledge management practices, realized and potential absorptive capacity, and dyadic relationships.Originality/valueAcquiring external knowledge is a key feature of knowledge management. In order for a firm to absorb external knowledge, it is generally argued that it has to be open towards the environment. However, according to resource‐based theory, firms have to safeguard their knowledge by, for example, having a secluded organization, thereby enhancing the uncertainty associated with tacit knowledge in order to sustain their competitive advantages. Whereas numerous studies have discussed the capacity to absorb knowledge, few studies have analyzed the capacity to protect knowledge.
Patterns of innovating networking in small firms
Authors: de Jong Jeroen P.J. , Hulsink Willem 
Published: July 2012

PurposeSmall firms rely on a variety of network partners, and in various roles, to initiate and implement innovations. While past typologies of innovation networking were defined at the level of firms or industries, the purpose of this paper is to develop a typology at the level of innovation objects.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on survey data of 594 innovations in Dutch small firms, cluster analysis is applied to develop a typology of networking patterns for innovation in small firms.FindingsIn total, six patterns of innovation networking were identified: supplier‐based, customer‐based, informal‐based, bank/accountant‐based, science‐based and government‐based. The supplier‐based pattern is most dominant and characterized by modest and simple contributions from networking partners, while governments tend to be involved in innovations marked by voluminous and complex partner involvement. Validity of the typology is suggested by two findings: more voluminous and complex networking patterns are correlated with firms’ internal capabilities, and with the newness and competence requirements of innovations.Originality/valueFor practitioners the typology provides a more fine‐grained view on how innovations in small firms are developed. This includes the role of relatives and friends, bank and accountants, and remote partners such as governments – network partners which so far were not covered in typologies of innovation networking.
The past and future of time zone challenges
Authors: Carmel Erran 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to answer the question asked by Buelen “What do we still need to learn about outsourcing across time zones?”.Design/methodology/approachThis paper serves as a response to the commentary by Erik Beulen in SOIJ Vol. 5 No. 1 titled “I'm working while they're sleeping: time zone separation challenges and solutions”.FindingsThe paper finds that we are still very much at the beginning of the “era of time zone dependent work.”Originality/valueThis futures analysis leads to the projection that many more individuals will be entering time zone dependent work. While technology may elevate some of the hardships of temporal separation, it will exacerbate others.
Are (male) leaders “feminine” enough?
Authors: Gartzia Leire , van Engen Marloes 
Published: July 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to further understanding concerning sex differences in leadership styles and to examine the mediating role of gender identity traits in these differences.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on previous research that has established that many aspects of leadership style positively related to leaders' effectiveness are associated with the female gender role. Consistent with this assumption, the authors examined a sample of 157 Spanish managers whether significant sex differences favouring women emerge in relevant leadership dimensions (i.e. individualized consideration, contingent reward and emotional intelligence) and whether gender identity traits may help to explain such differences.FindingsResults show that male leaders' lower scores in individualized consideration, positive contingent reward and emotional intelligence are partly explained by their lower identification with expressive traits. Furthermore, results indicate that integration of counter‐stereotypical traits into the self positively relates to effectiveness in the sense of use of a wider range of leadership styles for both women and men.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research could explore in more detail how sex differences in leadership styles are associated with gendered traits of identity in different countries, as well as whether a blend of masculine and feminine traits is predictive for a more multifaceted leadership style.Originality/valueThe findings are discussed in terms of how a gender perspective may help to better understand leadership effectiveness in contemporary organizations, especially in the case of male leaders.