bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In‐service training for academic librarians: a pilot programme for staff
Authors: Shepherd Eileen 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the need for continuing professional development for librarians in academic libraries in general and at Rhodes University Library, South Africa, in particular. It aims to describe the planning, design, implementation and evaluation of a staff‐development and training pilot programme for professional librarians at Rhodes Library.Design/methodology/approachA group of 15 librarians, drawn from the library staff complement, participated in an eight‐session training course developed by information services librarians. The course, which covered basic information‐finding skills using a variety of research databases and offered an introduction to concepts in twenty‐first century academic librarianship, was presented using course management software in a face‐to‐face environment and required homework exercises and the completion of a two‐hour final test.FindingsResults of the project demonstrated the urgent need for such development programmes for professional library staff. Of the participants, 80 per cent completed the course. The final test results indicated below average database search skills and an inability to think laterally. An unexpected finding was a lack of IT competencies. Important lessons were learned with regard to course‐construction, content and timing.Originality/valueThe paper illustrates that, by testing a variety of competencies expected of professional academic librarians, this programme provided invaluable data and guidelines on which further continuing staff development courses could be based.
Retrieval of bibliographic records using Apache Lucene
Authors: Milosavljević Branko , Boberić Danijela , Surla Dušan 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe aim of the research is modeling and implementing a software component for the retrieval of bibliographic records using the Apache Lucene retrieval engine.Design/methodology/approachObject‐oriented methodology is used for modeling and implementation of the bibliographic record retrieval engine. Modeling is carried out in the CASE tool that supports the unified modeling language (UML 2.0), while the implementation is using the Java programming language and open source components.FindingsThe result is a software component for the retrieval of bibliographic records that are independent of the bibliographic format used in cataloging. It features great flexibility in terms of configuring search types without the need to change the software implementation.Research limitations/implicationsOne of the constraints of this system relates to the problem of searching linking entry fields. UNIMARC format defines fields used to link the item being cataloged to another bibliographic item, so those fields may contain other fields, which can be termed secondary fields. In this proposed solution, secondary fields are treated as all other fields and there is no information whether the search term belongs to the secondary or a regular field.Practical implicationsThe proposed solution is integrated into library information system BISIS, version 4. This version of the BISIS system is in use at university, public and special libraries. By introducing this version, system performance as well as flexibility of the indexing process are improved and at the same time librarians are able to perform sophisticated and effective retrieval of bibliographic records.Originality/valueThe contribution of this work is in the design of a customizable record retrieval component. It is configured by means of an XML document for specifying mapping rules between subfields of the bibliographic record format and search types. By using XML it is possible to add new mapping rules without additional programming. In addition, great attention has been paid to the indexing of subfields that contain punctuation marks having special semantic meanings for librarians and the transliteration between Cyrillic and Latin scripts. Also, originality of this work lies in using the Apache Lucene search engine, which facilitates building highly flexible and efficient retrieval systems.
Internet access and use
Authors: Ani Okon E. 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent and level of internet access and use by undergraduate students in three Nigerian universities as well as the electronic resources used by these students on the internet.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was the research method used for data collection. Questionnaires were distributed to undergraduate students in three public universities in Nigeria: University of Calabar, Calabar; University of Uyo, Uyo, and Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal that the internet is extensively used by undergraduate students in the surveyed universities. There is inequitable access to the internet, as students mostly rely on private/commercial internet cybercafés – both on and off campuses – for their access and use. Access to the internet in the university libraries, departments/faculties and university computer/ICT centers is grossly poor; this is due to lack of poor internet infrastructure and connectivity and non‐sustainable internet services in these universities. In spite of the extensive use of the internet, there exists a poor level of use of electronic resources such as the electronic journals and online databases which are essential for learning and research. The findings of the study have also revealed the need for effective user education on internet access and use in university libraries in Nigeria for optimal utilization of electronic information sources.Originality/valueThe paper will be useful for those in decision‐making roles as it reveals the need for the provision of relevant internet infrastructural facilities in Nigerian universities to enhance equitable and sustainable access to the internet by the students to support their academic activities.
Quality assessment of academic libraries' performance with a special reference to information technology‐based services
Authors: Babalhavaeji Fahimeh , Isfandyari‐Moghaddam Alireza , Vahid Aqili Seyed , Shakooii Ali 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe present paper's purpose is to review the literature related to quality assessment and performance evaluation in academic libraries, whether empirical or theoretical, and to extract key issues. It aims to explore which criteria exert a significant relationship with the academic libraries' performance quality; identify a set of criteria that appears to be useful for assessing the quality of academic libraries ITBS; and use these criteria to develop an instrument or evaluation checklist for evaluating the quality of academic libraries ITBS.Design/methodology/approachRelated keywords such as “academic libraries research”, “academic libraries evaluation”, “academic libraries assessment” were searched on the web as well as some leading databases. In addition, available library resources as well as online book databases were consulted. Key issues were identified, categorized and discussed to develop the evaluation checklist suggested by the paper.FindingsA number of indicators have been developed and tested in quality assessment studies debated in the paper. The literature reveals that evaluating ITBS in academic libraries should be considered to a greater extent and thus, more evaluation studies on the basis of validated tools are needed.Research limitations/implicationsThe review does not claim to be comprehensive.Originality/valueThe paper can serve as a research roadmap concerning quality assessment of ITBS in academic libraries for researchers, managers, academic authorities and users.
Effects of perceived service fairness on emotions, and behavioral intentions in restaurants
Authors: Namkung Young , Jang Soo Cheong (Shawn) 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThis study aims to investigate interrelationships among perceived service fairness, emotions and behavioral intentions in a restaurant context.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from two casual dining restaurants in the USA. The data were analyzed following Anderson and Gerbing's two‐step approach, utilizing both a measurement model and a subsequent structural model.FindingsThis study shows different roles for each fairness perception in relation to emotions and behavioral intentions based on the Mehrabian‐Russell model. Setting reasonable prices and providing efficient services in a timely manner were found to be the key to negate negative emotion. At the same time, the findings suggest that providing high‐quality tangible outcomes and intangible services are critical to evoke positive emotions and eventually to generate future favorable behaviors.Research limitations/implicationsThe data were collected from only casual dining restaurants. Therefore, generalizing the results to other segments of the restaurant industry may not work.Practical implicationsThe results of this study can help restaurant managers to develop more effective and efficient strategies for ensuring fairness, thus resulting in higher levels of customer retention and profits.Originality/valueCompared with previous fairness studies, which have focused exclusively on the role of justice after service failure and recovery, this study considers all service delivery contexts (with or without service failure) in order to provide a richer portrait of service fairness. Also, this study contributes to the services marketing and consumer behavior literature by shedding light on the issue of “fairness” as an axiom for evaluating services in restaurants.
Branding places: applying brand personality concept to cities
Authors: Demirbag Kaplan Melike , Yurt Oznur , Guneri Burcu , Kurtulus Kemal 
Published: August 2010

PurposeIn recent years, brand personality as a branding construct has received considerable interest, which has led to a significant effort to develop tools to measure the personality of brands. Although the majority of these studies have focused on the brand personality of conventional product brands, the new boundaries of marketing obviously necessitate the application of branding constructs to non‐traditional products such as places. This study aims to focus on brand personalities of places, and to examine the applicability of this concept for city brands.Design/methodology/approachThe research employs a factor analysis method based on data collected from 898 college students.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal that differentiating places with regard to their brand personalities is achievable. The paper introduces two new dimensions of brand personality for cities.Originality/valueThe extraction of two new factors that contribute to place brand personalities is considered a major contribution of this research to the marketing literature.
Ethical products and consumer involvement: what's new?
Authors: Bezençon Valéry , Blili Sam 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an adequate instrument to measure involvement, its antecedents and its impact on behaviours relating to ethical product consumption, using the case of fair trade.Design/methodology/approachBased on an in‐depth analysis of the involvement literature and the specificities of ethical products, a model is derived using a hypothetico‐deductive approach. It is then analysed using structural equation modelling.FindingsThe new construct specific to ethical products is a strong predictor of involvement. In addition, the involvement in the ethical aspect of products is much stronger than the involvement in the product category to explain selected consumer behaviours.Research limitations/implicationsIt is likely that highly involved consumers are more prone to participate in such a survey, which limits the representativeness of the sample.Practical implicationsBeyond the theoretical contribution for ethical consumption analysis, practical implications for fair trade marketing can be derived. A section of the article discusses how to improve fair trade products' communication, how to make those products more competitive, and who should distribute them.Originality/valueCurrent generic involvement models are insufficient to apprehend ethical consumers, who constitute a market in constant expansion. This research fills this gap by providing an original instrument which distinguishes the product‐specific involvement from the involvement in the ethical values carried by the product.
Relationship quality evaluation in retailers' relationships with consumers
Authors: Vesel Patrick , Zabkar Vesna 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of the article is to investigate relationship quality in retail relationships as influenced by its antecedents (loyalty programme quality and personal interaction quality) and resulting in customer loyalty to the retailer. The focus is on loyalty programme members' perceptions and differences between segments of consumers with different levels of involvement in the product category.Design/methodology/approachThe method used was a consumer survey. Two waves of cross‐sectional telephone interviewing with 116 and 410 members of a retail loyalty club were conducted. Structural equation modelling served for the estimation of relationships in an integrated conceptual framework among constructs of loyalty programme quality, personal interaction quality, relationship quality and loyalty, relevant to the development of retail relationships.FindingsThe findings suggest that loyalty programme quality is important for relationship quality; however, efforts to assure personal interaction quality with customers are needed to improve relationship quality as well as customer loyalty. The study deepens knowledge of relationship quality's antecedents and consequences in the retail environment with regard to segments of customers with different levels of product category involvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to members of a selected DIY retailer's loyalty programme, not accounting specifically for membership in multiple loyalty programmes. Future research could use different methodologies such as longitudinal studies to examine dynamic relationships among the constructs in the study.Practical implicationsIn the retail context, practical implications of the impact of loyalty programme quality and of personal interaction quality on relationship quality and customer loyalty are considered.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the understanding of members' perceptions and responses to relationship quality as well as to some mechanisms underlying customer loyalty in loyalty programmes.
Consumer evaluation of technology‐based vertical brand extension
Authors: He Hongwei , Li Yan 
Published: August 2010

PurposeLittle research on brand extension observes the role of technological levels between parent brand and brand extension on consumers' attitudes toward brand extension. The present study aims to explore how consumers evaluate technology‐based brand extension and how technologic direction interacts with brand loyalty and fit in affecting brand extension evaluation.Design/methodology/approachA field experiment (n=200) was conducted. Participants were assigned to two equal‐number groups that differed in the technological direction of brand extension (i.e. upward extension versus downward extension).FindingsThis field study finds that downward brand extension is generally evaluated more favourably due to its positive effect on perceived fit; technological direction moderates the effect of fit on brand extension – fit has stronger positive effect on downward brand extension than on upward brand extension; fit moderates the effect of brand loyalty on brand extension – when fit is high, brand loyalty's effect is positive, whereas when fit is low, brand loyalty can have negative effect on brand extension; and the moderating effect of fit on brand loyalty is further moderated by technological direction of brand extension – for upward brand extension, the moderating effect of fit on brand loyalty is as general, but for downward brand extension, fit enhances the effect of brand loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsThe results lend significant new insights to brand extension research by showing that the effect of brand loyalty on brand extension is moderated not only by fit but also by technological direction, and that the moderating effect of fit on brand loyalty's effect on brand extension is further dependent on the technological direction.Practical implicationsFor the management of upward brand extension – where a lower‐tech brand extends to a high‐tech product, more care and caution should be taken, since brand loyalty could have a negative effect if the upward brand extension is not perceived to fit the parent brand image. Thus, it becomes extremely important to manage the fit between the lower‐tech parent brand and the higher‐tech extended product.Originality/valueThis is one of few studies examining the effect of technology on brand extension. The major original finding of this study is that the effect of brand loyalty on brand extension is moderated by fit, whose moderating fit is further moderated by technologic direction of brand extension.
International strategies of emerging market firms
Authors: Eren Erdoğmuş İrem , Bodur Muzaffer , Yilmaz Cengiz 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThis study aims to develop and test a theoretical model to delineate the effects of target market characteristics, firm characteristics and strategic resources, and product characteristics on standardization decisions in brand management of emerging market firms. The effects of standardization on brand performance in international markets are also to be explored.Design/methodology/approachThe study develops a model based on the extant literature and tests its relevance through a survey of eligible managers in charge of international brand operations of 94 strategic business units in Turkey.FindingsThe empirical findings indicate that several factors exist as significant drivers of standardization decisions at various levels of brand management. Interestingly, even though firm characteristics and strategic resources were found to be the most critical drivers of brand performance, standardization versus adaptation approaches did not have any significant impact on strategic brand performance.Originality/valueThe study takes a standardization perspective to strategic brand management in international markets and tests it from the perspective of emerging markets.
The effect of personality on response to sexual appeals
Authors: Black Iain R. , Organ George C. , Morton Peta 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the role of personality in how people respond to sexual appeals in advertising. The impact of three traits (extraversion, neuroticism and openness) was tested.Design/methodology/approachA mixed‐factor experimental design was used. Gender, level of sexual appeal (manipulated over two levels) and participants' standing on each of the three personality trait scales were the between‐subjects factors. Relevance of the product to the appeal, which was also manipulated over two levels, was the within‐subjects factor. The sample comprised 156 undergraduate students, and each student was randomly assigned to either a mild appeals or an overt appeals condition.FindingsThe results show that levels of extraversion and openness directly affect responses to advertisements as measured with attitude towards the advertisement.Research limitations/implicationsRecommendations are made, including that overt sexual appeals should not be used on a target audience of “introverts”, or people who are characterised as quiet, shy and reserved.Originality/valueThis research extends existing work on the effect of individual differences on consumers' reactions to advertising and is the first to show that personality traits affect responses to sexual appeals.
Consumer‐retailer emotional attachment
Authors: Vlachos Pavlos A. , Theotokis Aristeidis , Pramatari Katerina , Vrechopoulos Adam 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to investigate loyalty building and the creation of affectionate bonds in the consumer‐firm dyad.Design/methodology/approachThe study relies on face‐to‐face personal interviews in the context of grocery store retailing.FindingsThe results identify the significant predictors of consumer‐firm emotional attachment to be firm trust, trust in employees, likeability of service personnel and likeability of co‐consumers, shopping enjoyment, self‐expressiveness, place dependence, and place identity. Consumers' self‐enrichment, self‐gratification and self‐enablement likely influence emotional attachment, which in turn is a strong predictor of behavioral loyalty and word of mouth. Attachment anxiety appears to multiply the effects of emotional attachment on behavioral loyalty and word of mouth.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross‐sectional nature of the study precludes definitive conclusions concerning causality between the constructs utilized. The data come from the supermarket retail channel, limiting the generalizibility of the results.Practical implicationsAs the results suggest that the consumer's self‐enrichment seems to be the most important factor in determining emotional attachment, managers should incorporate the notion of emotional attachment into strategic performance management systems.Originality/valueThe study incorporates the notion of consumer heterogeneity into the relationship anxiety construct, arguing in favor of a non‐additive consumer‐firm emotional attachment nomological network.
Formulating service business strategies with integrative services model from customer and provider perspectives
Authors: Liu Chun‐Hsien , Wang Chu‐Ching 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to construct an integrative service model from customer and provider perspectives so that it can be utilized to formulate service business strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe concepts of the resource‐based view (RBV), customer co‐creation and service modules obtained from a literature review are combined to construct a mathematical model. Based on the model, business strategies are formulated by utilizing existing marketing and service frameworks.FindingsInnovative services can be generated from the model after combining different core services. To gain competitive advantage in a changing environment, a feedback mechanism should be used to provide dynamism.Research limitations/implicationsAn empirical test of the model could be undertaken as a future study to test the validity of the model. Adding more attributes to give the model finer resolution will increase the complexity of the model. Extending the application of the model to firms' internal departments will mean that the relationships between departments have to be reinvestigated.Practical implicationsObtaining the salient attributes with the heuristics of the 80‐20 rule and the large number principle means optimization of resource utilization under the condition of customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThe model, developed by combining the concepts of RBV, customer co‐creation and service modules, is an innovative tool for the formulation of service business strategies.