bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The influence of gender in academia: a case study of a university college in Sweden
Authors: Määttä Sylvia , Dahlborg Lyckhage Elisabeth 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to describe senior lecturers' experiences of and reflections on the influence of gender on their work and career possibilities.Design/methodology/approachEight informants, four female and four male university teachers, representing different schools at a Swedish university college were interviewed. A qualitative content method was used for analysis.FindingsThe findings revealed that the lecturers at the university college had an experience of academic gender neutrality. The findings also pointed to experiences of gendered practice that had been internalized and made normal. It also revealed that the lecturers did not consider or reflect on the gap between experiences of and reflections on gender neutrality and gendered practice.Research limitations/implicationsEven if the number of informants is small, the findings have something important to tell about the gap between gender‐neutral academia and practice in academia.Originality/valueThe findings imply that although the Swedish model of equality work has been successful in many ways, a confrontation on the micro‐political level is required to achieve a gender equality workplace environment and to increase women's career possibilities.
The logic of the gift and the bonding value: a new perspective for business management
Authors: Faldetta Guglielmo , Paternostro Sergio 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to conceptualize business relationships so as to include in these dimensions of both gift and gratuity, to develop the concept of “bonding value”, and to offer some ideas for the use of this within firms.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyses the concept of “bonding value”, distinguishing it from the concepts of “exchange value” and “use value” that are normally used in business, and attempts to investigate its practical implications.FindingsThe paper shows how evaluating both the relationships within the organization and between firm and stakeholders in terms of “bonding value” can have effects on the economic, organizational and social aspects of a firm's activities.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is a starting point of a possible conceptual path that should be directed toward the theoretical and practical use of “bonding value” in business. It is necessary to support the theoretical considerations with future empirical investigation showing the possibility of practical applications of the concept analysed.Practical implicationsThe main implication for business management is the possibility to propose “bonding value” and “gift logic” as new parameters in assessing whether or not a firm has achieved its institutional purposes.Originality/valueIn the past, “bonding value” has been studied mainly from a philosophical and sociological point of view. In this article we try to begin to address this issue specifically from a perspective of business management.
Towards a more humanistic understanding of organizational trust
Authors: Guillén Parra Manuel , Lleó de Nalda Álvaro , Santiago Marco Perles Ginés 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to propose a wider and more humanistic understanding of the phenomenon of trust and “trust building” through a dialogue between ethics and social sciences.Design/methodology/approachThis paper offers a constructive critical review of the explanation of trust proposed by Mayer et al. in their 1995 seminal article, and expands this by considering the ethical dimension and the role of virtues.FindingsThe integrative model of organizational trust by Mayer et al. lacks a specific reference to the role played by human will and the ability to make free choices. When assessing the trust built in a relationship, an explicit consideration of human will should be included in the related model, and specifically, reference to moral virtues and practical wisdom as elements involved in this trust‐building process.Practical implicationsIt improves the understanding of the dynamics of trust in human relationships, which is key, as numerous studies in management carried out over the past decades show. Having an increasingly clear and complete understanding of trust is fundamental to understand, analyze, develop and manage interpersonal relationships within organizations.Originality/valueThis article proposes a holistic conception of organizational trust, which allows for a more complete vision of the renowned model of Mayer et al. It does this by specifically considering the role of human will in both the trustor and in the trustee, and by incorporating an ethical vision which considers the trustee's perception on virtues and practical wisdom in the understanding of the phenomenon of trust.
Promoting sustainability literacy in construction students
Authors: Cotgrave Alison J. , Kokkarinen Noora 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe development of a model to promote sustainability literacy in construction students was described by the authors in a previous paper in this journal. This paper seeks to test the applicability of the model to determine whether it is successful in promoting sustainability literacy in a UK university.Design/methodology/approachA short intervention in the form of a project was designed to simulate the curriculum. Students were administered questionnaires before, during and after the intervention to track changes in their sustainable knowledge, skills and attitudes. A mixed method approach was used to analyse the data.FindingsThe model was successful in changing student attitudes significantly.Research limitations/implicationsConstruction educators may find the Paradigm for Sustainable Construction Curriculum Design model useful in revamping the way in which sustainable literacy is incorporated into construction courses which meet both student learning outcomes and professional body requirements.Originality/valueThis and the previous paper present a model which has been rigorously tested for its effectiveness and other higher education institutions may adopt the model to green their curricula.
Social networks and knowledge creation in the built environment: a case study
Authors: Akhavan Farshchi Mahtab , Brown Mark 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe production of the built environment, as any other industrial production, is a knowledge‐intensive process. Knowledge resides in many teams/parties who are involved in the creation or production process. This paper seeks to discuss the feasibility of social network analysis as a tool for understanding the process of knowledge creation through communication among team members in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a literature review of the characteristics of innovation, knowledge and social networks in a built environment context, a case study is presented. The case study investigates the networks in one project team in a planning and engineering consultancy, employing 5,500 people worldwide.FindingsThe network analysis revealed a problem with the project caused not by a widespread failure in social networks, but the isolated failure of one or two sub‐networks; however, these had a major impact on the performance of the project as a whole. The cause of this failure, while not clear, can be postulated as being in some part due to the lack of a collaborative culture across disciplines. Multi‐disciplinary projects are vulnerable because, while most (disciplinary) teams may function well, failure of just one will jeopardise the project as a whole – a chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Mechanisms do not exist for addressing failure, mid‐project, in social networks. The project‐centric nature of the sector is also an issue, in that project teams are in a constant state of flux with relationships being established, then staff moving on and a new set of relationships being developed. This does not support long‐term stable and trusting relationships.Originality/valueThe paper concludes that the use of SNA techniques has practical benefits for inter‐ and intra‐transfer of knowledge and information among team members.
A post‐occupancy evaluation (POE) study of student accommodation in an MMC/modular building
Authors: McGrath Paddy T. , Horton Marianne 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe use of modern methods of construction (MMC) has been advocated as a way of addressing some of the criticisms of the construction industry made in the Latham and Egan reports. This paper seeks to examine the current position of accommodation that has been built using modern methods of construction (MMC) particularly, volumetric/modular construction.Design/methodology/approachA literature review is followed by a survey of student occupants of such accommodation in Nottingham.FindingsThe main finding was that students chose their accommodation because of its locality to the university and factors that relate to the construction type are not high priorities. The main concern of the residents in the student accommodation is intrusive noise, which may come from external unspecified sources that are not related to the residents in neighbouring rooms. A low level of dissatisfaction indicates that the majority of residents were satisfied living in MMC/Modular build accommodation.Originality/valueModular build accommodation, if built within the requirements of its residents, is a satisfactory form of construction for multi‐space accommodation that could be used for future multi‐occupational premises. Modern methods of construction could benefit the UK's construction industry.
Evaluating the effectiveness of e‐learning system in uncertainty
Authors: Tseng Ming‐Lang , Lin Ru‐Jen , Chen Hui‐Ping 
Published: July 2011

PurposeElectronic learning (e‐learning) has gradually become an important part of university education. There is a trend among universities in Taiwan to offer more and more e‐learning courses. The effectiveness of teaching or learning in an e‐learning system can be quantified by multi‐criteria measures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching or learning in an e‐learning system measures in linguistic preferences.Design/methodology/approachA generalized quantitative evaluation model that considers both the interdependence among measures and the fuzziness of subjective perception is currently lacking in the literature. The results indicated that the fuzzy analytical network process is a simple, suitable, and effective method of identifying the primary measures that influence the effectiveness of e‐learning, specifically in the context of interdependent measures and varying linguistic preferences.FindingsThe most significant measures of e‐learning effectiveness were the quality of the e‐learning system and learner attractiveness. Enhanced usage of multimedia features can attract learner attention and may eventually increase learner attractiveness. Reducing the waiting time for learning materials to load may improve the quality of the system. Furthermore, the management should actively maintain and improve the responsiveness of instructors to learner inquiries.Originality/valueThe main contributions of this study are twofold. First, the evaluation can be considered as a complex‐dependence, hierarchical decision‐making problem. This study contains a review of the literature and identifies 21 criteria and five aspects to measure e‐learning system effectiveness. Second, this study integrates fuzzy set theory and the ANP to develop an evaluation model that prioritizes the relative weights of the proposed measures. The proposed method can be used to handle dependence within a set of measures and to construct a hierarchical structure.
Collaborative networks of memory institutions in digitisation initiatives
Authors: Manžuch Zinaida 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to research the approach of memory institutions to collaboration by analysing collaboration patterns in the networks developed in digitisation initiatives.Design/methodology/approachQualitative and quantitative content analysis of the comments about partners and contractors made by respondents of the NUMERIC survey on the progress of digitisation in European cultural institutions was performed. Several attributes of collaborative networks of memory institutions were analysed: their size, members by type of organisation, and visibility of collaborators of particular type. Additionally, comparative analysis of collaborative networks of archives, libraries and museums was carried out.FindingsMemory institutions did not approach collaboration strategically. They exhibited a low engagement in collaboration and focused on establishing resource‐sharing networks. Many of them established networks with the institutions of the same type.Research limitations/implicationsThe number of archives which provided comments about their networks was much fewer than the number of libraries and museums. It suggests that additional research on archives and their networks is needed to obtain more reliable data.Practical implicationsThe results of this research are useful for managers responsible for digitisation initiatives, evaluating and revising collaboration strategies; professional associations, governmental and advisory bodies working with memory institutions for planning, and providing support and advice in digitisation.Originality/valueThe results of this research would be relevant for professional associations, governmental and advisory bodies, working with memory institutions.
Applying the technology acceptance model to Iranian engineering faculty libraries
Authors: Sheikhshoaei Fatemeh , Oloumi Tahereh 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to study the determinant factors in the acceptance of information technology (IT) by librarians in the libraries of engineering faculties of public universities in Tehran.Design/methodology/approachThe Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is used as the research framework and the applicability of this model on the research population is studied. The constructs of TAM include its perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward use, and the intention to use IT. These are the independent variables that affect the dependent variable of IT use. The first six hypotheses of the research have been based on inter‐relationships between each pair of variables in the TAM. The applicability of the TAM model on the population of librarians is the seventh hypothesis. The survey method was applied for collecting data, using a questionnaire. The studied population included 160 librarians and the questionnaire was sent to all of them.FindingsThe research findings indicate that all independent variables in the framework of TAM affect the acceptance of IT, but the final results (R=0.033 for Model) indicate that the applicability of the TAM model to study this group is weak.Originality/valueThere is a lack of research of the acceptance of IT using the TAM model in Iranian organizations and libraries, as well as in libraries and in library science around the world.
Study on a SaaS‐based library management system for the Korean library network
Authors: Cho Jane 
Published: July 2011

PurposeRecently emerged Software as a Service (SaaS)‐based services show that it is possible to curtail cost on operation and maintenance and also to reduce additional expenses required for system upgrades. It also allows creating new values by consolidating resources of individual users on a provider's platform, which is effectively applicable to library networks for resource sharing. The aim of this study is to present a next‐generation SaaS‐based library management system and its operational model. In addition, the paper seeks to discuss the availability of knowledge‐based services for the system.Design/methodology/approachFirst, this study analyzes trends in open library environments, as well as issues in the operation of library management systems. Second, it examines differences between reference models of SaaS and those of ASP solutions, and case studies on recent applications of the approaches are also performed. Third, the study forecasts effects expected when the SaaS model will be fully applied to the library network. And finally, the study presents functional requirements and an operation model of SaaS‐based library management systems.FindingsIn this study a model of a SaaS‐based system which can apply library network is presented. The model is composed of: SaaS platform comprising application service layer, common service layer and service resources; network service platform to support information sharing between participating libraries and local libraries clients.Originality/valueThe SaaS‐based system will enhance the economic efficiency of local library operations and make available new functionalities on an on‐demand basis. Also, its feature, such as sharing a single platform among several libraries, facilitates resource sharing and knowledge‐based services.
Ethical reputation and value received: customer perceptions
Authors: Mulki Jay Prakash , Jaramillo Fernando 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis research seeks to explore the role played by ethical reputation in amplifying the positive impact of value received by the customer on satisfaction with the supplier and ultimately loyalty.Design/methodology/approachSurvey responses derived from 299 customers, concerning two large financial institutions within Chile, are used to test relationships among ethical perceptions, customer value, satisfaction, and loyalty. Hypotheses are tested with a structural equation model.FindingsResults show that ethical perceptions about the organization amplify the impact of customer value on customer satisfaction and eventually loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the existing literature by showing that ethical perceptions from customers can help financial institutions achieve higher levels of satisfaction and loyalty. Study findings rely on customer survey responses collected in one country and one industry. Generalizability of findings is yet to be tested.Practical implicationsEthical reputation helps financial institutions retain their customers.Originality/valueThis is the first study showing that customer perceptions about company ethics amplify the positive impact of customer value on customer satisfaction.
Team‐based rewards in computer‐mediated groups
Authors: Rack Oliver , Ellwart Thomas , Hertel Guido , Konradt Udo 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare effects of different monetary team‐based reward strategies on performance, pay satisfaction, and communication behavior in computer‐mediated groups.Design/methodology/approachIn a laboratory experiment, 32 groups of undergraduate students, each consisting of three individuals, interacted electronically and performed a consensus‐reaching task. Team‐based incentives were distributed either equally (each team member received an equal share) or equitably (each team member's share depended on her/his individual contribution). A control group received no team‐based (or other) incentives.FindingsHierarchical multilevel analyses revealed that both types of team‐based rewards increased team members' motivation and pay satisfaction compared to the control condition. Moreover, the effects of team‐based rewards on performance were moderated by group members' assertiveness. In addition, team‐based rewards lead to more cooperative and task‐oriented communication in the computer‐mediated groups. Finally, equally divided rewards led to higher pay satisfaction on average than equitably divided incentives.Originality/valueOn a research level, this study shows that team‐based rewards have positive effects not only on performance but also on communication behavior in computer‐mediated groups. As a practical implication, reward effects should be considered cautiously as they might be influenced by team members’ personality. Moreover, whereas no major differences were found between equity and equality principles in terms of performance, the latter seems to be preferable when satisfaction is a major issue in virtual teams.
Internal audit involvement in enterprise risk management
Authors: de Zwaan Laura , Stewart Jenny , Subramaniam Nava 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of internal auditors' involvement in enterprise risk management (ERM) on perceptions of their willingness to report a breakdown in risk procedures and whether a strong relationship with the audit committee affects such willingness to report. The study also investigates the use of ERM and the role of internal audit in ERM in Australian private and public sector entities.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses an experimental design, manipulating the internal auditor's involvement in ERM and the strength of the relationship between internal audit and the audit committee. Participants are 117 certified internal auditors. The study also gathers descriptive data on the use of ERM.FindingsThe study indicates that a high involvement in ERM impacts the perceptions of internal auditors' willingness to report a breakdown in risk procedures to the audit committee. However, a strong relationship with the audit committee does not appear to affect their perceived willingness to report. The study also finds that the majority of organisations have recently adopted ERM. Internal auditors are involved in ERM assurance activities but some also engage in activities that could compromise objectivity.Research limitations/implicationsThere are internal and external validity threats associated with the experimental design.Practical implicationsThe findings reinforce the need for organisations to adhere to the recommendations of the Institute of Internal Auditors and to ensure that internal auditors do not play an inappropriate role in ERM.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to our understanding of the impact of involvement in ERM on internal audit objectivity and of the current role of internal audit in ERM in Australia.
The effectiveness of audit committees for low‐ and mid‐cap firms
Authors: Sil Kang Won , Kilgore Alan , Wright Sue 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of recommendations made by the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) relating to audit committees in Australia, and whether they have improved financial reporting quality for low‐ and mid‐cap listed firms.Design/methodology/approachThe authors examine the relation between characteristics of the audit committee and financial reporting quality for listed companies not mandated to comply with these requirements, i.e. low‐ and mid‐cap firms. For a sample of 288 firms, the authors regress measures of audit committee independence, expertise and activity and size on alternative measures of earnings management.FindingsA significant association is found between all three characteristics and lower earnings management. The significant measure for independence is the proportion of independent directors on the audit committee; for expertise, it is that at least one member of the audit committee has an accounting qualification; and for activity and size, it is the frequency of audit committee meetings.Practical implicationsThe results provide support for the mandatory establishment of audit committees for the top 500 (high‐ and mid‐cap) firms introduced by the ASX and suggest those audit committee characteristics which could improve financial reporting quality for low‐ and mid‐cap firms.Originality/valueThe paper examines low‐ and mid‐cap firms in order to complement previous similar studies done for high‐cap firms. It identifies the effects on financial reporting quality of voluntarily choosing to have an audit committee and of the choice of audit committee characteristics, in the period after substantial corporate governance reform. It includes a new measure among audit committee characteristics, industry expertise, which is required in Australia and is new to the literature.