bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Do women's networks help advance women's careers?
Authors: O'Neil Deborah A. , Hopkins Margaret M. , Sullivan Sherry E. 
Published: November 2011

PurposeThe use of women's networks is emerging as one method of advancing women's careers within organizations. However, the value of these networks has been questioned. The purpose of this study is to examine how potential differences in the perceptions of network members and the firm's executive leadership about the purposes and anticipated outcomes of a women's network may impact women's career advancement.Design/methodology/approachThe authors interviewed 21 members of an intra‐firm women's network and six members of the executive leadership team of a global organization. To examine the qualitative data, they used a process of thematic analysis to discover prevalent themes in the transcribed interviews.FindingsBoth members of the women's network and the executive leadership team placed responsibility for women's career advancement upon the individual; the firm's male‐dominated culture and organizational constraints were not emphasized. While members of the women's network recognized how the network could be used to contribute to the firm's strategic goals, the executive leadership team did not recognize the network's possible effect on the firm's bottom line.Originality/valueExamines how potential differences in the perceptions of network members and the firm's executive leadership about the purposes and anticipated outcomes of a women's network may impact women's career advancement.
Preliminary evaluation of personality disorder awareness workshops for prison staff
Authors: Maltman Lisa , Hamilton Laura 
Published: November 2011

PurposePositive professional attitudes towards personality‐disordered clients have been linked with extensive clinical and strategic benefits. The largest influences upon such attitudes are associated with staff training, supervision and support. This preliminary evaluation seeks to consider the effect of an introductory personality disorder awareness workshop upon trainees' attitudes towards personality disordered prisoners.Design/methodology/approachThe attitude towards personality disorder questionnaire (APDQ) was administered to prison staff (predominantly prison officers) immediately before the workshop and then re‐tested, on average, two months later.FindingsThe study sample (n=26) showed significant improvements on the “security versus vulnerability” APDQ sub‐scale. The remaining four sub‐scales and overall APDQ scores showed no significant change.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that personality disorder awareness training should initially engage with trainees' perceptions of their personal security and vulnerability when working with this client group, rather than aiming to increase liking, enjoyment and acceptance of such offenders.Originality/valueThis study marks a preliminary analysis of a new personality disorder awareness training programme.
A method to assess search engine results
Authors: Bar‐Ilan Judit , Levene Mark 
Published: November 2011

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to develop a methodology for assessing search results retrieved from different sources.Design/methodology/approachThis is a two phase method, where in the first stage users select and rank the ten best search results from a randomly ordered set. In the second stage they are asked to choose the best pre‐ranked result from a set of possibilities. This two‐stage method allows users to consider each search result separately (in the first stage) and to express their views on the rankings as a whole, as they were retrieved by the search provider. The method was tested in a user study that compared different country‐specific search results of Google and Live Search (now Bing). The users were Israelis and the search results came from six sources: Google Israel, Google.com, Google UK, Live Search Israel, Live Search US and Live Search UK. The users evaluated the results of nine pre‐selected queries, created their own preferred ranking and picked the best ranking from the six sources.FindingsThe results indicate that the group of users in this study preferred their local Google interface, i.e. Google succeeded in its country‐specific customisation of search results. Live Search was much less successful in this aspect.Research limitations/implicationsSearch engines are highly dynamic, thus the findings of the case study have to be viewed cautiously.Originality/valueThe main contribution of the paper is a two‐phase methodology for comparing and evaluating search results from different sources.
Comparing Google to a digital reference service for answering factual and topical requests by keyword and question queries
Authors: Vakkari Pertti 
Published: November 2011

PurposeThis paper seeks to evaluate to what extent Google retrieved correct answers to queries inferred from factual and topical requests in a digital Ask‐a‐Librarian service.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 100 factual and 100 topical questions were picked from a digital reference service run by public libraries. The inferred queries simulated average web queries. They were expressed as separate keywords and as questions. The top ten retrieval results were observed for each answer. The inspection was stopped when the first correct answer was identified.FindingsGoogle retrieved correct answers to 42 percent of the topical questions and 29 percent of factual questions by keyword queries. The performance of queries in question form was considerably weaker. The results concerning the characteristics of queries and retrieval effectiveness are also presented. Evaluations indicate that the public library reference services answered at least 55 percent of the questions correctly. Thus Google did not outperform the Ask‐a‐Librarian service.Originality/valueThe study introduces a new way of evaluating search engines by comparing their performance with other related services such as an Ask‐a‐Librarian service.
Using a Delphi method and the analytic hierarchy process to evaluate Chinese search engines
Authors: Zhu Qinghua , Tina Du Jia , Meng Fei , Wu Kewen , Sun Xiaoling 
Published: November 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop an evaluation criteria system for search engines using the Delphi method and the analytic hierarchy process, and to conduct an empirical study on Chinese search engines to verify it. This is because the evaluation criteria in current research rarely considers expert opinions and experience, and seldom calculates the weight of each criterion by quantitative methods.Design/methodology/approachExpert investigation of the web‐based Delphi method was employed to develop the evaluation criteria, and the analytic hierarchy process based on an exponential scale was adopted to calculate the weight of each criterion. An empirical study was designed to test the evaluation criteria system. A total of 12 study participants were invited to evaluate six popular Chinese search engines by means of e‐mail questionnaires. All the calculation processes were executed automatically by Java programming.FindingsThe indexing structure and search method were the core criteria for evaluating the search engines. Google (using simplified Chinese characters) achieved the best performance among the six typical Chinese search engines.Originality/valueThe criteria for search engine evaluation were determined and weighted by the web‐based Delphi method and the analytic hierarchy process based on an exponential scale.
Assessing the awareness of total quality management in Indian service industries
Authors: Talib Faisal , Rahman Zillur , Qureshi M.N. 
Published: November 2011

PurposeTotal quality management (TQM) has begun to influence national business systems and is widely seen as a “revolution” in management. TQM initiatives continuously search the needs of the customers and incorporate them in the organization on an ongoing basis. For this reason, the majority of research study has been undertaken in this field and is still going on across the world, especially in the developing countries, which are lagging behind in the implementation of TQM. Considering the above reasons, the purpose of this paper is to assess the awareness of TQM program in the Indian service industries.Design/methodology/approachBy means of a literature review and empirical data collected using a self‐administered instrument distributed to select Indian service companies, the awareness of TQM was investigated. A total of 172 useable survey instruments were included for the final analysis. This study sample consisted of a group of selected Indian service companies from healthcare, information and communication technology (ICT), banking, and hospitality industries. The data were analyzed using graphical representation approach, descriptive statistical analysis, and correlation analysis.FindingsThe analysis revealed the significance and usage of TQM in Indian service industries. The results also suggested that the Indian service industries are well aware of the TQM program, though more efforts need to be focused on implementing it properly, use of TQM models and frameworks, and continuously improving the ongoing TQM practices.Research limitations/implicationsIndian service managers show a stronger familiarity with TQM concepts and practices and they believe that TQM is a way of guaranteeing high quality products and services. Therefore, service companies should invest in TQM, as this could help them to improve competitiveness in the marketplace. Further, the Indian service managers and practitioners must be more concerned about the maintenance of standards and take a more dynamic approach towards TQM, thus preparing their company more effective for future challenges.Practical implicationsThe result provided in this paper will help in understanding the TQM awareness in the Indian service sector as a whole and suggest some additional improvements in the knowledge of TQM to the managers of Indian service industries which could enhance the level of TQM implementation and hence, business performance.Originality/valueThe assessment of TQM awareness in Indian service industries, along with the understanding of the concept of TQM, has been expanded in the literature on TQM in the Indian service industry.
A sustainable tourism mobility passage
Authors: Verbeek D.H.P. , Bargeman A. , Mommaas J.T. 
Published: November 2011

PurposeThe European Alpine region is an important tourism destination that at the same time faces environmental challenges. In aiming for a sustainable development of Alpine tourism, tourism boards and municipalities of 22 villages cooperate in the Alpine Pearls (AP) association. The main goal of the AP association is to develop an integrated, continuous passage for sustainable tourism mobility, which improves the possibilities for environmentally friendly travel to, between, and in the Alpine Pearls villages. This paper aims to focus on whether and how this “passage” enables tourists to travel smoothly, problem‐free and environmentally friendly to and in the Alpine region.Design/methodology/approachTo analyse the Alpine Pearls holiday, the authors use a theoretical framework based on the social practices approach (SPA), which offers a contextual approach to consumption behaviour. The dynamics between travellers and providers of sustainable tourism and travel services along the passage of the Alpine Pearls holiday are the main interest. Data have been gathered through participant observation and interviews with informants.FindingsThe research points, among other things, to the fact that the creation of a passage for environmental‐friendly Alpine holidays is complicated by the nationally organised railway infrastructures and the sectorially organised tourism industry.Originality/valueEvaluating sustainable tourism mobility passages on the level of holiday practices is a new contextual approach that can be of value to both tourism scholars and the tourism industry.
Enabling user to user interactions in web lectures with history‐aware user awareness
Authors: Ketterl Markus , Mertens Robert , Wiesen Christoph , Vornberger Oliver 
Published: November 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a user interface for web lectures for engaging with other users while working with video based learning content. The application allows its users to ask questions about the content and to get answers from those users that currently online are more familiar with it. The filtering is based on the evaluation of past user interaction data in time‐based media.Design/methodology/approachThe work is implemented as a prototype application in the context of the Opencast Matterhorn project – an open source based project for producing, managing and distributing academic video content. The application compares users viewing behavior and allows communication with others that are good candidates to answer questions.FindingsDifferent filtering approaches for identifying suitable candidates are being discussed that foster past interactions in time‐based media.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that web lectures can benefit from user awareness ideas and presents examples of how learners can benefit from the knowledge of other users who are working with the same video based content.Originality/valueUser awareness has become an important feature in today's Web 2.0 experience. The paper discusses different user awareness models and explains how they can be adapted to time‐based video content. The presented work is available as a plug‐in for the Opencast Matterhorn project.
An investigation on the role of multimodal metaphors in e‐feedback interfaces
Authors: Rigas Dimitrios , Alharbi Abdulrhman 
Published: November 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the usability (effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction) of e‐feedback interfaces. The experiment compares a traditional visual approach with a multimodal approach in order to determine the impact of multimodal metaphors upon the user's understanding, reasoning and engagement with the e‐feedback.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical investigation involved visual (text with graphical illustrations) and multimodal (audio‐visual with expressive avatars and recorded speech) experimental e‐feedback platforms. Both experimental platforms provided the same e‐feedback but used different interaction metaphors to convey the information. The evaluation approach measured effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction.FindingsThe results showed that the multimodal approach increased usability in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and engagement of users with the e‐feedback. There is a very clear prima facie case that combining different communication metaphors to convey information involved in the e‐feedback simultaneously does not increase the information overload on users. This however was observed to be the case when the visual channel was used.Originality/valueThis paper introduces a unique approach that uses specific combinations of multimodal metaphors to communicate information about e‐feedback simultaneously. This approach increased the usability of e‐feedback and user's engagement in interfaces for e‐learning applications.
A survey on internet‐enabled physical annotation systems
Authors: Alzahrani Ahmad A. , Loke Seng W. , Lu Hongen 
Published: November 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the related issues of physical annotation systems and also to study their historical development. Moreover, the paper provides a taxonomy of physical annotation systems, including augmented reality systems and concludes with future challenges concerning such systems.Design/methodology/approachThe authors first provide a review and a comparison of existing physical annotation systems. The authors' classification of the physical annotation systems is based on the capabilities they provide.FindingsPhysical annotation systems evolve as technology progresses. However, there are issues such as cognitive overload, trust, transient associations, and integrating of social networking with physical annotations.Research limitations/implicationsAs technology develops, physical annotations will become increasingly important in daily life. Hence, there are important research issues to address with regards to physical annotation systems.Practical implicationsNew better physical annotation systems are needed, which will change the way we do things in life, including personal memory, tourism, commerce, security, games, traffic management, entertainment and health.Social implicationsPhysical annotation systems will affect the relationships between people, between people and places and between people and things. There is a potential shift in the way people view the physical world, not only as what we see but as what we see through the devices we carry.Originality/valueThe paper is an original review of physical annotation systems; there does not seem to be many such reviews on this area. The paper presents a set of future challenges regarding such systems.
Towards probabilistic arbitration in sensors integration
Authors: Mohd Puzi Shazirawati , Salleh Shaharuddin , Ishak Ruzana , Olariu Stephan 
Published: November 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to model an important aspect of the problem of sensor information integration that arises in wireless communications, where N sensors try to communicate with a receiver using a single un‐shareable radio channel. If several sensors transmit at the same time, their transmissions collide at the receiver resulting in garbled messages and the need for re‐transmission. This is highly undesirable since the sensors are energy‐constrained and the radio interface is known to be the most significant source of energy expenditure. Consequently, it is of paramount importance to design arbitration protocols that are highly efficient in stamping out collisions and that are, at the same time, as lightweight as possible.Design/methodology/approachThe receiver advertises a time division multiple access (TDMA) frame consisting of n slots, numbered from 1 to n, where n is an application‐dependent parameter. Each sensor generates uniformly at random, and independently of other sensor, an integer i between 1 and n and transmits in the i‐th slot of the TDMA frame. If two or more sensors are transmitting in the same slot their messages will be lost to collision. Similarly, slots that carry no transmission are wasted. The authors model the arbitration strategy discussed above as a Bose‐Einstein occupancy problem where N indistinguishable balls are thrown at random into n distinguishable bins and all distinguishable outcomes are considered to be equally likely.FindingsIn this paper the authors present a distributed probabilistic mechanism that aims to arbitrate between several competing requests by various sensors for the radio channel. The mechanism is simple, energy‐efficient and does not rely on the existence of unique sensor identifiers (IDs).Originality/valueThe Bose‐Einstein occupancy model presented in this paper will help the receiver to tailor an appropriate number of timeslots in TDMA frame during the integration process, such that collisions are minimized, and hence integration between sensors can be done effectively.
A survey on information re‐finding techniques
Authors: Deng Tangjian , Feng Ling 
Published: November 2011

PurposeObserving that people re‐access what they have seen or used in the past is very common in real lives. The purpose of this paper is to review the subject of information re‐finding comprehensively, and introduce to readers the underlying techniques and mechanisms used in information re‐finding.Design/methodology/approachAfter analyzing users' information re‐finding behaviors and their requirements, the paper studies the natural way of re‐finding in human memory, and reviews state‐of‐the‐art techniques and tools developed in the fields of web and personal information management for information re‐finding.FindingsFour main re‐finding support techniques on the Web are: re‐finding tools in Web browsers; history service; re‐finding search engine; and voice‐based re‐finding. Three main re‐finding approaches are used in PIM: browse‐based approaches; content‐based search; and context‐based search.Practical implicationsFollowing the recalling mechanisms in human memory, the method of recall‐by‐context in both fields of web usage and personal information management can make users feel easy to re‐find information.Originality/valueThe paper gives a comprehensive overview of information re‐finding techniques.
ReClose: web page summarization combining summary techniques
Authors: Wenerstrom Brent , Kantardzic Mehmed 
Published: November 2011

PurposeSearch engine users are faced with long lists of search results, each entry being of a varying degree of relevance. Often users' expectations based on the short text of a search result hold false expectations about the linked web page. This leads users to skip relevant information, missing valuable insights, and click on irrelevant web pages wasting time. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new summary generation technique, ReClose, which combines query‐independent and query‐biased summary techniques to improve the accuracy of users' expectations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors tested the effectiveness of ReClose summaries against Google summaries by surveying 34 participants. Participants were randomly assigned to use one type of summary approach. Summary effectiveness was judged based on the accuracy of each user's expectations.FindingsIt was found that individuals using ReClose summaries showed a 10 per cent increase in the expectation accuracy over individuals using Google summaries, and therefore better user satisfaction.Practical implicationsThe survey demonstrates the effectiveness of using ReClose summaries to improve the accuracy of user expectations.Originality/valueThis paper presents a novel summary generation technique called ReClose, a new approach to summary evaluation and improvements upon previously proposed summary generation techniques.