bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The library value deficit
Authors: Germano Michael 
Published: August 2011

PurposeWhile the great recession may have concluded more than a year ago, the lingering effects of state and local budget contraction and austerity are having a highly negative impact on libraries and librarians. The future for publicly funded libraries as institutions that promote learning, literacy, knowledge creation and entertainment is increasingly doubtful as publicly funded libraries across the country are seeing unprecedented levels of budget cuts. While the immediate cause of such reduced funding seems rooted in budgetary pressures, the reality is that library financial support is traditionally premised upon a publicly held assumption of goodwill for libraries and the societal benefits they represent. In order for libraries to survive the economic downturn and austerity measures put in place by government budgets, they need to rethink the role, purpose and benefits of library marketing in favor of a more sophisticated approach that conveys the unique value of their library and its offering to their specific user population. This paper aims to address this issue.Design/methodology/approachInformed by the author's extensive experience in marketing information services, the paper discusses the current trends in library marketing, especially those aimed at conveying the value of libraries, and ties them to relevant scholarship in the areas of services marketing and value creation.FindingsAssumed goodwill is inadequate to the task of competing for financial support in a post‐recessionary environment where expenditure of public funds is highly scrutinized. In order to survive long term, libraries of all kinds must take on a more sophisticated view of library marketing that focuses on value creation. Eliminating the old model of presumptive value in favor of one that utilizes the marketing process in order to communicate the competitive viability of libraries as place and content providers to their users in the form of targeted benefits that convey value, is critical. Simply put, if libraries hope to receive continued support in today's challenging fiscal climate they must elevate marketing to a critical operational function while focusing that marketing effort upon communicating the library's benefits and value to the users it serves.Practical implicationsAs a librarian, adjunct professor of marketing and former sales and marketing manager for a large information company, the author relies on his years of experience to convey a more purposeful sense of library marketing that is directed at communicating a library's unique value or worth to its users based upon an understanding of their needs, the benefits to them specifically as well as the competing options available to them in terms of information acquisition.Originality/valueThe paper shares specific ideas regarding the purpose, role and benefits of library marketing that are connected to improving perceptions of the worth of libraries and the perception of value to a specific community as a means of engendering future support for them.
Determining and navigating institutional culture
Authors: Walker Stephanie 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThis column seeks to address library personnel issues. This particular installment discusses the challenges of determining an organization's culture and the culture of any parent or supporting organizations. It also discusses some strategies for navigating organizational culture.Design/methodology/approachThe column is based on the author's substantial experience dealing with personnel matters in academic, public, and special libraries, including hiring for all types of positions. It is personal opinion, based on lengthy experience.FindingsThis article discusses the challenges inherent in learning about an organization's culture and the culture of any parent or supporting organizations. It also discusses a variety of strategies for navigating organizational culture, in order to foster success.Originality/valueThe column is intended to help people to deal with all types of personnel issues overall; this specific column is intended to help librarians deal with the challenges of determining the nature of an organization's culture, and of navigating this culture successfully.
Efficiencies and responsible staff stewardship: a library manager's critical self‐reflection
Authors: Harris Colleen S. 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the myriad non‐financial ways in which library managers can motivate employees and address performance issues, reducing attrition and increasing productivity and satisfaction without increasing salaries.Design/methodology/approachA critical self‐reflection summarizing the author's experiential learning as a new assistant department head tackling a library department's productivity and cost issues with staff processing of course reserves. After an initial description of the situation, the paper explores the theories that apply to the experience, and includes analysis of the experience in light of those theories. The article includes how application by one library manager of findings from motivation, trust, and leadership theory literature was able to reduce staff attrition, increase staff satisfaction, and reduce costs.FindingsThe literature from a number of fields demonstrates that there are areas aside from financial compensation that library managers can harness to increase the motivation and satisfaction of staff members. An awareness of the factors cited in these literatures can help library leadership and managers improve unit performance. As budgets continue to shrink and open positions remain unfilled, it is imperative library managers find creative, non‐remunerative, and effective ways to address staffing needs.Research limitations/implicationsThe continued economic and budget limitations facing libraries create implications for library leaders and managers in terms of replacing and rewarding staff members, and creating workflow efficiencies in necessary library services.Practical implicationsThis paper brings the issue of responsible staff stewardship and practical management to the forefront in an effort to engage library leaders and managers in a discussion about engaging with other discipline literatures for suggestions on how to maintain productive, satisfied staff while faced with fewer resources for rewarding good work.Social implicationsThe culture of library management practice could (and should) be affected by this issue, and the work in other disciplines may have wider application in terms of human resources management, distributions of managers' effort, and performance management issues in libraries.Originality/valueThe paper outlines one library manager's approach to an under‐performing library department, relating those approaches to factors identified in the broader literature as important to managers and leaders, and addresses the issue of how to address library service needs as budgets are stripped and staff attrition without replacement becomes regular practice.
The Yogi Berra school of library science
Authors: McMullen Anthony 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide insights into issues encountered in maintaining library technologies on a limited budget and with limited personnel.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses real world experiences to report on collection development decisions as they relate to electronic resources in an era of shrinking budgets.FindingsThe percentage of library budgets allocated for the acquisition of electronic resources has risen steadily in an online era. As state legislatures across the country cut funding, librarians must cut expenditures accordingly. With electronic resources comprising a large segment of overall expenditures, cuts in this area are unavoidable.Originality/valueThis paper examines the decision‐making process in the context of renewing or canceling underused electronic resources in an era of shrinking library budgets. It takes a humorous approach in suggesting that librarians need to look beyond emotions and base their decisions on facts.
Polish migrant workers in the UK hospitality industry
Authors: Janta Hania 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to draw from a wider study that explores the experiences of Polish migrant workers in the UK's hospitality sector across the UK. It seeks to focus on findings that reveal the profile of Polish migrant workers and the methods used for accessing employment by Poles in the UK hospitality sector.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on primary data collected through qualitative and quantitative methods, comprising an online survey, interviews and netnography.FindingsThe profile of workers emerging from the study indicates that those who work or worked in UK hospitality are predominantly young, female and highly qualified. Migrants work in various hospitality departments and an important pattern shows that they gradually move to jobs in supervisory and front‐of‐house positions. Informal methods for accessing employment used by highly qualified people suggest that migrants lack knowledge of local institutions and labour practices that would allow them to choose jobs that are more relevant to their qualifications.Research limitations/implicationsA principal limitation of this study, as with all internet surveys, is the difficulty in claiming the representativeness of the sample. This limitation is compensated by the use of other research methods.Practical implicationsThe research identifies three possible explanations for choosing jobs in hospitality. It further suggests practical implications for recruitment and selection.Originality/valueThis study aims to answer some of the “unknowns” about the profile of Polish migrants employed in the UK hospitality sector and to yield some insights into migrants' methods for accessing employment. It will therefore address the gap in the research.
A restaurant case study of lease accounting impacts of proposed changes in lease accounting rules
Authors: Singh Amrik 
Published: August 2011

PurposeNew lease accounting rules are proposed that will fundamentally change the way leases are accounted for and reported in financial statements. This paper seeks to provide information on the proposed new rules and to illustrate their impact on financial statements and financial ratios using a single restaurant company.Design/methodology/approachThe case of a single restaurant company, CEC International, is used to illustrate the potential impact of the new rules. Additional examples are used to illustrate the impact on financial policies. Financial statements were adjusted and various financial ratios such as interest coverage, leverage and profitability ratios were computed before and after capitalization.FindingsThe results show that financial statements presented will change dramatically when lease assets and liabilities are added to the balance‐sheet. The expense recognition pattern will change significantly and negatively impact performance measures such as interest coverage and capital ratios but improve cash flow measures such as EBIT and EBITDA.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations of this study include the assumptions used to capitalize leases such as interest rate, life of leases, no new leases, and exclusion of contingent rentals.Practical implicationsAll restaurant companies and managers must assess the costs and benefits of complying with the proposed new rules and start analyzing and evaluating their impact on existing debt agreements, executive compensation plans, and the lease versus buy decision.Originality/valueThis paper serves to inform restaurant managers about the potential implications of the new rules, so managers can prepare, plan and formulate strategies to mitigate their impact.
The role of expected future use in relationship‐based service retention
Authors: Lin Jiun‐Sheng Chris , Wu Chung‐Yueh 
Published: August 2011

PurposeCustomer uncertainty of future contacts with the service provider creates a wide range of expectations of the relationship. Such variation and effective management of customer expectations have been not been well studied. The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of customers' expected future use in relationship based customer retention for continuously provided services, proposing and testing an empirical model that explores the interconnectedness of relationship quality, expected future use and customer retention.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical framework is developed to suggest the role of expected future use in relationship‐based retention. Extant research from various academic fields, including marketing and psychology, is reviewed, deriving our hypotheses. Data collected from customers of a health club is examined through structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe study supports the assertion that that the effect of relationship quality (trust, commitment, and satisfaction) on service retention is mediated by customers' expected future use. Results show that relationship quality (satisfaction, trust and commitment) is related to expected future use and retention, while expected future is also related to retention.Research limitations/implicationsThis study represents an early attempt at exploring the role of customer's anticipation of future use in service retention. Future research is discussed, with an emphasis on developing additional indicators of relationship quality and future expectation related variables.Practical implicationsService firms can increase retention through enhancing relationship quality and expected future use. Customers' expected future use plays an important role in service retention, and represents a valuable marketing opportunity in customer relationship management. Marketing managers will find it beneficial to integrate expected future use into marketing communication, retention‐based marketing, and other marketing interactions.Originality/valueThis research represents one of the first studies in service retention literature by empirically examining the role of expected future use in relationship‐based retention. Existing theories of relationship quality may also be improved with such an inclusion of customer psychological mechanism. The model provides insights into the effects of customer's expectations of future usage on customer intentions beyond traditional relationship marketing models.
Implementing open source software to conform to national policy
Authors: Weilbach Lizette , Byrne Elaine 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation process of an open source (OS) enterprise management system in the South African Public Sector. Change management was observed in relation to challenges and opportunities in the alignment of the internal organisational changes to the imperatives of the national free and OS software policy.Design/methodology/approachAn interpretive case study, using interviews, observation and document review was used.FindingsAlignment of the organisational environment, change management strategies and technology is required to address many of the “common” change management challenges. However, information and communication technology policies are formed and adopted in a highly complex environment and have embedded property and power relations which impact the nature and direction of their implementation. In this case one of the main challenges arose from the alignment of internal organisational change to a national policy which did not seem to have the full support of the agency which was tasked with implementing it.Originality/valueMany of the challenges faced by the public sector department are commonly described in change management literature, such as inadequate consideration for the social context in which the change was to take place. What emerges from this paper is a caution that there is not a sole voice within government and in a multi‐levelled and multi‐sectoral institution there exist many different rationalities. The internal alignment of the divergent voices within government would be a prerequisite for the organisational environment, change management strategies and technology to be aligned.
Information literacy training for teachers in rural South Africa
Authors: Fourie Ina , Krauss Kirstin 
Published: August 2011

PurposeInformation literacy (IL) training for teachers in developing communities, e.g. rural areas or townships in developing countries, is expected to pose special challenges in terms of sustainability, contextualisation, life‐long learning and empowerment. Little has been reported on such training in developing countries. Based on the authors' involvement in a UNESCO‐funded IL training project for teachers in a developing community in South Africa, the purpose of this paper is to review literature and to suggest a model that can further research and training in IL that meets actual requirements and needs of developing communities.Design/methodology/approachLiterature reviews on four issues are reported on: ICT skills, teachers and developing/rural contexts; IL skills, teachers and developing communities; internet usage, search skills, teachers and developing communities; and lessons from ICT for development (ICT4D).FindingsICT4D literature and critical social theory seem useful to further research on IL training in developing communities as it empowers researchers to take up a position of enquiry that questions the value of ICT and the underlying assumptions embedded in the ways ICT is introduced in developing contexts. It is assumed that this would also apply to IL.Originality/valueThe contribution is original in its attempt to combine IL and ICT training for teachers in a developing community against an ICT4D background.
Dimensioning cultural diversity in eServices architectures
Authors: Thinyane Mamello , Terzoli Alfredo 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of a culturally sensitive and end‐user‐centric software architectural framework for the development of eService applications in information and communication technologies for development (ICTD) contexts. The research is undertaken within the Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL) in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachAction research is the approach undertaken in this research with an extensive literature review to inform the development of the architecture, which is later qualitatively and quantitavely validated.FindingsVarious factors have to be taken into consideration for technology solutions to be effective in their context of deployment. The authors have provided an architecture that intrinsically enables software solutions to be developed from the ground up with concern for flexibility for context sensitivity. The PIASK architecture separates the presentation, interaction, access, social networking and knowledge base components into five distinct functional layers. This architecture is validated for: technical viability through a development of a knowledge portal in SLL; cultural sensitivity through Dooyeweerd's theory of modal aspects; and user centricity using a SALUTA‐based evaluation.Practical implicationsThe successful evolution of any society towards a knowledge society is predicated on technology solutions that embrace and that are sensitive to the socio‐cultural diversity of that society. The PIASK architecture developed in this research is a tool that can be used in the realization of services and applications for ICTD contexts in South Africa and other third‐world countries.Originality/valueThe software architecture developed specifically for ICTD contexts to encapsulate context sensitivity and user centricity is the primary and novel contribution of this research.
Comparing immigrant and US born Hispanic business professionals
Authors: DelCampo Robert G. , Jacobson Kathryn J.L. , Van Buren Harry J. , Blancero Donna Maria 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study comparing perceptions of discrimination for immigrant and US‐born Hispanics, focusing on Hispanic business professionals.Design/methodology/approachData were collected via nationwide survey of over 1,500 Hispanic business professionals and analyzed via analysis of variance.FindingsNo significant differences with regard to perceptions of discrimination were found, although both groups reported some level of discrimination. Immigrants had comparatively lower salaries and higher levels of Hispanic identity, yet, no differences in job satisfaction between groups were found. Post hoc analyses found that immigrants were significantly more likely to seek out mentors and US‐born Hispanics were more likely to join affinity groups at work.Practical implicationsToo often, immigrants are misunderstood and mistreated in the workplace. The present study provides an examination of how immigrants might perceive these differences and potential avenues for employers to assess this valuable segment of the workforce are suggested.Originality/valueThe present study creates the groundwork for more future in‐depth studies of the immigrant work experience. To this point, little research has been done on the discrimination perceptions of immigrant populations. The present study compares the perceptions of US‐ and foreign‐born Hispanic professionals.
Narratives on Chinese colour culture in business contexts
Authors: Kommonen Kirsi 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThis research is interested in how dynamics in negotiating cultural meanings in the globalizing market place in China become visible in one particular aspect of culture: colour culture. The purpose of this paper is to explore the provenance of some of the many potential meanings invested in colours in contemporary China, and how and why these influence international business, communication, design and marketing management in particular.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative empirical study with ambition for an emic cultural approach to Chinese colour culture. Narrative analysis of accounts by Chinese colour professionals participating in a focus group interview, and by individually interviewed managers with extensive experience in Sino‐Finnish business are reported in narrative format.FindingsThe findings support the proposed existence of a phenomenon which the author has named “Colour culture” – a cultural set of meanings that are invested in colours. Unexpectedly, the empirical study proposes a strong tendency towards these meanings being value based in China. Visual manifestations of cultural values appear to be dynamic and dependent on context.Research limitations/implicationsThe current study does not offer generalizable prescriptions for contextual colour usages. The explorative, qualitative nature of this study serves as a basis for contextual and quantifiable future research on the phenomenon.Practical implicationsSince, for the Chinese, colours manifest cultural values and are highly emotional, not only linguistic, but also visual translation of communication is needed. For international communication, design and marketing managers, this further implies a need for contextual understanding of local colour culture.Originality/valueRecognizing the existence of colour culture and its value‐based proposition in China opens up new research avenues and practical considerations for cross‐cultural studies.