bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessing the ecological soundness of organic and conventional agriculture by means of life cycle assessment (LCA)
Authors: de Backer Eline , Aertsens Joris , Vergucht Sofie , Steurbaut Walter 
Published: October 2009

PurposeSustainable agriculture implies the ability of agro‐ecosystems to remain productive in the long‐term. It is not easy to point out unambiguously whether or not current production systems meet this sustainability demand. A priori thinking would suggest that organic crops are environmentally favourable, but may ignore the effect of reduced productivity, which shifts the potential impact to other parts of the food provision system. The purpose of this paper is to assess the ecological sustainability of conventional and organic leek production by means of life cycle assessment (LCA).Design/methodology/approachA cradle‐to‐farm gate LCA is applied, based on real farm data from two research centres. For a consistent comparison, two functional units (FU) were defined: 1ha and 1 kg of leek production.FindingsAssessed on an area basis, organic farming shows a more favourable environmental profile. These overall benefits are strongly reduced when the lower yields are taken into account. Related to organic farming it is therefore important that solutions are found to substantially increase the yields without increasing the environmental burden. Related to conventional farming, important potential for environmental improvements are in optimising the farm nutrient flows, reducing pesticide use and increasing its self‐supporting capacity.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is a cradle‐to‐farm gate LCA, future research can be expanded to comprise all phases from cradle‐to‐grave to get an idea of the total sustainability of our present food consumption patterns. The research is also limited to the case of leek production. Future research can apply the methodology to other crops.Originality/valueTo date, there is still lack of clear evidence of the added value of organic farming compared to conventional farming on environmental basis. Few studies have compared organic and conventional food production by means of LCA. This paper addresses these issues.
Importance of health and environment as quality traits in the buying decision of organic products
Authors: Mondelaers Koen , Verbeke Wim , Van Huylenbroeck Guido 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to explore consumer preference for fresh vegetables labelled as organic in combination with health and environment related quality traits. The study decomposes organic farming into its main quality aspects and measures consumers' preference structure for organic, in general, and for specific organic quality traits in particular.Design/methodology/approachBy means of stated choice preference modelling, the following hypotheses are tested: consumers prefer health over environment related quality traits; the organic label plays a significant role in consumers' choice for organic products; organic farming is perceived as healthier and more environmentally friendly than conventional farming; purchase intention is mainly driven by health related quality traits; both health and environmental concerns influence purchase frequency, though to a different extent. The choice experiment was completed by 527 participants, with four repetitions per participant.FindingsThe health‐related traits score better than environmental traits in shaping consumer preference for organic vegetables. Consumers prefer organic products over B‐branded products, but not over A‐branded products, which suggests that consumers classify organic products among other quality niche products. However, they attribute a better score to the health and environment related quality traits of organic products, indicating a difference in quality cues between organic products and quality products in general. Price becomes less important, whereas presence of an organic label becomes more important with increasing buying intensity of organic vegetables. Undesirable traits, such as pesticide residue levels trigger a stronger response than desirable traits, such as environmental or health benefits.Original valueThe measurement of the role of health and environment quality traits in consumers' decision to buy organic or not is of relevance given the current debate on the factual differences between organic and conventional vegetables. Furthermore, the use of the stated choice preference to test the hypotheses is original and relevant.
Will international business always speak English?
Authors: Hurn Brian J. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show the development of English as the main international language for business, its advantages and disadvantages and the different variants of English.Design/methodology/approachThe paper discusses competition from other languages and emphasises need for British business itself to acquire fluency in foreign languages and thereby understand other cultures to gain competitive advantage. The author deplores HE's reduction in language teaching and stresses need for development of a simpler, standardised international English for business which can be more easily used by both English native speakers and others. The paper analyses the reasons for spread of English and its strengths and weaknesses and deduces need for a simpler form of international English for global business use..FindingsThe paper concludes that British business should itself acquire linguistic and cultural fluency in foreign languages as well as supporting ways of making English more standardised and simpler for foreigners to acquire.Originality/valueThe paper shows how British business competitive advantage can be increased by reducing linguistic complacency in parallel with supporting the development of a more effective means of communication in English in international business.
Dynamic organizational learning: a conceptual framework
Authors: Law Kris M.Y. , Gunasekaran Angappa 
Published: October 2009

PurposeOrganizational learning (OL) has been considered to be an effective developmental initiative in organizations that have a mission to develop, to sustain and to advance. There is a wide range of beliefs of thinking about what organizational learning is, how it occurs, and how it is applied and how it influences organizational development. Different perspectives are used to study OL by researchers from different disciplines. There is no clear and widely accepted depiction of the linkage between OL and its enabling factors. Such a comprehensive concept covering many aspects, such as organization science, organizational knowledge and learning, is difficult to achieve. The purpose of this paper is to determine the applicability of a conceptual model to describe OL as a continuous process.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a conceptual approach describing OL as a continuous process. Selected literature on various OL theories is reviewed.FindingsThe model not only describes OL as a continuous goal‐driven process, but also allows the understanding of the relationships with various influencing factors and facilitating the effectiveness of an OL framework.Originality/valueThe authors introduce a variant of a classic approach to analyze the OL process by describing OL as a continuous process. A model for successful OL by placing emphasis on the facilitative learning framework (FIF) is proposed.
The romance of the followe: part 3
Authors: Hurwitz Marc , Hurwitz Samantha 
Published: October 2009

PurposeIn the first two papers, the authors provided an overview of the research on followship and then presented a new model that extends understanding of it. This paper illustrates how the followship model can be used effectively to enhance organizations through coaching, mentoring, organizational change (enterprise‐wide reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions), high performer development, executive retention, new hire on‐boarding, leader development, and also in designing HR tools for performance management.Design/methodology/approachThis is a capstone article. As such, it summarizes key points made previously, discusses existing HR practices and how they can be improved, incorporates case studies on followship, and illustrates practical applications.FindingsLeaders must learn to model followship, and use it to solve staff performance issues. HR departments should include followship training to enrich development planning and, in the case of enterprise‐wide change such as mergers and acquisitions, speed and improve the results. Finally, providing followship training helps prevent executive derailment, improves Gen Y integration, and enhances the opportunities for high performers' career development.Originality/valueThis third and final article shows practical applications of ideas followship brings to organizational development. As such, it will be interesting to senior executives, high performance talent managers, executive coaches, and HR departments.
“Relevance” as a boundary concept
Authors: Nolin Jan 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThroughout its history, information retrieval has struggled to handle contradictory needs of system oriented and user‐oriented research. Information retrieval has gradually, starting in the 1960s, moved toward handling the needs of the user. This paper aims to consider the way boundaries toward the user and user‐oriented perspectives are drawn, renegotiated and re‐drawn.Design/methodology/approachThe central concept of relevance is seen as a boundary concept, complex and flexible, that is continuously redefined in order to manage boundaries. Five influential research papers from the 1960s and early 1970s are analysed in order to understand usage of the concept during a period when psychological and cognitive research tools began to be discussed as a possibility.FindingsRelevance does not only carry an explanatory function, but also serves a purpose relating to the identity of the field. Key contributions on research on relevance seems to, as a by‐product, draw a boundary giving legitimacy to certain theoretical resources while demarcating against others. The strategies that are identified in the key texts are intent on finding, representing, justifying and strengthening a boundary that includes and excludes a reasonable amount of complexity associated with the user.Originality/valueThe paper explores a central concept within information retrieval and information science in a new way. It also supplies a fresh perspective on the development of information retrieval during the 1960s and 1970s.
Complexity theory and the web
Authors: Tredinnick Luke 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the influence of complexity theory on the development of the web. It seeks to critique the role of complexity theory as a governing metaphor in the discourse of the web, and to examine whether complexity theory is able to provide an adequate description of the web, and its relationship to society and knowledge.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a critial review.FindingsThe paper establishes the influence of complexity in the discourse of the web and questions the adequacy of complexity theory to provide a description of the web and its relationship to cognition and society.Originality/valueThis paper explores the influence of a single concept (complexity theory) on the discourse and development of the web.
Complementarity – a concept for document analysis?
Authors: Skare Roswitha 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a discussion on the concept of complementarity and to show how it can work in a concrete document analysis.Design/methodology/approachStarting out with the question of whether it is correct to refer to Bohr's principle of complementarity in the field of document analysis, the paper discusses literature written on the subject, before it uses an example to show that it would be more accurate to view complementarity as a relationship between parts that form a whole, thereby not mutually exclusive.FindingsThe paper finds that the various approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive. They could be investigated either parallel to one another or nearly simultaneously, even though synchronous observation is not possible. The extent to which a complementary document analysis with an equal weighting of all aspects is actually feasible remains an open question.Originality/valueThe principle of complementarity is rather new in document analysis. The concept introduced by Niels W. Lund is discussed here for the first time.
Abstracting: information literacy on a professional level
Authors: Koltay Tibor 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to argue for a conception of information literacy (IL) that goes beyond the abilities of finding information as it includes communication skills. An important issue in this is that abstractors exercise IL on a professional level.Design/methodology/approachBy stressing the importance of the fact that information literacy extends towards verbal communication the paper takes an interdisciplinary approach, the main component of which is linguistics.FindingsIt is found that verbal communication and especially analytic‐synthetic writing activities play an important role in information literacy at the level of everyday language use, semi‐professional and professional summarising of information. The latter level characterises abstracting.Originality/valueThe paper adds to the body of knowledge about information literacy in general and in connection with communication and abstracting.
Information literacy skills among female students in Kuwaiti high schools
Authors: ur Rehman Sajjad , Alfaresi Sumayyah 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to measure the level of information literacy skills in Kuwaiti high schools.Design/methodology/approachSurvey method was used for this study. The population frame consisted of the female students in the 11th grade of the largest governorate in Kuwait “AL‐Asema” which reflected the conditions and environment of a majority of high schools in Kuwait. A cluster random sample was picked of 11th grade classes of girls’ schools in the governorate. The sample thus consisted of a total of 263 students in the randomly selected clusters. A questionnaire was designed and personally administered. Data thus collected were analyzed.FindingsIt was found that a majority of Kuwaiti high school students lacked skills in catalog searching and use, selection of information sources, formulation of search strategies, and selection of pertinent sources. Similarly, a majority of them did not make effective use of their public or school libraries. Most of them had not borrowed a book for more than 13 weeks.Originality/valueNo such research has been conducted in this region. This study provides useful analysis of the prevailing situation that might help in planning and managing information literacy programs in these schools.
The “author pays” model of open access and UK‐wide information strategy
Authors: Joint Nicholas 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to comment on recent trends in UK information strategy which aim to further the development of a coherent national “author pays” open access (APOA) research publication system.Design/methodology/approachA description of APOA national policy initiatives, which is put into a wider context by looking at some economic analyses of the principles underlying this form of open access. This is in turn followed by the author's own conclusions, which synthesise these two perspectives.FindingsIt is not at all clear that the economics of APOA are well enough understood to guarantee that the original aim of open access – to deal with unaffordable serials price inflation – will be achieved by a large scale move towards a national APOA system in the UK. An enhanced, nationally coordinated move geared towards establishing APOA on a proper footing would be a bold experiment, and, as such, it might not fully achieve its aims. In recognition of this possibility, it would be worth considering the establishment of a similar, enhanced, UK‐wide programme for the development of purely repository‐based open access materials, to be developed in parallel with an APOA system, as an insurance policy in case the author pays model does not realise its full potential.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper does not give any clear description of the nature of an enhanced, UK‐wide repository‐based open access programme. Further investigation would be required to ascertain if this suggestion is feasible. It may be the case that existing national initiatives aimed at supporting the growth of open access subject and institutional repositories have exhausted the potential for coordinated UK‐wide development of this strand of the open access movement.Practical implicationsThe insights provided give some idea of the practical difficulties of taking forward APOA systems on a national basis.Originality valueThis paper combines views taken from a variety of different sources in the hope that a fresh perspective on the issue of APOA is made available to the reader.
A critical evaluation of the curriculum development strategy of the LIS education programs in Sri Lanka
Authors: Wijetunge Pradeepa 
Published: October 2009

PurposeA comprehensive analysis of the LIS education system was carried out covering the 2004‐2007 period and it was established that currently 24 LIS education programs are conducted in Sri Lanka by eight educational institutions. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical evaluation of the curriculum development strategy of the LIS education programs in Sri Lanka based on the major research.Design/methodology/approachThe research used both quantitative as well as qualitative research methods to determine the present status of affairs and the study was based on primary and secondary data collected by means of questionnaires, semi‐structured interviews, participatory observations and review of documents. Primary data were collected from the LIS course co‐ordinators, teachers and policy makers. Researcher's own reflections were also used.FindingsThe empirical survey identified that six main subjects are taught across most of the LIS programs; that most programs provide a general knowledge in LIS but not opportunities for specialisation; appropriate levels of complexity were not evident across the different levels of programs; and there is no national core in LIS so that all programs cover a set of common subjects at appropriate depths and breadths suitable for different levels of programs. Findings with regard to the curriculum development strategies identified that most of the curricula documents are not comprehensive, and that the Sri Lankan LIS curriculum developers do not use any formal curriculum development model. Analysis of the curriculum development teams indicated that most members have no training in curriculum design, and the teams lack contributions by other stakeholders except LIS professionals. Several recommendations are presented to eliminate the weaknesses of the curriculum development strategy in the LIS programs.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is based on a broader empirical study of the LIS education system of Sri Lanka and throws some light on specific research on identifying the most appropriate curriculum development model for Sri Lanka.Practical implicationsThe findings of the research are directly applicable to the tasks of the curriculum developers and the LIS education policy makers in Sri Lanka and they can use the findings for the improvement of the LIS education programs.Originality/valueContents or the curriculum development strategy of the current Sri Lankan LIS education programs have not been critically analysed before and this paper presents the original research findings relevant to all the programs conducted in 2007.
An empirical examination of the effects of self‐efficacy, supervisor support and motivation to learn on transfer intention
Authors: Al‐Eisa Abdulkarim S. , Furayyan Musaed A. , Alhemoud Abdulla M. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeRecent developments in research related to training transfer have recognized transfer as a complex process rather than a product of training. Transfer intention has been viewed as the first and most crucial stage in the transfer process. Despite its importance in determining the extent to which training transfer can occur, transfer intention has not been examined sufficiently in the literature. This paper aims to address this deficiency.Design/methodology/approachFor the purpose of enhancing the knowledge and understanding of transfer intention as an important facet of the transfer process, the study was conducted to examine the influences of self‐efficacy as an individual‐level factor and supervisor support as an organizational‐level constituent on transfer intention. Owing to the paucity of research on transfer intention, the theoretical framework on the bases of which the hypotheses regarding the relationships between those two antecedents and transfer intention were constructed was partially supplemented by the Theory of Planned Behavior. The mediation role of motivation to learn in each of those relationships was also investigated, based on a series of regression analyses performed on the data collected from 287 public employees in Saudi Arabia.FindingsThe results showed that supervisor support was the most salient factor that affects transfer intention. Motivation to learn was found to influence transfer intention directly and to partially mediate the relationships of transfer intention with supervisor support and self‐efficacy.Originality/valueFurther analysis showed that supervisor support fully mediates the relationship between self‐efficacy and transfer intention.
Towards a multidisciplinary definition of innovation
Authors: Baregheh Anahita , Rowley Jennifer , Sambrook Sally 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to undertake a content analysis of extant definitions of “innovation” as a basis for proposing an integrative definition of organizational “innovation”.Design/methodology/approachA literature review was used to generate a representative pool of definitions of organizational innovation, including definitions from the different disciplinary literatures of economics, innovation and entrepreneurship, business and management, and technology, science and engineering. A content analysis of these definitions was conducted in order to surface the key attributes mentioned in the definitions, and to profile the descriptors used in relation to each attribute.FindingsThe key attributes in the paper present in definitions were identified as: nature of innovation; type of innovation; stages of innovation, social context; means of innovation; and aim of innovation. These attributes are defined, descriptors assigned to them, and both a diagrammatic definition and a textual definition of organizational innovation are proposed.Originality/valueAs a concept that is owned and discussed by many business disciplines, “innovation” has many different definitions that align with the dominant paradigm of the respective disciplines. Building on these diverse definitions, this paper proposes a general and integrative definition of organizational “innovation” that encompasses the different perspectives on, and aspects of, innovation, and captures its essence.