bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors influencing information‐seeking intentions and support for restrictions
Authors: Lu Hung‐Yi , Dzwo Tzong‐Horng , Hou Hsin‐Ya , Andrews James E. 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThis study aims to examine factors influencing information‐seeking intentions and support for restrictions related to the threat of arsenic‐contaminated frying oil.Design/methodology/approachA telephone survey using a systematic random sample of 566 respondents in Taiwan was employed to test all hypotheses proposed in this study.FindingsResults from the structured equation model show that news attention and elaboration significantly and positively predict information‐seeking intentions, while optimism significantly and negatively predict information‐seeking intentions; and information‐seeking intentions significantly and positively predict support for restrictions.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study imply that increasing risk perceptions and providing useful information while facing the threat of food safety are of central importance.Originality/valueThe current study provides an appropriate opportunity for developing a model for better understanding the interaction among news attention, news elaboration, optimism, information‐seeking intentions, and support for restrictions as Taiwanese face the threat of arsenic‐contaminated frying oil.
The influence of library manager styles on continuing education of university library practitioners in Vietnam
Authors: Hong Sinh Nguyen , Dorner Daniel G. , Gorman G.E. 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to examine and then discuss the positive and negative influences of library manager styles on the engagement of Vietnamese university library staff in continuing education (CE) activities to improve their work performance.Design/methodology/approachBased on the relevant literature, a preliminary contextual model of factors affecting CE for university library practitioners in Vietnam was developed. Using the model as a framework to guide the data gathering, 17 focus group interviews were held with operational staff and ten individual semi‐structured interviews were conducted with library managers at ten public university libraries across Vietnam.FindingsThree main managerial styles were identified, i.e. directive, decisive and formalistic styles, each of which affected academic library staff CE in different ways. These styles were reflected in the ways the managers operated their libraries and assessed their staff, as well as in the ways they dealt with and coordinated CE activities.Research limitations/implicationsThis research focused only on public university library staff and managers in Vietnam.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates that different managerial styles influence the engagement of Vietnamese university library staff in CE activities in different ways, and recommendations are provided to help academic library managers, regardless of their location, establish strategies to support the development of their staff through participation in CE activities.
Tenure support mechanisms provided by the Faculty Research Committee at Texas A&M University Libraries
Authors: Stephens Jane , Sare Laura , Kimball Rusty , Foster Margaret , Kitchens Joel 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe Research Committee at Texas A&M University (TAMU) Libraries provides a model of tenure support that includes funding of research projects and an annual Research Forum. The purpose of this article is to review these support mechanisms and their outcomes. An argument for the benefit of such a model is presented.Design/methodology/approachTenure support provided by the Research Committee and the broader supportive environment in which it functions is described. Each supported project was reviewed to determine its outcome (publication or conference presentation).FindingsThis model of support benefits tenure‐track librarians at Texas A&M University Libraries.Practical implicationsThis model of support would likely benefit other academic libraries that require librarians to engage in scholarly communication. Thus this paper should be of interest to academic librarians and to library managers seeking to enhance tenure support for their faculty librarians.Originality/valueMuch of the literature on tenure support advocates mentoring. While TAMU's Research Committee functions within a library that requires mentors for its untenured faculty, this article provides an argument for the retention, or adoption of the kind of support provided by TAMU's Research Committee, including research funding and the opportunity to present research results to colleagues.
Library volunteerism outcomes: what student volunteers expect
Authors: Tikam Madhuri 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the outcomes of the Library Volunteerism Program of student volunteers in a college library of Mumbai.Design/methodology/approachThe survey and interview method was used to collate the achieved outcomes and expectations of 112 student volunteers who participated in the Library Volunteerism Program.FindingsThe Library Volunteerism Program strengthened the library‐student bond. Though the student volunteers felt satisfied about making an important contribution to the organisation, they rarely found it personally fulfilling. The volunteers expected more substantial outcomes and flexibility from the Library Volunteerism Program.Practical implicationsThe study found that making the volunteerism experience more exciting, challenging and beneficial to the volunteers is essential for developing a long‐lasting and mutually beneficial relationship between the volunteers and the library. The suggested guidelines should allow similar libraries to design an effective library volunteerism program.Originality/valueThis is the first paper which discusses library volunteerism outcomes in the college libraries of India.
Organizational aspects of digitization projects in the Croatian public libraries
Authors: Vrana Radovan 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to present findings from research in the Croatian public libraries on organizational aspects of digitization projects.Design/methodology/approachThis research article is based on research done in 152 public libraries in Croatia invited by e‐mail to participate in the web survey, which was chosen as the most appropriate tool for investigating geographically dispersed libraries.FindingsFindings from the survey indicate a modest number of public libraries engaged in digitization projects. These results can be attributed to unfavorable conditions for initiation of digitization projects. Almost half of public libraries plan to launch digitization projects as soon as necessary conditions for digitization become favorable. Digital content available in the surveyed public libraries already received a positive feedback from users. Instead of mass digitization, public libraries chose systematic digitization of selected library collections. To improve the quality of digitization of library material public libraries need better financial support, additional training of library staff and better infrastructure. The findings indicate that public libraries in Croatia are strongly dedicated to development of digital collections as soon as necessary conditions for launch of their digitization projects are met.Originality/valueThe article contributes to the growing body of knowledge about organizational aspects of digital collection development and digitization in public libraries as well as about the benefits digital collections can provide for libraries in general.
Climbing the Himalayas
Authors: Chao Chin‐Chung (Joy) 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe present study aims at contributing to the knowledge of organizational communication and cross‐cultural leadership by examining the relationship between cultural values and expected female leadership styles in non‐profit organizations in Taiwan and the US.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 307 Rotarians in Taiwan and the US completed a survey meant to reveal their cultural values and expected female leadership styles. In addition, the method of semi‐structured interviews was used to raise the participants' consciousness of and critical reflections upon social practices regarding female leadership.FindingsThe research results are threefold. First, among the three major leadership styles, Rotarians in both countries expect female leaders to display transformational leadership. Second, laissez‐faire leadership style can be better explained by the variables of cultural values and country than transformational and transactional leadership styles. Finally, to successfully confront gender discrimination, female leaders need to oftentimes behave much more progressively and actively and sometimes make necessary compromises of their female qualities to overcome the barriers just like climbing over the Himalayas.Practical implicationsThe research findings imply that national culture is not the only factor to account for the expected female leadership styles. Future studies of leadership concepts and styles should include more variables such as organizational culture, political system, language, and feminine or masculine characteristics. Based on the results, the so‐called “glass‐ceiling effects” have been broken bit by bit; yet, female leaders still need to “climb over the Himalayas” and pass through a tortuous, demanding, and exhausting path in order to move upward.Originality/valueAs the first study of its kind, this study has filled the gap by expanding leadership studies to cross‐cultural contexts, thus contributing to the body of human knowledge of cross‐cultural leadership in non‐profit organizations of Rotary Clubs.
The formative capacity of momentous events and leadership development
Authors: Olivares Orlando J. 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe primary purpose of this paper is to explore how momentous events may contribute to leadership development. A second purpose is to show how the formative attributes of momentous events are linked to leader traits needed for effective leadership.Design/methodology/approachThe leadership tripod is used as the relational framework for exploring the formative capacity of momentous events. The formative capacity of momentous events, however, is realized through the personal memories of those events, that is, through autobiographical memory. Autobiographical memory, then, will provide an additional more rudimentary framework for exploring momentous events; within this framework, the momentous event will be dissected in order to identify its basic attributes, to explore how these attributes affect the leadership structure, and to show how changes to the leadership structure develop leaders.FindingsAttributes and formative mechanisms of momentous events were identified, as were leader traits necessary for developmental readiness. Also, six propositions were distilled from this research. These propositions guide the implications about leadership training.Practical implicationsFirst, this research provides insight for leader‐situation interactions. Second, this research may provide guidance for strategies used in leadership development training.Originality/valueThis research provides three unique contributions to the literature: a focus on the experiential and relational aspects of leadership development; an analysis of the formative attributes and mechanisms of momentous events, along with the leader traits necessary for developmental readiness; and an exploration of momentous events as personal events memories.
Robots for monitoring the environment
Authors: Bogue Robert 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to provide a review of the role of robots for monitoring the environment.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a short introduction, this paper discusses developments in aquatic, terrestrial and airborne robots for monitoring the environment. Brief conclusions are drawn.FindingsThis shows that robots are being developed for all manner of environmental monitoring applications. Aquatic devices are attracting the greatest attention but both terrestrial and airborne robots have the potential to play an important, future role. In many instances, their deployment reflects the difficulties in or impossibility of using manual monitoring methods. A longer‐term vision of large numbers of robots conducting environmental monitoring on a routine basis is unlikely to be realised unless lower cost solutions can be developed.Originality/valueEnvironmental monitoring robots have been under development since the 1990s and this paper provides a review of recent activities.
Expert system to interpret hand tremor and provide joystick position signals for powered wheelchairs with ultrasonic sensor systems
Authors: Sanders David , Stott Ian , Graham‐Jones Jasper , Gegov Alexander , Tewkesbury Giles 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how to make powered‐wheelchair driving easier using simple expert systems to interpret joystick and ultrasonic sensor data. The expert systems interpret shaky joystick movement and identify potentially hazardous situations and then recommend safe courses of action.Design/methodology/approachThe way that a human user interacts with a powered‐wheelchair is investigated. Some simple expert systems are presented that interpret hand tremor and provide joystick position signals for an ultrasonic sensor system. Results are presented from a series of timed tasks completed by users using a joystick to control a powered‐wheelchair. Effect on the efficiency of driving a powered‐wheelchair is measured using the times to drive through progressively more complicated courses. Drivers completed tests both with and without sensors and the most recently published systems are used to compare results.FindingsThe new expert systems consistently out‐performed the most recently published systems. A minor secondary result was that in simple environments, wheelchair drivers tended to perform better without any sensor system to assist them but in more complicated environments then they performed better with the sensor systems.Research limitations/implicationsThe time taken for a powered‐wheelchair to move from one place to another partly depends on how a human user interacts with the powered‐wheelchair. Wheelchair driving relies heavily on visual feedback and the experience of the drivers. Although attempts were made to remove variation in skill levels by using sets of data associated with each driver and then using paired statistical tests on those sets, some variation must still be present.Practical implicationsThe paper presents new systems that could allow more people to use powered‐wheelchairs and also suggests that the amount of sensor support should be varied depending on circumstances.Originality/valueThe new systems described in the paper consistently performed driving tasks more quickly than the most recently published systems.
Prototypes selection by multi‐objective optimal design: application to a reconfigurable robot in sandy terrain
Authors: Xu He , Zhang Zhenyu , Alipour Khalil , Xue Kai , Gao X.Z. 
Published: October 2011

PurposeWheel‐terrain interaction has hardly been taken into consideration in the process of conventional mobile robot design, but its importance has been reflected increasingly towards these categories of mobile robots in rough sandy terrain or obstacle‐dense ground, as the first performance index in this situation is the trafficability of robot whose propulsion is uniquely generated by wheel‐terrain interaction. Consequently, it is valuable to find an optimized design method when the terrain and robot itself are regarded simultaneously. The purpose of this paper is to present a novel and reasonable design approach to mobile robot in sandy terrain.Design/methodology/approachLeading to some conflicted performance indices of robot, terramechanics describes the non‐linear characteristics in wheel‐terrain interaction mathematically, therefore, trade‐offs must be implemented to get a proper solution by multi‐objective optimization (MOO). In this paper, a five‐wheeled drive and five‐wheeled steering (5WD5WS) reconfigurable mobile robot is taken as demonstration with taxonomy of total‐symmetrical, partial‐symmetrical and asymmetrical prototypes. After function modeling, the MOO is carried out via iSIGHT‐FD using NCGA (Neighborhood Cultivation Genetic Algorithm) to minimize the mass, wheel resistance and maximize the static stability simultaneously.FindingsAfter MOO, a compact and light weighted asymmetrical prototype is obtained with better trafficability, and other prototypes can produce diversified configurations to meet specific requirements. Significantly reduced masses (about 17 kg) enhance the grade‐ability when robot is in rough terrain. Performed real‐world experiments have also verified these prototypes.Originality/valueThe paper presents a new design approach for a mobile robot which focuses on both robot and terrain simultaneously with respect to conflicted factors. To unveil the insight relation of these factors, MOO is an effective tool to get a trade‐offs prototype.
Socially embedded workers at the nexus of diverse work in Russia
Authors: Morris Jeremy 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore an important nexus of formal/informal economic activity in Russia: “normative” workers (in waged formal employment) by virtue of a strongly embedded work‐related social identity and characterized by a significant number of weak social ties, move with little “effort” between formal and informal work.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents extensive ethnographic data from the Russian provinces on workers and diverse economic practices. It utilizes participant observation and semi‐structured interviews from periods of fieldwork over the course of a year (2009‐2010).FindingsThis study traces the theoretical debates on the informal economy from 1989 to 2008 and argues for a substantivist position on household reproduction that focuses on the interdependence of social networks, employment, class‐identity and (informal) work. The findings demonstrate significant performative and spatial aspects of embedded worker identity, including the workspace itself as a contested domain, that facilitate movement between formal‐informal work.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper resides in its ethnographic approach to informal economies under post‐socialism and the substantivist evaluation of diverse economic practices in Russia as supported by formal work‐based shared identities.
Tracing informal and illicit flows after socialism
Authors: Karjanen David 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the linkages between formal/informal and licit/illicit flows of goods in the post‐socialist economy in order to better understand and provide an analysis of both sides of these economic practices.Design/methodology/approachResearch over 20 months in Slovakia, between 2000 and 2007, included surveys of retailers of goods, households and firms who buy and sell contraband, and ethnographic research with truckers, consumers, and sellers of contraband. This study also included a novel research method – a microeconomic commodity supply chain analysis, providing a new means to understand the circulation of illicit goods.FindingsThis paper has important findings for the movement of illicit goods in Slovakia and more broadly. Tracing the movement of two goods: cigarettes and clothing, demonstrates that the current theories of informal and illicit flows are inadequate theoretically or to develop proper policies. Both the formal and informal, as well as licit and illicit, flows and production of goods are interwoven through economic practice.Originality/valueLittle research exists specifically tracking the movement of illicit goods and analyzing their economic role in social and economic practices regarding informal economic activity. The results of this study show how the production, distribution, and consumption of illicit goods are integral to the economic transformation of the post‐socialist economy from the household and firm level, and in such practices encourage marketization and capitalist development.
Smuggling and small‐scale trade as part of informal economic practices
Authors: Bruns Bettina , Miggelbrink Judith , Müller Kristine 
Published: October 2011

PurposeUsing small‐scale cross‐border trade and smuggling as an example of an informal practice carried out in many post‐socialist countries, the purpose of this paper is to explore which different meanings this activity possesses for the people being involved in it and in how far small‐scale cross‐border trade is being accepted and looked at by society. The authors hope to show the different connections between informal and formal activities and specificities of localities which people in the mentioned countries deploy when trying to secure their livelihood.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a qualitative empirical research including group discussions with small‐scale traders and small entrepreneurs, expert interviews with representatives of the border authorities and systematic observations at border crossing points and open‐air markets at the Finnish‐Russian, Polish‐Ukrainian, Polish‐Belarusian and Ukrainina‐Romanian borders.FindingsThe paper provides empirical insights about why people carry out smuggling and small‐scale trade and how these informal activities are perceived in the local environment. It suggests that informal economic cross‐border activities are often highly legitimized despite their illegal character. The border creates certain extra opportunities as it enables arbitrage dealings. Rather as a side effect though, the Schengen visa regime has evoked a decreasing profit margin of transborder economic activities. Therefore, it remains unclear whether the Eastern external EU border will serve as an informal economic resource in the future.Originality/valueThanks to a multisited qualitative approach to a very sensitive research topic, the paper allows empirical insights into meanings and uses of smuggling and cross‐border small‐scale trade.
Informal economy, informal state: the case of Uzbekistan
Authors: Rasanayagam Johan 
Published: October 2011

PurposeIn the Soviet Union, the official command structure for economic production and distribution gave rise to, and depended upon, what has been described as a “shadow” economy. In the post‐socialist context, the unregulated, often extra‐legal activities of production and exchange, encompassing the survival strategies of the poor, the emergence of post‐socialist “Mafias”, and much entrepreneurial activity, has been described using the concept of the “informal economy”.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on long‐term participatory research over a period of three years.FindingsThe paper argues that what we might think of as informal economic activity in Uzbekistan cannot be understood in relation to a formal economy, but is rather an expression of a more general informalisation of lifeworlds following the end of the Soviet Union. Unlike the situation in the Soviet Union, the informal does not emerge from and exist in relation to formal political and economic structures. The state itself is experienced in personalised terms, as a “Mafia”, and the informal is all that there is.Originality/valueThis article provides an original perspective on the informal economy and informalised lifeworlds in Uzbekistan.