bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The extended gestation and birth of the European Commission's Recommendation on the regulation of fibre networks
Authors: Cave Martin , Shortall Tony 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to set out the history and content of the European Commission's Recommendation on the regulation of next generation access networks, published in September 2010. The aim is to assess the Recommendation in terms of its likely impact on harmonisation and certainty of regulation within the European Union and on investment and competition.Design/methodology/approachThe approach adopted is to review the European Commission's Recommendation from the standpoint of regulatory economics.FindingsThe publication in September 2010 of the Recommendation on the regulation of next generation access networks completed a process which had begun two years and two drafts previously. The paper sets out the background to the decision to prepare a Recommendation for national regulators supervising the installation of fibre based networks, where the fibre might go either to the premises (FTTP) or to the street cabinet (FTTC). It also describes the development of the Recommendation from the first draft in September 2008 to the final draft in September 2010. It concludes that the delay in issuing the Recommendation created an interval in which national regulators pursued their own diverse policies, to the detriment of harmonisation. In terms of investment and competition, the successive drafts appear to have diminished pressure on competitors to build their own infrastructures, with consequential effects on the likely form of competition. Finally, a degree of regulatory uncertainty has been created in member states where the regulator has pursued in its market reviews of fibre access products remedies which are at odds with the Recommendation.Originality/valueThis is an early appraisal of a European Commission Recommendation which is likely to have a significant impact on European communications policy and regulation.
Determinants of broadband internet access take‐up: country level drivers
Authors: Jakopin Nejc M. , Klein Andreas 
Published: July 2011

PurposeDiffusion levels of broadband internet access vary across triad countries and emerging markets alike. Major industrialised nations face criticism for allegedly “lagging behind” in broadband development. This study aims to highlight drivers of broadband take‐up that help explain and properly evaluate the diffusion situation of a country.Design/methodology/approachThe study investigates worldwide broadband internet access take‐up in terms of fixed and mobile broadband penetration and broadband launch lead time by drawing on a wide range of variables of which some have not been examined in previous studies (e.g. home office workers, service sector activities or local call prices).FindingsResults show that broadband internet take‐up significantly benefits from economic prosperity and computer penetration. Moreover, general regulatory quality has a significant influence. The effect of other regulatory and market environment variables is declining over time with associations becoming insignificant in 2009 data.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research based on findings and limitations of the present study should incorporate quality of broadband, more accurate/differentiated measurement of broadband, conditionality, moderating effects, non‐linearity, as well as broadband implications for economic development.Originality/valueThis study covers a broad set of indicators and includes time lags in multivariate analysis to generate a holistic picture of broadband development drivers and their relevance over time.
Mobile phones and micro‐trading activities – conceptualizing the link
Authors: Boateng Richard 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of mobile phones on the micro‐trading activities of traders in Ghana. The study aims to develop a conceptual model analyzing the impact of mobile phones on pre‐trade, during‐trade and post‐trade activities.Design/methodology/approachA mixed methods approach consisting of a descriptive survey of 136 traders and a case study of two traders was adopted.FindingsThe findings suggest that traders primarily use mobile phones to monitor goods and pricing strategies, scheduling deliveries, and addressing inquiries and complaints in during‐trade activities. Traders, including those with no formal education, also use mobile phones as calculators in post‐trade activities. This innovative use of mobile phones is a function of their pre‐knowledge which may have been developed through formal education and/or social networks. Improving information management through mobile phones directly or indirectly contributes to the economic empowerment of the trader.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper proposes a conceptual framework that extends the transaction cost theory to consider transaction benefits and effects in micro‐trading. The study develops four propositions which can guide future research.Practical implicationsThe study provides practitioners with a “theoretically‐inspired” framework which goes beyond examining design and adoption to identify needs and assess impact in mobiles for development initiatives.Originality/valueThe conceptual framework extends the work on transaction cost theory in information systems and may inform future research in mobile phones and micro‐trading activities.
Republic of Benin – chaos, corruption and development in telecommunications
Authors: Sutherland Ewan 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a country with severe problems in the telecommunications sector, including corruption and maladministration.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a review of the legislation and regulatory decisions over the last decade, plus prosecutions in the USA for bribery in the country.FindingsThe paper reveals that, despite a decade of external efforts to encourage the use of information communication technology to boost development, very little progress has been made in terms of policy, legislation and regulation. No lessons appear to have been learned; the same mistakes could be repeated.Research limitations/implicationsFurther case studies are required from West Africa to provide a more complete picture and to assess whether equally serious problems exist in the region.Practical implicationsThere is a need for a review of the legislation both for telecommunications and for corruption, with considerable strengthening of institutions and proper democratic accountability.Social implicationsCitizens in this country have seen much greater access to mobile telephony, but in a haphazard way. There has been no regard for their interests (e.g. higher charges), nor consideration of how bribery, high licence fees and avoidance of customs duties affect them.Originality/valueThis is one of the few case studies of telecommunications in West Africa. It addresses issues of corruption, an issue seldom discussed.
Informal learning in the workplace: evidence on the real value of work‐based learning (WBL)
Authors: Eraut Michael 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper seeks to understand the role of informal learning in the workplace by observation of samples of professional workers.Design/methodology/approachThe research started by shared descriptions of the work being followed before asking about the roles of other people whom they met at work, and then asking about what the observer might have seen on another occasion. This was followed by discussing the nature of the researched person's work with significant others in the workplace.FindingsThe most important theoretical finding was that most people did not describe informal learning as learning. The study managed to handle this by talking about learning as a by‐product. Then both working and learning could be talked about at the same time. Most of this learning came from people working together in a range of work activities.Research limitations/implicationsSupport and feedback were critically important for confidence, learning, retention and commitment, and the right level of challenge. Factors affecting participants' commitment to work, to colleagues, and to their employers included the quality of their support and feedback, and appreciation of the value of their work.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the importance of giving more attention to who is doing what, and finding opportunities for people to learn naturally by being present in situations where they can be helpful and recognized. If learning is crucial for working, much greater learning occurs.
Integrate neuroscience into work‐based learning programs: designing programs based on scientific theory
Authors: Vorhauser‐Smith Sylvia 
Published: July 2011

PurposeBy understanding the neuro‐scientific underpinnings of the learning process and factors that hinder or limit the human ability to learn, learning and development professionals can design work‐based learning programs steeped in science that optimize the acquisition of knowledge and information. This paper aims to investigate this issue.Design/methodology/approachPrimary research in neuroscience as it relates to learning.FindingsThis article explores the essential components for successful work‐based learning as well as the physical, cognitive and emotional environmental elements that facilitate how people store and recall information.Practical implicationsThe field of neuroscience is providing both insights and pragmatic guidelines for the enhancement of learning and development practices. As more organizations differentiate through talent and stimulate exceptional employee performance, work‐based learning and development initiatives guided by scientific breakthroughs can crystallize the potential of talent and equip them with the requisite skills for high performance.Originality/valueReaders will learn how the structure of neurons changes as we acquire new information and how that information is transferred into long term memory. Through this, learning and development professionals can tap the learning capabilities of the brain and ensure on the job experiences drive desired learning results.
Work‐based learning: how it changes leadership
Authors: Raelin Joseph A. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeAlthough readers of this journal are familiar with work‐based learning and with leadership, they may not have entertained the link between them. The paper aims to contend that the link is that the former changes the latter. The authentic practice of work‐based learning produces a more collective form of leadership, matching the former's founding principles and practices.Design/methodology/approachGuided by the author's long‐standing research of both work‐based learning and leadership, he searches for commonalities in their underlying conditions, proposing a means to identify their relationship. The author's model invites both further study by researchers and field replication by practitioners.FindingsA number of compatible principles and practices undergird the fields of work‐based learning and collective leadership; namely, their mutual commitment to dialogic processes based on nonjudgmental inquiry; their accentuation of the state of genuine curiosity – even doubt; their acceptance of critical challenge; and their willingness to disturb preconceived world views on behalf of a common good.Practical implicationsManagers and executives taking advantage of work‐based learning, when offered as an authentic practice, may acknowledge its powerful impact on leadership, but as in the case of learning, they must be willing to sustain its collaborative nature to release its potential.Social implicationsWhen people in a community or organization authentically share leadership, it ignites their natural talent to contribute to the growth of that community and it also elevates the value of trust by bringing genuineness to the community.Originality/valuePractitioners in the development and learning field already know the value of work‐based learning for learning purposes, but in this article, it is shown to impact leadership in a profound way – it changes it. As a collective and reflective practice, it responds to contemporary needs to find ways to release people to contribute their natural talents on behalf of mutual action.
Enhancing education through service learning: a project overview
Authors: Jordan Mark H. , Schraeder Mike 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper intendsto provide a summary of a service learning project that was used as a form of work‐based learning to facilitate leadership training and education for undergraduate business students.Design/methodology/approachDetails regarding the service learning project are provided, including objectives and a general overview of the methodology. This specific project required undergraduate business students in a leadership course to function in simulated roles as consultants for a fictional consulting company charged with developing and delivering a leadership training seminar for practicing managers/employees of non‐profit organizations located near the university.FindingsBenefits or advantages to using this project are described. One of the most significant benefits associated with the project included the opportunity for students, as fictional employees, to become subject matter experts, while also becoming actively engaged or immersed in the content of leadership.Practical implicationsThis project provides evidence that service learning can be an effective method for “teaching” leadership skills and knowledge to undergraduate business students.Originality/valueThe service learning project summarized here provides a unique perspective on how this form of work based learning can be designed to foster the development of leadership knowledge and skills to undergraduate business students. Further, this project provides evidence of how this approach to learning can also benefit the community by enhancing the knowledge levels of employees in community organizations.
Social media: key tools for the future of work‐based learning
Authors: Toole Tony 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to demonstrate the potential of web 2.0 tools in the online support of work‐based learners.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides an overview of the current use and benefits of web 2.0 tools in the support of work‐based learners. It includes two case studies that demonstrate, first, how action research is testing the boundaries of online technologies as new tools and functionality emerge and, second, how work‐based learning support staff are being trained to use such tools. These case studies are illustrations of how institutions in South Wales, UK are seeking to exploit the benefits of web 2.0 technologies in their drive to improve the support of work‐based learners.FindingsThe outcomes of the work described in this paper showed that the use of web 2.0 tools enabled online support of work‐based learners to include remote access to practical work. It also describes how work‐based learning support staff are being trained in the use of the new technologies.Practical implicationsThere are significant practical implications in this paper. It shows how online distance learning support for work‐based learners can include remote access to practical work through the use of web 2.0 tools. This has always been a problem for the distance learning support of vocational subjects and indicates that such support will continue to improve as new web 2.0 functionality emerges.Originality/valueThe original value in the paper is: the remote access to practical work for work‐based learners using web 2.0 tools; and the online support of WBL trainers in their use of web 2.0 tools
Negotiating lean
Authors: Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen Esben , Huniche Mahad 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse how negotiations between the constituencies affect the processes and outcomes of lean projects in Danish public sector organisations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with managers and employees who have participated in lean projects in the Danish public sector. Negotiated order theory serves as the overarching theoretical framework for the analysis.FindingsThe paper concludes that the processes and outcomes of lean depend not only on the technology itself, but also the negotiation context in which the planning and implementation of lean projects take place. Lean implementation is not a neutral and value‐free activity; it is fluid and open for multiple interpretations, interests, and logics.Research limitations/implicationsThe project is based on qualitative data from lean projects in the Danish public sector. It cannot be concluded that the findings can be generalised to reflect all types of lean projects across organisational and geographical settings.Originality/valueThe paper adds value to the relatively scarce literature on lean management in the public sector by exploring how negotiative processes influence the planning, implementation, and maintenance/development of lean projects.
Determinants of manufacturing productivity: pilot study on labor‐intensive industries
Authors: Islam Shahidul , Syed Shazali S.T. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to address the impact of three issues: degree of skills, favorable working environment and R&D on manufacturing productivity of labor‐intensive industries.Design/methodology/approachConvenience sampling method has been used to conduct this study. Three categories of labor‐intensive manufacturing industries (A, B and C) have been chosen to perform this research. Industrial category A represents the manufacturing operations which are based on skill of labor. Category B is a group of industries which provides a favorable working environment to utilize the potential of skill in manufacturing process. Category C is a specialized group of industries and its manufacturing process is dependent on R&D. Input–output data for manufacturing operations of the sample industries have been analyzed by using standard statistical techniques to establish the relationship between dependent and independent variables.FindingsThe degree of skill and productivity is positively correlated, but not strongly (r<0.5). The study found that productivity is positively (r>0.5) associated with favorable working environment. However, a significantly positive correlation (r>0.7) is found between R&D expenditure and productivity. The study concludes that a higher degree of skills, favorable working environment and R&D are important inputs to a labor‐intensive manufacturing process, which is positively associated with productivity.Research limitations/implicationsManufacturing productivity is an important parameter of industrial growth, and this paper addresses this issue. The current work addresses the garments sector, i.e. a part of the labor‐intensive industries. Though this work is focused on only one part of this sector; the findings of this study have significant policy implications. The results would be useful for manufacturing business executives and policy makers.Originality/valueThis study addresses the important issue of productivity of labor‐intensive manufacturing industries, and generates quantitative evidence of the impact of degree of skills, favorable working environment and R&D on productivity. The generated information enriches the present knowledge stock of manufacturing systems. The findings could be the basis for further academic research on manufacturing systems.
Performance measurement systems in supply chains
Authors: Cuthbertson Richard , Piotrowicz Wojciech 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to propose a common framework for the empirical analysis of supply chain performance measurement systems used in different supply chain contexts.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper, which includes an extensive literature review and an illustrative case study. The content, context, process framework is applied to structure the body of knowledge and the case study.FindingsSupply chain performance measurement is a context‐dependent process, tailored to specific supply chain requirements. To understand how a performance measurement system in a supply chain has developed and is used there is a need to capture its context, process and content.Research limitations/implicationsThe framework is illustrated by a single case study. Further empirical research is required to fully appreciate the breadth of application of this framework.Practical implicationsThe proposed framework can help to develop performance measurement systems that are suitable for certain organisational and supply chain contexts in which a company operates, as well as to compare different systems used across different supply chains.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates an approach for analysing existing supply chain performance measurement systems that can be applied across different supply chains and sectors. This will create an opportunity to use a consistent data collection process across a variety of supply chain situations and thus generate data for further theory development.
Economic value added: a useful tool for SME performance management
Authors: Bahri Moujib , St‐Pierre Josée , Sakka Ouafa 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe aim of this study is to propose a performance measurement and management system (PMMS) for small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), based on an analysis of the connections between these firms' business practices and performance measured by economic value added (EVA).Design/methodology/approachSecondary data from the PDG® database was used on a sample of 108 Canadian manufacturing SMEs over two consecutive years. The primary statistical method used was regression analysis to investigate the influence of diverse business practices on EVA in these firms.FindingsThis paper shows that EVA can be a useful tool for performance management in SMEs, when used in conjunction with a list of business practices that affect the firm's results. The findings indicate that some business practices have a direct impact on EVA within one year, while others have a deferred influence. The impacts of other practices on EVA were found to be weak or insignificant, an aspect that requires further investigation.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study is the lack of generalizability of the findings. However, the sampled SMEs vary widely in terms of their characteristics, which may mitigate the negative impacts of a non‐probabilistic sample.Practical implicationsThis study offers a structured methodology to identify the paths leading to better performance in SMEs, through an improved understanding of their business practices' impacts on EVA.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that explores the linkage between SME business practices and EVA. When applied in conjunction with a set of business practices, EVA can help managers detect problems and identify sources of improvement.
The relationship between governance and NPD performance and the mediating role of tie strength
Authors: Teimoury E. , Fesharaki M. , Bazyar A. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of governance modes (trust and unilateral control) on new product development (NPD) performance and the mediating role of tie strength.Design/methodology/approachSurvey research was conducted to collect data from 112 NPD relationships and structural equation modeling was conducted to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results suggest that the trust and tie strength are positively related, while unilateral control and tie strength are negatively related. On the other hand, tie strength is positively related to NPD performance. Results also show that the impact of trust and unilateral control on NPD performance are mediated by the tie strength.Originality/valueThis study enhances the understanding of NPD relationships by examining the key modes of governance through which tie strength and NPD performance are influenced.