bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Complexity approaches to self‐organisation: a case study from an Irish eco‐village
Authors: Espinosa A. , Cardoso P.P. , Arcaute E. , Christensen K. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reflect on results of recent research about the self‐organisation (SO) of communities that aim to regenerate and/or improve their sustainability, also to reflect upon methodological and epistemological issues related to the application of complexity approaches to support SO in communities and in general, social enterprises.Design/methodology/approachThe paper summarises recent research findings on SO and self‐transformation in communities using a combination of complexity approaches. It describes the methodological framework used to conduct action research about the self‐transformation and learning of a European eco‐community and reflects about the approaches used and lessons learned.FindingsThis research confirms the complementarity between two approaches to complexity management: the viable systems model from S. Beer, a pioneering approach to managing complexity in institutions, and complex adaptive systems, a more recent approach to deal with SO in organisations. Mapping the organisational dynamics and the structural changes decided by the community members shows interesting insights about emergence and SO. This is a state‐of‐the‐art research on multi‐methodological approaches to support complexity management in organisations.Originality/valueAs in many action research projects, early findings are limited to one particular organisation. Nevertheless, the theoretical frameworks of the broader research are useful for a wide variety of organisations, both in terms of guiding organisational transformations and supporting networking management of networks collaborating to create more sustainable evolutionary pathways.
Earthquake prediction, Wolfram Alpha, neuroimaging
Authors: Andrew Alex M. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review proposals for earthquake prediction and study using accelerometers incorporated in laptop computers. Also reviewed is a lecture by Stephen Wolfram, creator of the Mathematica software package, introducing a new venture called Wolfram Alpha that combines computation with access to real‐world data. Developments in neural imaging techniques and some findings are discussed, including a remarkable manifestation of neural plasticity.Design/methodology/approachThe aim is to review developments on the internet, especially those of general cybernetic interest.FindingsUse of accelerometers, incorporated in laptop computers for a different purpose, appears to offer valuable opportunities for earthquake prediction and study. Exactly what will emerge from the Wolfram‐Alpha initiative remains to be seen but it holds great promise. New neuroimaging techniques have shown their worth in producing new findings, including one that reveals interesting neural plasticity.Practical implicationsEarthquake prediction and study, especially by a means that can be implemented quickly and cheaply, is of obvious value in quake‐prone areas such as California. Wolfram Alpha may come to be as familiar a tool as search engines are today. A primary aim of cybernetics is unravelling the working of the central nervous system, and both ethical and practical considerations favour non‐invasive means of investigation such as new neuroimaging techniques that have already proved their worth.Originality/valueIt is hoped this is a valuable periodic review.
Research and development: current impact and future potential
Authors: Rudall B.H. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to review current research with particular reference to new research and development initiatives.Design/methodology/approachA general review and survey of selected research and development topics is given and some new challenges and applications of future technologies are considered with particular reference to their impact and potential.FindingsThe paper illustrates the multi‐ and trans‐disciplinary nature of studies in cybernetics, systems and management sciences, with a view to further research and development activity.Practical implicationsThe choice of review provides an awareness of current trends in these areas of endeavour.Originality/valueThe reviews are selected from a global database and give a studied assessment of current research and development initiatives.
Hybrid supercapacitors based on polyaniline and activated carbon composite electrode materials
Authors: Jin Zheng , Ren Xiaomin , Qin Chuanli , Li Bohong , Quan Shuai , Bai Xuduo 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop feasible composite electrodes with a long cycle life and large specific capacitance and to investigate optimal ratio between aniline and activated carbon materials.Design/methodology/approachPANI/AC composite electrode materials were synthesised by in situ polymerisation of aniline on activated carbon with ammonium persulphate as oxidant. Hybrid supercapacitors are assembled by putting Ni‐MH battery separator between positive and negative electrodes. The electrochemical performances of PANI/AC composite electrode materials and supercapacitors are studied.FindingsThe results show that the optimal ratio between aniline and activated carbon is 1:1.08. The specific capacitance of polyaniline electrode materials is 956 F g−1. The specific capacitance of supercapacitors is 159.37 F g−1. This result could be attributed to the pseudocapacitive effect of Ni(OH)2. What's more, the activated carbon addition reduced the resistance of polymer electrode materials thus improving the cyclic life.Research limitations/implicationsThe supercapacitors can be used in the field of automobiles and can solve the problems of energy shortage and environmental pollutions.Originality/valueA hybrid supercapacitor, which was immersed in alkaline solution, was assembled by putting Ni‐MH battery separator between two electrodes Ni(OH)2 as positive electrode and polyaniline composites as negative electrode. In the case of alkaline solution, the capacitive performance of hybrid supercapacitor was improved and excellent.
Preparation of anatase nano‐TiO2/xanthan gum composite (NTX) and rheological study of the interior wall coatings using NTX as additive
Authors: Zhang Haili , Tian Fuzhen , Chen Song , Guo Qinghua , Liu Fen , Sun Donglan 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a kind of novel and high‐performance rheological additive, an eco‐friendly composite of anatase nano‐TiO2 particles and xanthan gum (NTX), for interior wall coatings.Design/methodology/approachNTX was prepared through heating and refluxing the mixture of TiO2 hydrosol and xanthan gum, and five interior wall coating samples were fabricated with different NTX contents. The morphology of nano‐TiO2 hydrosol and NTX were characterised with TEM, and the stability and rheological properties of these coating samples were studied.FindingsTEM images showed a core‐shell structure of NTX, and that nano‐TiO2 particles in it were encapsulated by xanthan gum, which was anticipated to weaken Van der Waals force among nano‐TiO2 particles thus preventing the aggregation of nano‐particles. All of the five coating samples were found to be non‐Newtonian pseudo‐plastic fluid, and showed excellent stability and thixotropic property.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper focused on the preparation, the characterisation of NTX additive and the study of the rheological behaviours of the coating samples with NTX. Some other aspects, such as coating durability, photocatalytic ability and film properties, will be studied in the future.Practical implicationsIt was proven that NTX was an effective eco‐friendly rheological additive for interior wall coatings. Consequently, this paper threw light on developing eco‐friendly interior wall coatings.Originality/valueA kind of novel and effective rheological additive was developed for interior wall coatings in the study reported in the paper. A method was also developed to introduce functional nano‐particles into coating in a good dispersion state.
Street marketing: how proximity and context drive coupon redemption
Authors: Spiekermann Sarah , Rothensee Matthias , Klafft Michael 
Published: July 2011

PurposeIn 2009, US coupons set a new record of 367 billion coupons distributed. Yet, while coupon distribution is on the rise, redemption rates remain below 1 percent. This paper aims to show how recognizing context variables, such as proximity, weather, part of town and financial incentives interplay to determine a coupon campaign's success.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports an empirical study conducted in co‐operation with a restaurant chain: 9.880 Subway coupons were distributed under different experimental context conditions. Redemption behavior was analyzed with the help of logistic regressions.FindingsIt was found that even though proximity drives coupon redemption, city center campaigns seem to be much more sensitive to distance than suburban areas. The further away the distribution place from the restaurant, the less does the amount of monetary incentive determine the motivation to redeem.Practical implicationsWhen designing a coupon campaign for a company, coupon distribution should not follow a “one‐is‐good‐for‐all‐strategy” even for one marketer within one product category. Instead each coupon strategy should carefully consider contextual influence.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to the authors' knowledge that systematically investigates the impact of context variables on coupon redemption. It focuses on context variables that electronic marketing channels will be able to easily incorporate into personalized mobile marketing campaigns.
Users and technology: are we doing research now?
Authors: Greifeneder Elke 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to examine changes in the quality of user research in library and information science.Design/methodology/approachThe paper connects recent literature studies and current papers submitted to a special issue about user research and technology in Library Hi Tech.FindingsThe paper concludes that the diversity of methods to study users is growing and a confidence about labeling and using methods is becoming manifest. The number of research questions that a single study answers is both diminishing and at the same time growing more diverse.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is not in‐depth research that offers evidence that a change in user research has taken place. Its arguments build on papers submitted to this special issue on that topic.Originality/valueResearch about users, their behaviour and their needs were often an add‐on at the end of a project. In the last two years, this situation has changed. The topic of user experience is suddenly omnipresent at conferences and in journal articles. Studies about the way research is conducted are an important part of library and information science.
Providing online access to historic films at the Washington State University libraries
Authors: O'English Mark , Bond Trevor James 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss the procedures and methods developed at Washington State University to digitize and make accessible historic moving images.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes the selection and the use of low‐cost technologies to transfer analog film to digital formats. Issues related to the conversion, description, and online hosting of digital films are also addressed.FindingsThough the steps involved in digitizing film are not trivial, the benefits of access both for the public and archives staff outweigh the expense and labor involved. The procedures described in this paper involve low upfront costs and are sustained through cost recovery fees.Research limitations/implicationsThe focus of this paper is on managing, describing, and providing online access to historic films, not digital preservation.Originality/valueThere is a gap in the library literature regarding the practical steps involved in reformatting and hosting online film collections. This paper describes methods which may be adapted by non‐specialists at other institutions.
Next generation or current generation?
Authors: Yang Sharon Q. , Hofmann Melissa A. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe study described in this paper aims to identify the progress made in the efforts to model current online public access catalogs (OPACs) after the next generation catalog (NGC) in academic libraries in the USA and Canada.Design/methodology/approachA random sample of 260 colleges and universities was selected from Peterson's Guide to Four‐Year Colleges 2009, an estimated 10 percent of the total population of 2,560 listed academic institutions. A checklist of 12 features of the NGC was used to evaluate the OPACs of the 260 libraries in the sample. The authors took as the OPAC that which the library linked to as its “catalog,” even though some might be more properly considered “discovery tools” or “discovery layers.” Some libraries used more than one OPAC interface simultaneously; in this case, each OPAC was analyzed separately. In the case of several institutions using the same consortial OPAC, only the first instance of the OPAC was analyzed. About 15 percent of the institutions (n=40) in the sample either did not have web sites or did not provide access to their online catalogs. In all, a total of 233 unique instances of OPACs were analyzed. Data were collected from September 2009 through July 2010. The findings can be extrapolated to the population at the 95 percent confidence level with a confidence interval of ±3.FindingsWhile bits and pieces of the next generation catalog are steadily working themselves into the current catalog, academic libraries still have a long way to go. About 16 percent of the OPACs in the sample did not show any advanced features of the NGC. More than half of the libraries (61 percent) had only one to five advanced features in their OPACs. Many of those with six or more NGC features were discovery tools. Only 3 percent of the OPACs in the sample (n=8) demonstrated seven to ten out of the 12 functionalities of the NGC, and they were instances either of WorldCat Local or Summon. The weak areas were federated searching, relevance based on circulation statistics, and recommendations based on patron transactions.Originality/valueThis is the first and only study on a large scale conducted thus far that evaluates the progress towards the NGC in academic libraries in the USA and Canada. The findings help academic librarians to recognize and pin‐point the weak links in implementing a true next generation catalog.
Evaluating EBSCOhost Mobile
Authors: Hegarty Ronan , Wusteman Judith 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of the evaluation described in this paper is to determine the usability of the services provided by the EBSCOhost Mobile application.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology employed was usability testing, comprising pre‐ and post‐usability test questionnaires and “think out‐loud” usability tests.FindingsRecommendations are made concerning changes to the interface to ensure greater usability.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, the only mobile device used in the testing of EBSCOhost Mobile was the iPhone 3GS. None of the participants had used or owned a smartphone previously.Originality/valueLibraries are increasingly turning to the Mobile Web to offer new services to their patrons. Smartphones are likely to become central to the future delivery of information services.
Digital library deployment in a university
Authors: Veronica Anunobi Chinwe , Ignatius Ezeani Majesty 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present one of the ways in which digital library technology is employed in providing twenty‐first century library and information services to a university community in a developing country, together with the challenges and prospects of such an application.Design/methodology/approachThis work analyses documents using content analysis of documents in library archives, interviews with library stakeholders and assessment of the structures, facilities and technologies as deployed in the Digital Library housing the information that is necessary for academic work.FindingsThis work shows that a university's approach to a digital library is a function of environmental, ethno‐political and economic issues. Although the deployment struggled to accommodate the attributes of a digital library, including contents, users, functionality, policy, quality, technology and personnel, success is yet to be fully achieved, because there have been major challenges in terms of management, infrastructure, personnel and the provision of appropriate content. Even so, the effort has been worthwhile and is a stepping‐stone to future effective library services in the university.Originality/valueThis paper provides librarians with an insight into how developing countries understand and apply digital technology to library operations and services. It also provides other libraries and related institutions with an opportunity to learn from a concrete experience.
Travelling the Empire
Authors: Winfield Sarah 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide fresh insights into the meaning and experience of an imperial education and the evolving concept of empire itself in Britain during the inter‐war years. At this time, in imperially‐minded circles, the desire to preserve the cultural and political unity of the Empire was, in part, channelled into forging lasting bonds of brotherhood amongst Empire youth through education. To this end, a host of Empire‐oriented societies launched a variety of travel and exchange programmes designed to educate British youth in the importance of their imperial inheritance. Among these was the School Empire Tours (SETs; 1927‐39), a voluntary organisation led by prominent figures in government and education, which, over the course of 12 years, was responsible for the expeditions of more than 500 public schoolboys to the far flung corners of the Empire.Design/methodology/approachA contextualist methodology is employed throughout to produce a nuanced description of the concept of Empire as found within the archive, to assess the contribution made by the SETs to contemporary understandings of Empire and therein identify the significance of the organisation in the thought and practice of education across time.FindingsA discursive change is highlighted through the subtle re‐conceptualisation of Empire as a progressive and modernising force and the evolving perceptions of the tourists themselves. Moreover, the SETs appear as a microcosm of the problematic co‐existence of democratic tradition and imperial practice during a period of intense social and political flux.Originality/valueA new light is cast on the competing ideologies of imperialism and brotherhood, offering a unique perspective on the role of gender, class and race in imperial education at this time.
A SOS construct of negative emotions in customers' service experience (CSE) and service recovery by firms (SRF)
Authors: Svari Sander , Slåtten Terje , Svensson Göran , Edvardsson Bo 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to test the validity and reliability of a SOS construct and its dimensions (i.e. self, other and situational) of negative emotions in the context of consumers' service experience (CSE) and the following processes of service recovery by firms (SRF).Design/methodology/approachA triangular approach was used, based on interviews and a survey in the Norwegian tourism industry. This paper reports the results from the survey consisting of 3,104 customers.FindingsExploratory and confirmatory factor analyses have been used to examine and test the SOS construct of negative emotions in CSE and SRF. The SOS construct tested has indicated an acceptable fit, validity and reliability.Research limitations/implicationsThe SOS construct of CSE and SRF may be seen as a seed for future research in refining and extending endeavors of managing critical incidents in CSE and SRF.Practical implicationsStrategies to manage CSE and SRF should be aimed at solving the three different SOS dimensions of negative incidents in service encounters, namely those that are caused by the customer, the company, or the situation.Originality/valueThe SOS construct brings together, complements and fortifies existing theory and previous research in the context of negative emotions in CSE and SRF.
The effect of service employees' competence on financial institutions' image: benevolence as a moderator variable
Authors: Nguyen Nha , Leclerc André 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the contribution of benevolence as a moderator variable that enhances the effect of service employees' competence on the customer's perception of a service firm's image.Design/methodology/approachA hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed on data collected from 445 customers in a financial service setting to assess the influence of competence and benevolence, as well as their interactive effects on corporate image.FindingsThe results show a significant interaction between competence and benevolence in their influence on corporate image. The results reinforce the idea that benevolence intervenes as a moderator variable that enhances the impact of competence on corporate image.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has limited generalisation given the convenient sample and the great variety of service industries. The efficacy of the direct measures and the hierarchical multiple regression must be considered. It would be helpful to realise similar studies in other service settings by using multidimensional scales of competence, benevolence and corporate image.Practical implicationsService firms should not only highlight the role of the service employees' expertise but also their attitude and behaviour during the service encounter in a manner so as to increase the customer's trust in the firm's capability, to satisfy his/her needs and to enhance the firm's image.Originality/valueThe present study contributes specifically to understanding how major characteristics of service employees can influence the assessment of corporate image by consumers.
An examination of consumer advocacy and complaining behavior in the context of service failure
Authors: Chelminski Piotr , Coulter Robin A. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the relationships between consumer advocacy and consumer complaining behaviors such as voicing and negative word‐of‐mouth in the context of dissatisfactory service experiences.Design/methodology/approachUsing an experimental design embedded in a survey methodology, the authors examine the relationship between consumer advocacy and the likelihood for complaining about dissatisfactory service experiences among adult US consumers. Additionally, the authors examine the differences between likelihood for voicing and negative word‐of‐mouth (NWOM) in the context of dissatisfactory service experiences at varying levels of service encounter failure.FindingsThe authors find that consumer advocacy is positively related to consumer complaining (i.e. voicing and NWOM), and that likelihood of NWOM is consistently greater than likelihood of voicing.Research limitations/implicationsThis study uses a convenience sample of US adult consumers, which could compromise generalizability of the results to broader consumer populations.Practical implicationsBased on these results, the authors suggest that companies and consumer protection agencies appeal to consumers' advocacy tendencies to facilitate voicing so problems can be quickly identified and resolved, and the negative word‐of‐mouth can be minimized.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt known to authors to link consumer advocacy to complaining behaviors in the marketplace.