bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessing the risk of M&A: Bruner's Disaster Framework applied to Berkshire Hathaway's Gen Re Acquisition
Authors: Calandro Joseph 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to acquaint managers with a little known mergers and acquisitions (M&A) diagnostic tool that made its debut in the book Deals from Hell – M&A Lessons that Rise Above the Ashes (NY: Wiley, 2005) by Robert Bruner.Design/methodology/approachThis paper offers a retrospective case study using Bruner's risk assessment framework to examine Berkshire Hathaway's 1998 Gen Re acquisition by CEO Warren Buffet, which proved to be a problematic deal. The case study makes use of recent post‐deal reports.FindingsThe case study supports the findings of Bruner's research regarding the utility of the M&A risk assessment framework presented in his book.Research limitations/implicationsTthe field of real disasters could be the subject to further strategy‐based research.Practical implicationsBruner's disaster‐based M&A risk assessment framework could be practically utilized in M&A.Originality/valueThis paper is practically‐oriented commentary on recently published M&A risk assessment research, which is analyzed via case study.
Graduate recruitment and selection in the UK
Authors: Branine Mohamed 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the changes in the methods of graduate recruitment and selection that have been used by UK‐based organisations and to establish the reasons for the main changes and developments in the process of attracting and recruiting graduates.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through the use of a structured questionnaire. Questionnaires were sent to 700 UK‐based employers selected from the Prospects Directory, the Graduate Employment and Training (GET) Directory and the Times Top 100 Graduate Recruiters. The response rate was just over 50 per cent and the data were analysed by using the statistical analysis software SPSS. The variables used were organisation size, recruitment methods, selection methods, cost, skills and reasons for the use of methods.FindingsThe analysis has shown that all employers, regardless of organisation size or activity type, tend to use more sophisticated, objective and cost‐effective methods of recruitment and selection than before. The process of graduate recruitment and selection in the UK has become more person‐related than job‐oriented because many employers are more interested in the attitudes, personality and transferable skills of applicants than the type or level of qualification acquired. Although some of the usual methods such as interviewing remain popular, there is a greater variety of ways by which graduates are attracted to and selected for their first jobs.Originality/valueThe findings of this study are expected to be useful for employers considering the introduction of new graduate recruitment programmes and for those wishing to improve their existing ones as well as for institutions of higher education to reconsider the type of knowledge and skills they provide in order to prepare their students for the real world of work.
Guest worker programs and Canada
Authors: Sawchuk Peter H. , Kempf Arlo 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contextualise historically transnational labour experiences within guest worker programs in Canada and to provide a conceptual foundation for analysing work, learning and living relations with special attention to agricultural workers.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on a critical review of the literature as well as secondary analysis of existing research on agricultural guest workers in Ontario, Canada.FindingsThe authors argue that the structural conditions for these particular forms of work, learning and living relations have a long historical trajectory that dates back in North America to the nineteenth century. They outline a long trajectory of convergence of American and Canadian policies in this regard. In terms of work, learning and living experiences we show how shaped by race, class and citizenship relations, as well as by the learning that infuses their reproduction, intensification and contestation.Originality/valueThe article sheds light on a system of transnational labour that is emerging in a wide range of economies around the world, but which has not, to date, been widely analysed in work and learning literature.
Organising learning: informal workplace learning in a trade union child‐care campaign
Authors: Brown Tony 
Published: October 2008

PurposeTrade unions, like many other membership‐based social movement organisations, are confronted by the challenge of growth and revitalisation. Declining membership numbers, an increasingly restrictive legislative framework, and dramatic changes in modes of employment have combined to challenge many unions to rethink the way they work. In response to these challenges some unions adopted what has been referred to as the “organising model”, comprising new methods of recruiting, campaigning, educating, fostering activist members, and developing community and international alliances. It is changing the way union staff work, and requires a new understanding of their roles. The purpose of this paper is to examine an organising campaign conducted by one of Australia's largest unions.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on semi‐structured interviews with a pivotal group of lead organisers, union reports and planning documents, participant observation, and published data on the major private child‐care employer.FindingsThe efforts to organise the child‐care workers proved successful and a new collective agreement was endorsed, confirming for the union that its approach could work. However, the model remains new and whether it achieves the desired outcomes of changing the culture and ways of union work, creates new learning opportunities and activates new layers of workers, is yet to be seen.Originality/valueThere is a burgeoning literature on new organising approaches. There are fewer detailed descriptions of the practice of organising and its impact on organisational change and learning. Therefore case studies such as this, which locate the decision to organise this sector, reports on how the campaign unfolded, and discusses the union's interest in understanding the learning associated with these new ways of working, provide an opportunity to examine connections between the theories and practices of organising.
Navigating the wilderness of becoming professional
Authors: Johnsson Mary C. , Hager Paul 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the nature of learning discovered by recent graduates participating in a symphony orchestra‐initiated development program that is designed to nurture them through the transition to becoming professional orchestral musicians.Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative case study approach, the authors interviewed developing musicians and professional musician mentors individually and in small groups using a semi‐structured protocol. Interviews were audio‐taped and transcribed. The authors also observed musicians working together in rehearsal and in concert performance and reviewed documents on the development program, the organisation and the Australian performing arts industry.FindingsThe findings suggest that learning is better conceptualised as an embodied constructed experience with others in context. What the authors call “guided contextualising” differs from conventional discussions of skill‐based novice learning and mentorship. For musicians, the competency that is being developed is one of learning how to become, forming a sense of identity as broader musical citizens as well as becoming members of more instrumental communities.Practical implicationsThe design and structure of the program (and alternatives emerging overseas) suggest possibilities for new collaborations towards “a living curriculum” between higher education and industry.Originality/valueRather than “employability”, the concept of “graduateness” for young adults is formative and transformative, a process that involves the seeking of various forms of identity and contextualised learning that transcends self. “Becoming” practitioners together in generative ways enhances fitness for professional practice and develops a commitment to lifelong learning.
Competencies management and learning organizational memory
Authors: Abel Marie‐Hélène 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the MEMORAe project, the goal of which is to offer an alternative to the loss of competencies and knowledge in an organization.Design/methodology/approachWithin the project MEMORAe, interest was focused on the capitalization of knowledge and competencies in the context of an organization. The E‐MEMORAe environment was developed based on the concept of learning organizational memory. This environment is dedicated to be used by a semantic learning organization as support for competency‐based training. It is evaluated in this context.FindingsIn the E‐MEMORAe environment, learning content is indexed by knowledge and competencies organized by means of ontologies. Learners can acquire thise knowledge and these competencies by doing different tasks, accessing different contents. In the memory, competencies are defined via the knowledge they enable to be put into practice.Practical implicationsIt is known that some industrial communities of practice are interested in the use of E‐MEMORAe.Originality/valueWithin the MEMORAe project, an ontology‐based learning organizational memory is proposed as support for learning object retrieval by competency for competency based learning. Using such a memory enables and goes beyond organizational knowledge management. Knowledge and competencies are defined and structured to facilitate their access and their learning. This latter is also made possible thanks to the resources that they index.
Modeling competencies for supporting work‐integrated learning in knowledge work
Authors: Ley Tobias , Ulbrich Armin , Scheir Peter , Lindstaedt Stefanie N. , Kump Barbara , Albert Dietrich 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to suggest a way to support work‐integrated learning for knowledge work, which poses a great challenge for current research and practice.Design/methodology/approachThe authors first suggest a workplace learning context model, which has been derived by analyzing knowledge work and the knowledge sources used by knowledge workers. The authors then focus on the part of the context that specifies competencies by applying the competence performance approach, a formal framework developed in cognitive psychology. From the formal framework, a methodology is then derived of how to model competence and performance in the workplace. The methodology is tested in a case study for the learning domain of requirements engineering.FindingsThe Workplace Learning Context Model specifies an integrative view on knowledge workers' work environment by connecting learning, work and knowledge spaces. The competence performance approach suggests that human competencies be formalized with a strong connection to workplace performance (i.e. the tasks performed by the knowledge worker). As a result, competency diagnosis and competency gap analysis can be embedded into the normal working tasks and learning interventions can be offered accordingly. The results of the case study indicate that experts were generally in moderate to high agreement when assigning competencies to tasks.Research limitations/implicationsThe model needs to be evaluated with regard to the learning outcomes in order to test whether the learning interventions offered benefit the user. Also, the validity and efficiency of competency diagnosis need to be compared to other standard practices in competency management.Practical implicationsUse of competence performance structures within organizational settings has the potential to more closely relate the diagnosis of competency needs to actual work tasks, and to embed it into work processes.Originality/valueThe paper connects the latest research in cognitive psychology and in the behavioural sciences with a formal approach that makes it appropriate for integration into technology‐enhanced learning environments.
Visual ontology alignment for knowledge sharing and reuse
Authors: Lanzenberger Monika , Sampson Jennifer J. , Rester Markus , Naudet Yannick , Latour Thibaud 
Published: October 2008

PurposeBy providing interoperability users can be supported in sharing and reusing vocabularies and knowledge. Ontology alignment plays an important role in the context of semantic interoperability. Usually ontology alignment tools generate results that are difficult to understand or assess. In order to enable users to check and improve alignment results and to understand their consequences information visualization techniques are used. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relevant quality aspects in ontology alignment as well as current activities and available tools.Design/methodology/approachBased on a literature study quality measures for ontology alignment identified and requirements for visual ontology alignment are defined. As a proof of concepts a prototype called AlViz was developed.FindingsInformation visualization offers appropriate methods for the assessment of ontology alignment results. Different levels of detail and overview help users to navigate and understand the alignments. The assessment of semi‐structured resources by users involves learning activities. The neighborhood of the entity under investigation bears relevant semantic information. Therefore, assessment may include crisscrossing acquisition of knowledge representations and their semantics.Originality/valueAlong a comprehensive framework alignment assessment tasks are identified and visualization tool is introduced and applied which aims at making ontology alignment results manageable and comprehensible.
A semantic web architecture for integrating competence management and learning paths
Authors: Draganidis Fotis , Chamopoulou Paraskevi , Mentzas Gregoris 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a prototype ontology‐based application that has been developed for competency management and learning paths.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides an overview of competency management and related work in this area, a description of the competency ontology, and a functional and architectural analysis.FindingsThe paper provides information on work related to ontology‐based competency management systems, indicating an enhanced approach with a detailed analysis of system architecture and functional analysis.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed application will be implemented through a .NET deployment, in Microsoft Hellas, the Greek subsidiary of the multinational IT company.Originality/valueOntologies have already been created in different scientific areas, including knowledge and competency management. However, only a few ontology‐based applications are available today within the domain of competency management. In this paper an ontology‐based application is presented has been developed for competency management and learning paths. Specifically, the paper provides an overview of competency management and related work in this area, a description of the competency ontology, and a functional and architectural analysis.
Educational games with blogs
Authors: Song Chiann‐Ru 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe importance of critical thinking disposition (CTD) in second language (L2) university students' writing is a topic rarely discussed. The purpose of this research paper is to examine L2 university students' CTD during the writing process. Research questions discussed in this paper encompass the CT dispositions and characteristics of L2 university students in online writing environments. Measuring CTD and CTD training via online collaborative peer review were the two grounding themes of this study.Design/methodology/approachA five‐point Likert scale online questionnaire which included two open‐ended questions was developed to assess CTD. A factor analysis and a cluster analysis were preformed on the data. A discriminate analysis determined the number of viable clusters and a one‐way ANOVA was performed to compare differences, with qualitative interview data to supplement. The data set for CTD measurement was a matrix consisting of 27 participants and P variables.FindingsThe findings reveal that the CTD characteristics of L2s include open‐mindedness, systematicity and inquisitiveness, and low interaction/motivation.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations include a small sample size that mimics the researcher's anticipations, but the findings would be strengthened by a larger sample. A lack of sensitivity and generalisability could be corrected in the future by using broader subject matter within an online educational web site.Originality/valueKnowledge of the CTD characteristics of L2s would allow interface designers to take into account different CTDs in developing L2 online collaborative educational web sites. This study outlines the first step in developing online collaborative educational games that allow L2 university students to improve their writing abilities by considering various CTDs.
Structured versus unstructured tagging: a case study
Authors: Bar‐Ilan Judit , Shoham Snunith , Idan Asher , Miller Yitzchak , Shachak Aviv 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis paper seeks to describe and discuss a tagging experiment involving images related to Israeli and Jewish cultural heritage. The aim of this experiment was to compare freely assigned tags with values (free text) assigned to predefined metadata elements.Design/methodology/approachTwo groups of participants were asked to provide tags for 12 images. The first group of participants was asked to assign descriptive tags to the images without guidance (unstructured tagging), while the second group was asked to provide free‐text values to predefined metadata elements (structured tagging).FindingsThe results show that on the one hand structured tagging provides guidance to the users, but on the other hand different interpretations of the meaning of the elements may worsen the tagging quality instead of improving it. In addition, unstructured tagging allows for a wider range of tags.Research limitations/implicationsThe recommendation is to experiment with a system where the users provide both the tags and the context of these tags.Originality/valueUnstructured tagging has become highly popular on the web, thus it is important to evaluate its merits and shortcomings compared to more conventional methods.
Influence of online shopping information dependency and innovativeness on internet shopping adoption
Authors: Bigné‐Alcañiz Enrique , Ruiz‐Mafé Carla , Aldás‐Manzano Joaquín , Sanz‐Blas Silvia 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe paper's purpose is to analyse the influence of online shopping information dependency and innovativeness on the acceptance of internet shopping.Design/methodology/approachThe impact of online shopping information dependency, domain‐specific innovativeness and technology acceptance model (TAM) variables on future shopping intention has been tested through structural equation modelling techniques. The sample consisted of 465 Spanish consumers who had never purchased online.FindingsData analysis shows that consumer innovativeness and online shopping information dependency have a direct and positive influence on future online shopping intention and that the basic TAM hypotheses are fulfilled. Online shopping information dependency can be increased with interfaces that are easier to use, but only if perceived usefulness remains high. Consumer innovativeness positively influences internet exposure and the ease‐of‐use perception of the shopping medium, referred to throughout this paper as “shopping channel”.Practical implicationsThis research enables companies to know which aspects of their communication strategies to highlight in order to get non‐purchasing web users to participate in e‐shopping. Perceived ease of use and online shopping information dependency has a significant influence on shoppers' willingness to purchase online. This shows that web content and design are key tools in the increase of future online purchasing. It is also recommended that managers target some of their advertising campaigns to the more innovative users.Originality/valueThere are still too few studies that analyse the effects of innovativeness and online shopping information dependency on non‐purchasing web users' behaviour. This work aims to combine the influence of online shopping information dependency, innovativeness and the traditional TAM in order to construct an improved model for internet shopping acceptance. It will use an integrated model to do so.
Problems with the use of web search engines to find results in foreign languages
Authors: Lewandowski Dirk 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis paper's aim is to test the ability of the major search engines Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask to distinguish between German‐ and English‐language documents.Design/methodology/approachA total of 50 queries using words common in both German and English were submitted to the search engines. The advanced search option of language restriction was used, once in German and once in English, and the first 20 results per engine in each language were investigated.FindingsWhile none of the search engines faced problems providing results in the language of the interface that was used, both Google and MSN faced difficulties when the results were restricted to a foreign language.Research limitations/implicationsSearch engines were only tested in German and English. There is only anecdotal evidence that the problems are the same with other languages.Practical implicationsSearchers should not use the language restriction in Google and MSN when searching for foreign‐language documents. Instead, searchers should use Yahoo or Ask. If searching for foreign language documents in Google or MSN, the interface in the target language or country should be used.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates a problem with search engines that has not been previously investigated.
The pros and cons of computing the h‐index using Web of Science
Authors: Jacsó Péter 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper, the fourth in a series, is to discuss the pros and cons of the h‐index in the Web of Science (WoS).Design/methodology/approachThe paper looks at the content and software advantages and disadvantages of WoS from the perspective of calculating the h‐index as a single measure of published research output and influence at the individual researcher level.FindingsThe paper finds that there are notable similarities and differences between WoS and Scopus, and that any WoS edition has a unique and important feature. As opposed to other cited reference enhanced databases, WoS always includes all the cited references for every record created, irrespective of the publication year.Originality/valueThe paper provides insights into the advantages and disadvantages of WoS from the perspective of calculating the h‐index.