bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Embedding new entrepreneurship programmes in UK higher education institutions
Authors: Smith A.J. , Collins L.A. , Hannon P.D. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop the understanding of the challenges and considerations of how new and innovative entrepreneurship education programmes may be inculcated into UK higher education institutions (HEIs).Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs an action research approach to provide insights into entrepreneurship education andragogy in the first instance and in the second instance evaluate the success of such a programme then discuss the challenges of embedding it within universities.FindingsThe paper provides substantial evidence for the effectiveness of innovative programmes and concludes that it would be difficult to embed such a programme within HEIs in the UK due to: resource limitations; lack of training in synergistic methods; keeping the freshness alive; finding suitable entrepreneurs to take part in the programme; finding the right space in academic timetable and curriculum.Research limitations/implicationsIn this paper the evidence for the success of the programme comes from one cohort of students who were followed for a 12‐month period and the assessment of suitability for embedding in universities is based on this one experience.Practical implicationsThe paper shows issues about the structural problems of embedding entrepreneurship programmes that employ new pedagogic methodology seem significant. The question of whether or not universities should make the effort to try to embed new learning and teaching methods is broached and the conclusion is that it is unlikely that any such programmes could be adopted in any substantial way.Originality/valueThe paper has developed a tripartite approach to delivering entrepreneurship education, which involves new synergistic learning techniques. The paper broadens the discussion about the challenges of bring such programmes into UK HEIs.
An inter‐industry comparison of VET in Australian SMEs
Authors: Jones Janice 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the extent and nature of Vocational Education and Training (VET) vis‐à‐vis other forms of training in three size categories of small‐to‐medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) from two industry sectors.Design/methodology/approachThe longitudinal panel data employed in this paper are drawn from the Business Longitudinal Survey (BLS) conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) over the four financial years 1994‐1995 to 1997‐1998.FindingsThe results indicate that less than half of the enterprises in the three‐size categories provide apprenticeship training and traineeships – and in the case of micro‐ and small business, VET in any other field for that matter ‐ or used any of the widely recognised providers of accredited VET. While there is a positive association between enterprise size and the implementation of VET, nonetheless, the results demonstrate that small business investment in structured VET is minimal. The results also show that significant size‐related and industry differences exist in training provision, methods, fields and providers in small business, with substantive differences occurring between small and medium‐sized firms.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper relied upon a secondary data source, and is limited by the VET variables available in the BLS.Practical implicationsThe findings in the paper indicate that, at the micro‐end of firm size, only the minority of firms provide training, suggesting that no matter what definition of VET is adopted, the majority of micro‐businesses do not provide training.Originality/valueThe paper focused exclusively on VET in SMEs in Australia, adding to the very few longitudinal inter‐industry studies conducted to date that have explicitly examined the nature and extent of VET relative to other forms of training in small business.
Performance of distance learning students in a small business management course
Authors: Kotey Bernice , Anderson Phil 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to compare the performance of distance‐learning students in a Small Business Management (SBM) course with that of internal (on‐campus) students, and to examine students' demographics and information processing systems for their moderating effects on performance of each student group.Design/methodology/approachMANOVA were used to investigate differences between the two student groups on performance and information processing, and chi‐square tests employed for differences in demographics. Associations among the three variables were examined by Pearson correlation analyses.FindingsThe paper finds that distance‐learning students performed as well as internal students on the multiple learning objectives for the course in spite of the impediments associated with distance‐learning. Work experience and rational information processing were positively associated with performance for distance‐learning students but not internal students.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings in this paper cannot be generalised due the unique characteristics of the SBM course investigated and the absence of objective data on the amount of time each student devoted to studying the course.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that online interactions between the two student groups should motivate distant students to increase their performance. Internal students would gain by learning from the work experiences of distant students.Originality/valueThe paper found a positive association between age and student performance and argued that maturity is beneficial to the learning process.
Organizational learning and performance
Authors: Khandekar Aradhana , Sharma Anuradha 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show that the role of organizational learning is increasingly becoming crucial for organizational performance. Based on the study of three Indian global firms operating in National Capital Region of Delhi, India, this study explores the correlation of organizational learning with organizational performance in the Indian scenario.Design/methodology/approachThe sample of the study comprised of three Indian global organizations chosen through purposive sampling technique. A total of 100 senior managers were interviewed from these firms, out of which 72 were HR and 28 were line managers. The data collected from these managers were analyzed using SPSS 12 version.FindingsThe paper finds that the organizational learning, which largely gets reflected through HRM activities, has a positive correlation with organizational performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper shows more samples from private, public and governmental Indian organizations could have made the study more interesting and would have presented Indian scenario better.Originality/valueThis paper will be useful to MNCs/global business organizations looking for investing and expanding in India, besides contributing to the understanding of organizational learning and organizational performance in Indian firms in present day global economic context.
Tourism skills delivery: sharing tourism knowledge online
Authors: Braun Patrice , Hollick Mary 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to share the authors' initial insights into tourism industry capacity building via flexibly delivered online skilling and knowledge sharing.Design/methodology/approachAn online research survey approach was employed, involving a sample of 64 micro tourism operators.FindingsThe paper finds that the major benefits perceived by operators across the pilot region, were the time saving aspects demonstrated in the smart form concept. Operators were also drawn in by the best practise examples and direct links to the online resources to bring and keep them up to date with industry information and developments.Research limitations/implicationsThe data presented in this paper represent initial findings of the pilot project. The project has since been completed.Practical implicationsThe model used for the pilot in this paper has been adopted by the Tourism Accreditation Board of Victoria and is now being considered for national rollout across Australia. The model is a practical and replicable capacity building model for micro tourism operators anywhere.Originality/valueThe paper adopts a collaborative learning network approach to micro business capacity building and training.
Researching entrepreneurship and education
Authors: Matlay Harry 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThis paper is the second in a series of conceptual, contextual and empirical contributions that, individually and cumulatively, seek to analyse, develop and link two important fields of research: “entrepreneurship” and “entrepreneurship education”. Part 2 aims to provide a critical evaluation of entrepreneurship education and its impact upon graduate entrepreneurship in the UK.Design/methodology/approachA comprehensive literature review and a structured evaluation of current knowledge on topics related directly and indirectly to “entrepreneurship education” in the UK.FindingsIt appears that conceptual, contextual, design and delivery differences can have a considerable influence upon entrepreneurship education courses delivered in the UK. There are significant definitional as well as conceptual and contextual issues affecting the design of relevant programmes and the delivery of the chosen curriculum. Consequently, a number of actual and perceived barriers need to be overcome in order to facilitate a better understanding of stakeholder needs and learning patterns.Research limitations/implicationsThe evaluation and interpretation of relevant research results represent the author's own perception and experiences, and should therefore be viewed with caution. It is suggested that the content of this paper is subject to the usual bias and singular perspective generally attributable to “viewpoint” articles.Practical implicationsThe paper measures the outcomes of entrepreneurship education is still proving difficult and inconclusive. More in‐depth research is needed on current UK entrepreneurship education provision and initiatives in order to gain a better understanding of the scope and limitations of a wide range of entrepreneurship education programmes.Originality/valueThis paper provides a critical evaluation of entrepreneurship education in the UK.
The death of corporatism? Managing change in the fire service
Authors: Fitzgerald Ian 
Published: January 2007

PurposeTo demonstrate how government policy on fires service reform was initially challenged by a stubbornly resistant fire service corporatism but finally dismantled following the 2003 fire service White Paper.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on longitudinal case study data that includes 50 semi‐structured interviews with key fire service personnel at regional and national levels.FindingsThis paper examines the roots of corporatism at national and local levels and demonstrates how the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) had significant levels of influence on management decision‐making. This was strongly reflected in the key role of the FBU in the industrial relations process that enabled the union to protect “entrenched” working practices. However, at a local level longstanding corporatist partnerships began to break down as a financial crisis arose and management took a more proactive approach. Corporatist structures at a national level, though, remained and it was not until the Labour government's second term of office that these national structures were overhauled following a White Paper and legislation.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates that whilst fire service management has consolidated its position under the Labour administration it has proved a disaster for the FBU.
360° feedback: a critical enquiry
Authors: Morgan Arthur , Cannan Kath , Cullinane Joanne 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe underpinning assumption in the adoption of 360° feedback is that it heightens an individual's self‐awareness by highlighting differences between how participants see themselves and how others see them. This statement implies that awareness motivates development and improves performance. This paper critically examines the introduction of 360° feedback in the civil service, drawing on the experiences of the Patent Office and taking account of the wider context of civil service modernisation.Design/methodology/approachThe case study gathered data through a series of interviews and questionnaires. It sought the perceptions and experiences of management and participants in relation to the implementation process and the outcomes of the scheme.FindingsAt an organisational level the use of 360° feedback, as a performance management tool, failed to develop the self‐awareness anticipated. Neither was it found to be aligned with other development plans or the organisation's core competencies. At an individual level some participants believed that they achieved little from the process overall and this may be related to an expectation that the organisation's HRM system would be more proactive in planning development action on their behalf.Practical implicationsThis research reflects the situation in one organisation. It is argued that the findings will have relevance for the wider civil service as the agenda for organisational efficiency, target setting, and performance improvement gathers momentum.Originality/valueThis paper takes a critical perspective on whether HR developments such as 360° feedback have a deep‐seated strategic rationale. It also explores the relationship between 360° feedback and the new public management.
UK public sector reform and the “performance agenda” in UK local government
Authors: Harris Lynette 
Published: January 2007

PurposeTo examine how an external performance review process introduced as part of the public sector modernisation agenda in England and Wales has impacted on HR service provision and processes in local government and the extent to which it has acted as a catalyst for the development of more integrative and innovative HR practices to support organisational performance.Design/methodology/approachA case study analysis of the Best Value Review (BVR) process of HR services at two county and two unitary authorities generated data from multiple sources including interviews, focus groups, consultative meetings as well as internal documentation. This approach was adopted to offer perspectives from different stakeholders in the employment relationship.FindingsThere was found to be a frequent lack of synergy between organisational goals, departmental plans and the performance objectives of individuals combined with an absence of shared understandings about human resourcing priorities or commitment to the processes needed to strategically integrate HR policies.Research limitations/implicationsWhilst providing insights into the Best Value (BV) approach to public sector modernisation, a wider generalisation of the findings cannot be drawn from four case studies.Practical implicationsLine management and the HR function need to share better understandings concerning the HR practices needed to support the modernisation agenda and their respective HR responsibilities.Originality/valueThis paper reveals that the BV performance regime was not encouraging, and even limiting, a corporate approach to the HR policies and practices required to develop longer term organisational capability.
Turning full circle? Changing industrial relations in the magazine industry in Britain
Authors: Gall Gregor 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to examine the processes and outcomes under which employers in the magazine industry in the UK ended the collective bargaining agreements for journalists with the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and instituted a unilateral‐based regime in the employment relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe research data were generated primarily via interviews with lay office holders and full‐time paid officials of the NUJ.FindingsThe journalists' union maintained a presence despite employer hostility and has been able to use this as a basis to regain collective bargaining agreements. Nonetheless, the relative weakness of the NUJ has meant that it has been unable to date to force the magazine employers into conducting genuine collective bargaining. This represents a case of impeded but not dissipated “union renewal”, suggesting the union renewal could be termed as being of a “stunted” nature.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the research should be taken as being preliminary given that the NUJ has only recently regained union recognition and begun conducting collective bargaining again. A longer timescale will allow more definitive judgements to be made.Practical implicationsThe paper indicates the significant challenges that trade unions face to reassert themselves in the workplace in the face of employer ambivalence and hostility despite regaining formal union recognition rights.Originality/valueThis paper provides empirical evidence of how trade unions are progressing after regaining union recognition.
Reforming further education: the changing labour process for college lecturers
Authors: Mather Kim , Worrall Les , Seifert Roger 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to examine how the labour process of further education lecturers has changed as a result of legislative reforms introduced in the early 1990s.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on labour process theory and emergent perspectives on “the new public management” to provide theoretical frameworks. Evidence is derived from research carried out at three FE colleges in the English West Midlands involving interviews with managers and lecturing staff, documentary material and a survey of lecturing staff employed in the colleges.FindingsMarket‐based reforms in this sector have resulted in the intensification and extensification of work effort for lecturers. This paper argues that these changes have been driven by the ideological underpinning of the reform process. Individual and collective acts of lecturer resistance have been insufficiently strong to prevent change from occurring and worker alienation has increased.Research limitations/implicationsThe case study method renders generalisability of findings difficult. Comparative studies in other localities and sectors are needed.Practical implicationsThe research indicates that the “new managerialism” – which has developed in the public sector – has created an increasingly alienated workforce and that the processes of change in many institutions have had negative outcomes.Originality/valueThe research demonstrates and application of labour process theory, supported by empirical evidence, as a means for examining the changing experiences of a group of public sector workers and assessing the effect of the “new managerialism” on workers' experiences.
National History Day: an opportunity for K‐16 collaboration
Authors: Manuel Kate 
Published: January 2007

PurposeFor more than 25 years, the National History Day (NHD) program has a number of distinctive features that make it a uniquely powerful collaborative vehicle for information literacy instruction. By requiring that student participants do in‐depth research using primary source materials, NHD strongly encourages integrated learning of historical content and information‐seeking processes, and thus partnerships between history teachers and librarians. Because few middle and high schools have extensive collections of primary source materials, NHD also promotes partnerships between K‐12 schools and academic libraries, public libraries, and museums in making primary source materials available to students. This case study aims to draw on one academic library's three‐year experience of partnering in NHD events in its community.Design/methodology/approachDescribes the NHD program, highlighting the commonalities between NHD learning goals; theNational Standards for History: Historical Thinking Standards(Grades 5‐12); the American Association of School Libraries'Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning; and the Association of College and Research Libraries'Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.FindingsShows how one academic library was able to successfully implement NHD programming, especially in the area of library instruction, to engage students in their own learning.Originality/valueNHD participation by higher education librarians, collaborating with their K‐12 counterparts, can be a powerful learning vehicle for elementary and secondary students to learn historical content knowledge, historical thinking skills, and information literacy skills.
Who says we're not busy? Library web page usage as a measure of public service activity
Authors: Welch Jeanie M. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss the viability of web server statistics for library‐generated web pages as measures of public service activity. For years librarians have gathered, reported, and analyzed traditional measures such as reference transactions, patron visits, book and reserve item circulation, and interlibrary loan transactions. Since the advent of web‐based databases and services, some traditional usage statistics have declined. Such declines can have political and financial implications for libraries.Design/methodology/approachThe author did a literature review, studied a suggested revision to the NISO Z39.7‐1995 Library Statistics standard that includes counting usage of library‐generated web pages, participated in a task force on web statistics, and analyzed library web site statistics at a university library.FindingsThe recommendations of a task force on reporting web page usage statistics in an academic library are discussed. The reporting of the usage of library‐generated web pages can be a useful indicator of increased patron contacts and provide a more complete picture of public service activities.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a new area for library statistics, and its impact on the perceptions of libraries as sources of information in the digital age has yet to be proven.Originality/valueThis paper is useful to libraries which wish to integrate web page usage statistics into their output measures and reporting procedures.
Search and discovery: news that matters
Authors: Mitchell Eleanor , Barbara Watstein Sarah 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reflect on two announcements from The Library of Congress and OCLC, the Online Library Computer Center, with immediate, long‐lasting and profound impact on search and discovery.Design/methodology/approachAnnouncements from two organizations are explored for implications to libraries and users.FindingsLibraries need to consider service implications of changes implemented in series authority cataloging by the Library of Congress, and to explore what the impact on access will be. The enhancements to search and access through WorldCat's search box will provide our users with improved discovery and information management.Originality/valueThis editorial offers a reflection on the importance to our users of both series authority work and access to the collections of the world's libraries.