bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Learning organizations, employee development and learning representative schemes in the UK and New Zealand
Authors: Lee Bill , Cassell Catherine 
Published: January 2009

PurposeDisparities in learning opportunities endure. This paper aims to investigate whether the learning representative schemes in the UK and New Zealand (NZ) may redress disparate opportunities for learning.Design/methodology/approachAn interview study of UK trade unions' educational officers and an interview study of representatives of bodies involved in designing the NZ learning representative scheme are used to consider each scheme's capability to address disparate learning opportunities.FindingsThe paper finds that the UK scheme allows trade unions to initiate vocational and non‐vocational learning opportunities locally. Legislative and financial support allows some redress of inequalities in learning opportunities. The NZ scheme was introduced through a tripartite alliance of central organizations, without legislative support, to provide vocational opportunities. This scheme may facilitate learning opportunities at companies where the constituents of the central organizations support the initiative.Research implications/ limitationsThe UK scheme is firmly established, while the NZ scheme has only been developed recently. The potential for further developments in the New Zealand scheme must be acknowledged.Practical implications/ limitationsUnion‐backed learning representative schemes in different countries have been introduced to redress the unequal distribution of learning opportunities that exist at work. However, to date, there has been limited research into the potential for learning representative schemes to promote learning in different organizational contexts. There is a need for further research in this area.Originality/valueThe paper presents findings from the first comparative study of the learning representative schemes in the UK and NZ.
Work‐related identity in individual and social learning at work
Authors: Collin Kaija 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate how workers' work‐related identity is related to various forms of workplace learning. The study also aims to show how changes in the organization affect both learning and the work‐related identity construction of employees.Design/methodology/approachIn‐depth interviews with four design engineers were conducted in 2000 and 2007 in Finland. Narrative analysis was used to construct four stories that were compared at two different points in time to find out what changes and development took place in relation to experiences of learning and work‐related identity.FindingsThe findings suggest that learning and work‐related identity are related to one another in many ways. Usually this relationship is individually constituted, but many of its elements are socially shared. Work‐related identity is constructed strategically as one of many identities constituted in the other areas of life.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study show that employers should bear in mind the importance of this interrelationship in order to promote employees' commitment and so facilitate their continuous learning and construction of their work‐related identity.Originality/valueThis paper provides useful information on how changes in the organization affect both learning and the work‐related identity construction of employees.
A collaborative perspective on learning transfer
Authors: Nielsen Klaus 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to argue that it is important to focus on the apprentices' collaborative learning processes when addressing issues of learning transfer.Design/methodology/approachThe claims about the importance of addressing processes of collaborative activities and learning in relation to learning transfer are based on the study following the completion of questionnaires by 243 apprentices and interviews in which 19 baker apprentices participated.FindingsThe research results prove that it is important to pay attention to collaborative activities among learners in order to ensure learning transfer.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation of the study is that it does not elaborate on reasons that some apprentices are motivated to integrate what they were taught at vocational college in a workplace setting while others are not motivated to do so.Practical implicationsEducators will become more aware of individual and collective initiatives to cross the boundaries between vocational school and workplace practice.Originality/valueThe study adds to the discussion of learning transfer through an investigation of learning transfer from a collaborative perspective. Most transfer studies have focused on the nature of knowledge or the structural barriers between college and workplace practice, while this study emphasizes the collaborative nature of learning transfer.
The “dos and don'ts” of writing a journal article
Authors: Kekäle Tauno , de Weerd‐Nederhof Petra , Cervai Sara , Borelli Massimo 
Published: January 2009

PurposeDuring work as reviewers and editors of journals authors are often faced the same types of problems in many articles. The purpose of this piece is to give some guidelines on typical problems that lead to rejection, and how to avoid these.Design/methodology/approachThe paper discusses journal article design and offers some methodology viewpoints; in particular about the differences between a PhD thesis aim and a scientific journal article. It focuses on some typical mistakes found in reviewing papers.FindingsThe paper finds that the main criteria to getting published are that the article must include original, empirical research.Originality/valueFollowing these guidelines the review process of articles will be smoother and the amount of rejects should diminish. Especially young researchers can find good suggestions about how to write a paper for the Journal of Workplace Learning.
Performance measurement of research and development activities
Authors: Chiesa Vittorio , Frattini Federico , Lazzarotti Valentina , Manzini Raffaella 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to study the problem of designing a Performance Measurement System (PMS) for R&D. In particular, it aims at investigating the influence exerted by the type of activity being measured (i.e. Basic and Applied Research or New Product Development) on the design of the PMS constitutive elements.Design/methodology/approachFirst, a literature review made it possible to build a theoretical model that identifies the constitutive elements of the PMS for R&D. Second, a survey involving 129 Italian firms (with a response rate of 33 per cent) was performed to unearth a number of similarities and differences between PMSs used in Research and New Product Development settings. Finally, a follow‐up multiple case study investigation made it possible to understand the reason underlying the dissimilarities which emerged from the survey.FindingsThe analysis suggests that a specialisation of the performance measurement practices in research and development is pursued by the Italian firms in the sample, especially when a number of conditions are in place (e.g. high level of uncertainty in R&D, availability of resources, organisational separation between the research and development functions).Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical analyses reported here focus on R&D‐intensive firms, because they invest more heavily in R&D and hence are more interested in measuring its performance. The generalisability of these results to other empirical settings is discussed and represents a promising avenue for future research.Practical implicationsThe paper provides R&D managers with a number of criteria they should employ to design more effective PMSs for the R&D activities for which they are responsible. Moreover, it suggests that designing and using two different PMSs for research and new product development can be a valuable alternative but only under specific circumstances.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the first contributions that empirically assess the differences in the approaches employed to measure performance of research and new product development activities.
Organizational diversity and shared vision
Authors: Wang Catherine L. , Rafiq Mohammed 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe aims of this paper are: to address the tensions pertinent to exploration and exploitation from the organizational learning perspective; to conceptualize how organizational diversity and shared vision, as two core components of organizational culture, help resolve these tensions; and to discuss the organizational configurations necessary for instilling organizational diversity and shared vision.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that focuses on the role of organizational culture in promoting corporate entrepreneurship from the organizational learning perspective.FindingsOrganizational diversity and shared vision are important for a balanced approach to exploratory and exploitative learning. Organizational parameters must be aligned to instil the two types of organizational culture to achieve either simultaneous or sequential ambidexterity.Research limitations/implicationsThe key theoretical arguments regarding the role of organizational diversity and shared vision in entrepreneurial learning may be adopted for empirical testing in future research.Practical implicationsThe arguments of the paper caution that organizations must not only focus on entrepreneurial values in terms of diversity and creativity, but also promote goal‐oriented behavior through instilling a shared vision to integrate individual learning in organizational learning and to balance the need for different types of learning in the corporate entrepreneurship process.Originality/valueThe paper articulates the different learning styles and mechanisms involved in the exploratory and exploitative learning and then elaborates on the role of organizational diversity and shared vision in resolving the paradox of exploration and exploitation.
The death of paid standards (and the birth of new identity services)
Authors: Rutkowski Anthony Michael 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show that, over the past 20 years, a combination of industry, technological, and legal developments has effectively ended the viability of standards bodies to charge for their published specifications and related registration information. These trends have been especially significant in the information‐telecommunications (ICT) and security fields.Design/methodology/approachThe article discusses developments in standards and related registration systems, why they are essential for industry, government, and consumers, and describes emerging features of next generation standards publishing and related identity management services.FindingsThese shifts to next generation standards business, cybersecurity, and identity management models will be complex – given the global diversity of the activities.Originality/valueAlthough some discourse on standards availability, copyright, and registration/verification of identifiers independently exists, no known published material treats all three as an integrated ensemble.
China's ICT standards policy after the WTO accession: techno‐national versus techno‐globalism
Authors: Lee Heejin , Chan Shirley , Oh Sangjo 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show that, since China's accession to the WTO in 2001, standards have emerged as an effective means to protect and promote domestic industries, especially in the ICT sector. China has made several attempts to set its own technological standards – different from international standards – within its own territory and world‐wide. This paper seeks to examine two cases of China's attempts to set its own standards in the ICT sector. By comparing similarities and differences in these cases, it aims to identify motivations and strategies of China's standards‐setting attempts in the ICT sector.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines the cases of wireless LAN security (WAPI) and 3G mobile communications (TD‐SCDMA). It draws on a set of concepts from the study of national technological innovation systems: techno‐nationalism and techno‐globalism. Data were collected from media and standards‐related institutions.FindingsDespite similarities, each case has a distinguished orientation in terms of techno‐nationalism and techno‐globalism: WAPI is aligned with techno‐nationalism and TD‐SCDMA with techno‐globalism.Research limitations/implicationsChina's recent attempts regarding its own standards in the ICT sector are not one‐off occasions, but China's standards policy towards international standards will continue. This research will be a foundation for further inquiry in this increasingly important area of study. A longitudinal follow‐up study tracking the development of each standard over time is required.Originality/valueDespite the significance of these standard‐setting attempts for China's trade, technology policy and economic development, on the one hand, and for the world economy, on the other hand, there has been little research in this area. The paper offers an enhanced understanding of China's standards policy.
Transnational regulatory governance and global electronic commerce
Authors: Purra Mika 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of Global Electronic Commerce (GEC) on transnational regulatory governance and to suggest a novel way of understanding its implications for national and transnational governance structures.Design/methodology/approachThe paper has two components. The first part endeavours to establish a basis from which to observe regulatory governance of GEC and, in doing so, suggests a framework that draws together the relevant elements of transnational GEC governance. The second part examines the central determinants in shaping a functioning framework for GEC, namely, copyrights, data privacy protection and jurisdiction.FindingsThe findings are twofold. Owing to limitations deriving from institutional structural divergences; variations in cultural, political and commercial interests; and the relative power of non‐state actors, the cases first indicate how GEC has made multilateral negotiations between states more complex. Second, given the complexity of cross‐border governance and the variation in interests across its regulatory subsectors, GEC calls for an increasing degree of cultural harmonization across all regulatory subsectors.Originality/valueIn the absence of major views or paradigms, a novel approach to understanding the regulatory governance of GEC between states is a welcome addition to the study of transnational governance. Such an approach seeks to elucidate the impact of GEC on the development of transnational regulatory mechanisms, on the one hand, and the transformations that the governance of GEC imposes on transnational negotiation processes, on the other hand. It also seeks to understand how these underpinnings affect formation of holistic governance structures for GEC.
Explicating barriers to entry in the telecommunications industry
Authors: Park Eun‐A 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine economic debates over the conception of barriers to entry and speculates which definitions can be applicable to the telecommunications industry, more specifically, the residential broadband market. Also, it seeks to clarify the various industrial factors that could prevent or mar the success of entry into the residential telecommunications market and it also seeks to introduce an analytical framework that can be adopted for evaluating the barriers to entry.Design/methodology/approachThe approach takes the form of a literature review.FindingsIt clarifies the various industrial factors that could prevent or mar the success of entry into the residential telecommunications market and introduces an analytical framework that can be adopted for evaluating the barriers to entry.Originality/valueAlthough market entry barriers are crucial industrial factors that influence the market share and profit of firms already in the market, very little research has specifically examined barriers in the telecommunications and broadband industry.
Telecommunications reforms in South East Europe
Authors: Sutherland Ewan , Defraigne Philippe , Bocarova Veronica 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to illustrate how eventual membership of the European Union is influencing reforms in South East Europe, through legislation and institutions being brought into line with EU practice.Design/methodology/approachThe article reflects the results of monitoring exercises conducted in the Balkans with data gathered from national regulatory authorities and ministries. The approach is comparative between the countries and with the existing EU member states.FindingsConsiderable progress has been made in the opening of markets, with the issuing of new licences and the introduction of regulatory measures to support new entrants. However, many obstacles remain to be overcome.Research limitations/implicationsDetermining the practical application of the legal provisions is not straightforward; there may be delays or questions of interpretation. Further work is required to determine how the changes are carried forward.Practical implicationsFurther work will continue both by the authorities in South East Europe and in monitoring increased competition in mobile markets and the introduction of broadband, primarily using wireless technology.Originality/valueWork on this region of Europe has been very limited, in part due to difficulties in gathering data.
Regulatory innovations in Tanzania: the role of administrative capabilities and regulatory governance
Authors: van Gorp Annemijn , Maitland Carleen 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show that, while in many low income countries inefficient regulatory regimes have been blamed for impeding ICT market development, Tanzania constitutes a remarkable exception. This study aims to identify the organizational and contextual factors that have enabled the Tanzanian Communications Regulatory Agency (TCRA) to implement innovative regulations, including a fully converged licensing framework as the first country on the continent, and how subsequently these regulations have influenced market development.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is based on case study data gathered through 20 face‐to‐face interviews in 2006 as well as secondary data gathered from government documents, news reports and company web sites.FindingsThe research finds that the market developments and regulatory innovations were due in part to Tanzania's Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)'s high level of autonomy, afforded by independent funding mechanisms and lack of capacity of the Ministry, which pressed the regulator to play a greater role in policy making than is found in other countries. Further, TCRA's significant internal focus on capacity building has also enabled strong regulatory governance.Practical implicationsThe results provide further evidence of the role that institutional endowments and regulatory governance play in fostering policy reform.Originality/valueThe research examines regulatory innovations in a region typically associated with regulatory inefficiencies. It identifies institutional factors and subsequently shows how in a very low income country they may be conducive to effective regulatory governance and market development.
How new billing processes reshape the mobile industry
Authors: de Reuver Mark , de Koning Tim , Bouwman Harry , Lemstra Wolter 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how technological and strategic developments enable new billing processes for mobile content services.Design/methodology/approachInterviews with practitioners are used as input for designing different archetypical role division models for billing and process models. The potential of these process models to reshape the mobile industry is evaluated on three criteria: convenience for the end‐user; potential resource barriers; and the fit with strategic interests of the actors involved.FindingsBoth technological advances and the introduction of new roles and strategies in the mobile domain enable the emergence of alternative billing methods. While network operator‐centric models remain relevant in the short term, in the longer term they will co‐exist with other models in which the customer transaction is owned by the content aggregator, the content provider, the ISP or the payment provider.Research limitations/implicationsThe research demonstrates the relevance of analysis at the process level in assessing the feasibility of new role division models at the value creation level.Practical implicationsThe emergence of alternative billing providers is expected to change the power balance in the value network and assist in opening up the “walled garden”.Originality/valueThe analysis extends beyond existing discussions on billing in the mobile industry, which typically focus on the value network level, as the process level and the related resources are included. Moreover, the empirical data from the interviews with practitioners at various organizations provide new insights into the feasibility of these models in practice.
Consent for trauma and orthopaedic surgery: patient comprehension
Authors: Mahadevan Devendra , Gupta Sanjeev 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the results of an audit undertaken to assess patients’ understanding of orthopaedic terminology in consent forms.Design/methodology/approachParticipants were asked to complete a questionnaire enquiring about their understanding of selected terms written routinely in orthopaedic consent forms.FindingsThe data confirm that the majority of patients lack an understanding of basic orthopaedic terminology. The results of the questionnaire suggest that common terms such as “infection” and “deep vein thrombosis” were only understood by three‐quarters of the study sample. Findings confirm that patients willingly sign consent forms without understanding the details of the procedures.Originality/valueThe review has resulted in a change in the perception of the consent process. Assumptions should not be made and a signed consent form does not necessarily imply that an informed consent has been obtained from the patient.
On the pursuit of clinical excellence
Authors: Kapur Narinder 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer a pragmatic definition of clinical excellence.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a conceptual review of key studies relating to clinical excellence.FindingsThe pursuit of clinical excellence can be profitably considered in terms of 15 pillars of excellence comprising “technical” pillars, “personal” pillars, and “future” pillars. The five technical pillars are: evidence‐based thinking and practice; professional and peer accreditation; decision support systems; effectiveness and efficiency; learning and risk management. The five personal pillars comprise: interpersonal skills; collaboration and leadership; resilience and stress management; user involvement; moral principles. The five future pillars consist of: policy and succession planning; teaching and training; innovation; research and publications; income‐resource generation.Originality/valueThese 15 pillars of excellence may serve as anaide‐memoirefor clinicians in their professional practice, as a pragmatic framework for both individual and organizational appraisal, accreditation, revalidation and reward systems, and as a teaching tool for a range of health‐care professionals.