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1 – 10 of over 12000The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the impact of the marketisation of the English HE sector on academic staff and the nature of their professional work is felt to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the impact of the marketisation of the English HE sector on academic staff and the nature of their professional work is felt to the same degree in different English universities. The study was conducted between November 2015 and April 2017.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the interpretivist paradigm, a qualitative, inductive approach is adopted. In total, 12 semi-structured interviews of 60-90 min each were conducted with academics of six English university types (ancient, old and new civics, plate-glass, technological and post-1992). Participants who were identified by non-probability sampling included professors, principal, senior and lecturers and associate lecturers.
Findings
Six key themes emerged regarding the impact on academic staff and their work: efficiency and quantity over effectiveness; autocratic, managerialist ideology over academic democracy and debate; instrumentalism over intellectualism; de-professionalisation and fragmentation of the academy; increased incidence of performativity, bullying and workplace aggression; and work intensification. The ancient university is least impacted by marketisation in terms of academic staff and the nature of their work. Next are the old and new civic universities, followed by technological, plate-glass universities. The most impact is felt by academics (and the nature of their work) in the post-1992 universities.
Research limitations/implications
There is a relatively small number of interviews in this study; therefore, it is difficult to categorically correlate an academic biography with their opinion in the context of their university type. More male than female participants were interviewed. International staff were not interviewed, and this could bring a varying perspective to the narrative found in this study. A mixed approach in further research would aid this objective. Some of the questioning in the pilot study was not as focused as any further primary research would have to be.
Originality/value
A further area of study, which could have practical implications, add originality and value would be to investigate how good practice in “employee engagement” in the university context might pave the way forward. This has the potential to benefit academic staff directly and the institution, a win–win solution for all stakeholders.
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In this country it is a mark of the Education Acts and other educational reforms that their by‐products have often proved more significant than the direct changes.
This paper aims to examine how metaphors mediate organizational change across space and time.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how metaphors mediate organizational change across space and time.
Design/methodology/approach
The data consist of 113 speeches by vice‐chancellors of a distance learning university, recorded in texts. Texts are apposite for this research as they transmit meaning across time and space. Hermeneutics is an appropriate methodology because it enables interpretation across temporal and spatial distance.
Findings
The paper finds that textual metaphors mediate organizational change across space and time in five ways: transferring from familiarity to strangeness, providing coherence, “breaking distance” changing reality through changing language, and recontextualising.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses on formal organizational texts and excludes informal texts and conversation. Change outcomes are not studied; there should be further research on how metaphors affect change over time and space.
Practical implications
Metaphors enable managers to communicate change across time and space. Textual metaphors are continuously available and interactive, enabling dialogue between managers and staff across space and time.
Originality/value
The paper furthers our knowledge of how metaphors mediate change across both space and time. Metaphors translate the organization across distance, fusing spatial and temporal horizons, effecting organizational change by changing language. The organization becomes a metaphor of itself, recontextualising across time and space.
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Bai Yun, Zhao Yue and Zhou Yaolin
This study aims to identify the prominent topics, the distribution and association characteristics of topics and the topic evolutionary trends of Documentary Heritage Preservation…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the prominent topics, the distribution and association characteristics of topics and the topic evolutionary trends of Documentary Heritage Preservation and Conservation (DHPAC) research in China.
Design/methodology/approach
Keywords of relevant papers in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were extracted as the data source in this study. First, frequency and co-occurrence of keywords of the selected papers were obtained by using SATI. Second, co-word network indicators were calculated with the Pajek software. Then, VOSviewer was applied to optimize the visualization of the sub-communities. Finally, a topics evolution map of this research field was implemented by CorTexT.
Findings
The research topics of DHPAC research in China were unbalanced but distinct. Topics of DHPAC research in China possessed inconspicuous orientation and consistency. The core topics had less influence on the overall network. A research system had formed with archival conservation and ancient books conservation as the core research directions. Research in this field had formed four continuous evolutionary paths about ancient books conservation, salvage conservation, archival conservation and archives conservation technology science with topics fusion and differentiation coexisting. Attentions on “ancient books conservation”, “paper relics conservation”, “electronic record”, “digitization”, “minority”, “documents in the republic of China” had increased during the past two decades and new hot topics of DHPAC research kept appearing in China.
Originality/value
This study synthesized and analyzed the research results of DHPAC research in China from a more comprehensive perspective and revealed the topic structure and longitudinal evolution process intuitively with co-word analysis and social network analysis, which can assist researchers to improve research systematization, discover new research directions and seek cooperative research path.
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Suoling Zhu and Ping Bao
The purpose of this paper is to apply Geographic Information System (GIS) in the development and utilization of Chinese ancient local chronicles to achieve the mining and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to apply Geographic Information System (GIS) in the development and utilization of Chinese ancient local chronicles to achieve the mining and visualization of historical data about products distribution and dispersal in Products in Local Chronicles of Guangdong.
Design/methodology/approach
Using 1,756 records of product-related location names in Products in Local Chronicles of Guangdong of the Qing dynasty, which are recognized by a name recognition system, as attribute data; taking the spatial data of Chinese administrative geography of the Qing dynasty in 1820 and the Historical Atlas of China as spatial data; connect the attribute data with relevant spatial data based on the table connection function of Arcmap in Arcgis 8.3 to implement the data management, cartography and analysis.
Findings
The application of GIS in the development and utilization of ancient local chronicles was quite successful. With some thematic maps, knowledge about products distribution and dispersal in ancient books was vividly displayed so as to facilitate relevant researches.
Research limitations/implications
Only product-related location names inside China were analyzed, not other named entities in local chronicles; and only static visual display was achieved, not dynamic visual display. Historical maps of the world can be used to carry out the visualization of the products distribution and dispersal in the world, and even the visualization of other knowledge, such as poetries and songs scattered over many places in China. The process of products dispersal and the distribution of poetries and songs can be dynamically and visually displayed by pictures, audios, videos, multimedia, etc.
Practical implications
By using GIS in the development and utilization of Chinese ancient local chronicles, this paper explores a new way for the collation of ancient books and open up a new area for the research of digital humanities.
Originality/value
This is the first try about the application of GIS in the development and utilization of ancient local chronicles, and also the same of digital humanities research in the field of agricultural history.
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Anton Du Plessis, Ruhan Slabbert, Liani Colette Swanepoel, Johan Els, Gerrie J Booysen, Salima Ikram and Izak Cornelius
– The purpose of this paper is to present the first detailed three-dimensional (3D) print from micro-computed tomography data of the skeleton of an ancient Egyptian falcon mummy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the first detailed three-dimensional (3D) print from micro-computed tomography data of the skeleton of an ancient Egyptian falcon mummy.
Design/methodology/approach
Radiographic analysis of an ancient Egyptian falcon mummy housed at Iziko Museums of South Africa was performed using non-destructive x-ray micro-computed tomography. A 1:1 physical replica of its skeleton was printed in a polymer material (polyamide) using 3D printing technology.
Findings
The combination of high-resolution computed tomography scanning and rapid prototyping allowed us to create an accurate 1:1 model of a biological object hidden by wrappings. This model can be used to study skeletal features and morphology and also enhance exhibitions hosted within the museum.
Originality/value
This is the first replica of its kind made of an ancient Egyptian falcon mummy skeleton. The combination of computed tomography scanning and 3D printing has the potential to facilitate scientific research and stimulate public interest in Egyptology.
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The paper aims to present and interpret excellence through the parchments of the ancient Hellenic philosophy and the different schools of management thought and its application in…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to present and interpret excellence through the parchments of the ancient Hellenic philosophy and the different schools of management thought and its application in the university context.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach taken in the paper is theoretical and is based on the writings of ancient Hellenes philosophers and management researchers, a semasiologic analysis of the term “excellence” in Hellenic and its content in the university context and a comparison with the basic principles of total quality management (TQM).
Findings
The findings of the paper support the view that the ancient Hellenes philosophers had a substantial contribution in the development of excellence and TQM fundamental concepts, as proved by their writings 2,400 years ago. It is worth mentioning that the term aristeia (excellence, in Hellenic) hides in it, as appears from the analysis of the word, the idea of good in an exemplary way and the factors that constitute the teachings of TQM.
Practical implications
The paper brings out the essence of excellence and proves that deep understanding of the concept of excellence leads to a virtuous personal life which leads in good citizenship in the wider social context that result in a constantly improving and transformative academic or professional life.
Originality/value
The paper presents the meaning of excellence through the combination of knowledge from the ancient Hellenic philosophy, management, Hellenic language and TQM.
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Ping Bao and Suoling Zhu
The purpose of this paper is to present a system for recognition of location names in ancient books written in languages, such as Chinese, in which proper names are not signaled…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a system for recognition of location names in ancient books written in languages, such as Chinese, in which proper names are not signaled by an initial capital letter.
Design/methodology/approach
Rule-based and statistical methods were combined to develop a set of rules for identification of product-related location names in the local chronicles of Guangdong. A name recognition system, with functions of document management, information extraction and storage, rule management, location name recognition, and inquiry and statistics, was developed using Microsoft's .NET framework, SQL Server 2005, ADO.NET and XML. The system was evaluated with precision ratio, recall ratio and the comprehensive index, F.
Findings
The system was quite successful at recognizing product-related location names (F was 71.8 percent), demonstrating the potential for application of automatic named entity recognition techniques in digital collation of ancient books such as local chronicles.
Research limitations/implications
Results suffered from limitations in initial digitization of the text. Statistical methods, such as the hidden Markov model, should be combined with an extended set of recognition rules to improve recognition scores and system efficiency.
Practical implications
Electronic access to local chronicles by location name saves time for chorographers and provides researchers with new opportunities.
Social implications
Named entity recognition brings previously isolated ancient documents together in a knowledge base of scholarly and cultural value.
Originality/value
Automatic name recognition can be implemented in information extraction from ancient books in languages other than English. The system described here can also be adapted to modern texts and other named entities.
Details