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11 – 20 of over 2000The paper reports an intensive survey of medical library users in the Oxford teaching hospitals and the University science departments. Six survey techniques were used and…
Abstract
The paper reports an intensive survey of medical library users in the Oxford teaching hospitals and the University science departments. Six survey techniques were used and selected results are given for each. It was concluded that the characteristic having most influence on information‐seeking behaviour and library usage was the relative amounts of the user's time devoted to clinical practice and to research respectively. Three distinct user types were identified and ‘rich picture’ descriptions based on the survey evidence are given for each. A second paper will describe a systems study which linked the survey to library management decision‐making.
From a project to develop a microcomputer facility for small libraries, some criteria which may be used in the selection of a microcomputer and applications software for library…
Abstract
From a project to develop a microcomputer facility for small libraries, some criteria which may be used in the selection of a microcomputer and applications software for library housekeeping and information retrieval have been drawn. A method of system analysis to identify essential features of the automated system is described, and additional criteria for choosing both hardware and software are suggested. Sources of information about suitable software and hardware are given.
Derek Law and Dennis Nicholson
The Glasgow Digital Library (GDL) Project has a significance over and above its primary aim of creating a joint digital library for the citizens of Glasgow. It is also both an…
Abstract
The Glasgow Digital Library (GDL) Project has a significance over and above its primary aim of creating a joint digital library for the citizens of Glasgow. It is also both an important building block in the development of a planned and co‐ordinated “virtual Scotland” and a rich environment for research into issues relevant to that enterprise. Its creation comes at a time of political, social, economic and cultural change in Scotland, and may be seen, at least in part, as a response to a developing Scottish focus in these areas, a key element of which is a new socially inclusive and digitally driven educational vision and strategy based on the Scottish traditions of meritocratic education, sharing and common enterprise, and a fiercely independent approach. The initiative is based at the Centre for Digital Library Research at Strathclyde University alongside a range of other projects of relevance both to the development of a coherent virtual landscape in Scotland and to the GDL itself, a supportive environment which allows it to draw upon the research results and staff expertise of other relevant projects for use in its own development and enables its relationship to virtual Scotland to be both explored and developed more readily. Although its primary aim is the creation of content (based initially on electronic resources created by the institutions, on public domain information, and on joint purchases and digitisation initiatives) the project will also investigate relationships between regional and national collaborative collection management programmes with SCONE (Scottish Collections Network Extension project) and relationships between regional and national distributed union catalogues with CAIRNS (Co‐operative Academic Information Retrieval Network for Scotland) and COSMIC (Confederation of Scottish Mini‐Clumps). It will also have to tackle issues associated with the management of co‐operation.
Desley Harvey, Michele Foster, Rachel Quigley and Edward Strivens
The purpose of the paper is to examine the care transitions of older people who transfer between home, acute and sub-acute care to determine if there were common transition types…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to examine the care transitions of older people who transfer between home, acute and sub-acute care to determine if there were common transition types and areas for improvements.
Design/methodology/approach
A longitudinal case study design was used to examine care transitions of 19 older people and their carers as a series of transitions and a whole-of-system experience. Case study accounts synthesising semi-structured interviews with function and service use data from medical records were compared.
Findings
Three types of care transitions were derived from the analysis: manageable, unstable and disrupted. Each type had distinguishing characteristics and older people could experience elements of all types across the system. Transition types varied according to personal and systemic factors.
Originality/value
This study identifies types of care transition experiences across acute, sub-acute and primary care from the perspective of older people and their carers. Understanding transition types and their features can assist health professionals to better target strategies within and across the system and improve patient experiences as a whole.
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Mitchell Scovell, Connar McShane, Anne Swinbourne and Daniel Smith
This paper aims to understand how experience with the fringe effects of a cyclone influences perception of cyclone severity. Understanding how certain types of experience…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to understand how experience with the fringe effects of a cyclone influences perception of cyclone severity. Understanding how certain types of experience influences risk perception should help to clarify why there is an unclear link between experience and risk perception within the existing literature.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 155 respondents with fringe cyclone experience were recruited to fill in a closed-ended question survey. The survey was designed to assess perceptions of a previous cyclone and future cyclone severity.
Findings
Most respondents who had experienced the fringe effects of a cyclone overestimated the wind speed in their location. Respondents who overestimated previous cyclone wind speed also predicted less damage from future Category 5 cyclones.
Research limitations/implications
This research indicates that overestimating the severity of past cyclones can have a detrimental effect on how people predict damage due to high category cyclones.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that people with fringe cyclone experience need additional information to help reshape their perceptions of cyclone severity.
Originality/value
This paper provides a unique perspective on the relationship between experience and risk perception by demonstrating that experience on the fringe of a cyclone has a negative influence on risk perception.
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George Cairns and Sharif As-Saber
Conventional international business (IB) theories generally view multinational corporations (MNCs) as agents of economic exchange and as ethically benign or neutral. This article…
Abstract
Conventional international business (IB) theories generally view multinational corporations (MNCs) as agents of economic exchange and as ethically benign or neutral. This article explores a darker side of IB, with numbers of IB firms involved in activities that could be considered unethical or illegal, or both. Drawing on a taxonomy of ‘black international business’ (black IB), and both historic and recent examples, this article outlines such MNC activities. It explores impacts of these activities on stakeholders, including nation-states, businesses and individuals. The authors call for academics within the field of organizational studies to create awareness and understanding of such activities.
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Michelle Thompson, Leonie Cassidy, Bruce Prideaux, Anja Pabel and Allison Anderson
This research looks at the significance of friends and relatives as an information source for consumers planning holidays. Recent research has largely ignored friends and…
Abstract
This research looks at the significance of friends and relatives as an information source for consumers planning holidays. Recent research has largely ignored friends and relatives as destination information sources and has focused instead on the Internet. Two categories of friends and relatives are identified, friends and relatives who live in a destination and friends and relatives who have visited a destination of interest. An exit survey of 1,203 tourists departing a major international destination in Australia found that while the Internet was an important source of information, friends and relatives were as important, if not more, regardless of country of origin and age. These findings indicate that information from friends and relatives and the Internet are complementary rather than exclusive in the minds of consumers.
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Catherine Russel and Bruce Prideaux
The aim of this chapter was to investigate aspects of risks that are associated with tropical destinations and to develop a model that may be used to classify tourists according…
Abstract
The aim of this chapter was to investigate aspects of risks that are associated with tropical destinations and to develop a model that may be used to classify tourists according to the level of risk they were prepared to engage in. Overall, the level of perceived risk was small with sunburn found to be the risk factor showing the highest level of concern followed by animal-related risks and illnesses. The findings suggest that tourists can be classified into three distinct groups based on the level of risk they are prepared to accept in activities found in a tropical destination: low-risk takers; moderate risk takers; and risk takers. From a destination marketing perspective the findings suggest that while concerns about risk are not particularly high tourists are aware of risks that may be encountered in tropical destinations and attention needs to be given to strategies to minimise the level of risk exposure faced by tourists.
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Following the initial success of the eLib Programme for Higher Education libraries in the UK, the most recent phase of funding has been directed at hybrid library and clump…
Abstract
Following the initial success of the eLib Programme for Higher Education libraries in the UK, the most recent phase of funding has been directed at hybrid library and clump projects. A clump is an aggregation of catalogues which may be physical ‐ a traditional union catalogue ‐ or virtual, being created at the time of searching. The most common protocol in use in clumps is Z39.50 which offers opportunities for creating gateways to a range of catalogues, thus allowing simultaneous parallel searching. Four clump projects have been approved by eLib and started work in January 1998: CAIRNS ‐ Co‐operative Academic Information Retrieval Network for Scotland; M25 Link: Access to London Libraries; Music Libraries Online (a geographically split subject clump); RIDING: Z39.50 Gateway to Yorkshire Libraries.
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Michele Foster, Desley Harvey, Rachel Quigley and Edward Strivens
Quality care transitions of older people across acute, sub-acute and primary care are critical to safety and cost, which is the reason interventions to improve practice are a…
Abstract
Purpose
Quality care transitions of older people across acute, sub-acute and primary care are critical to safety and cost, which is the reason interventions to improve practice are a priority. Yet, given the complexity of providers and services involved it is often difficult to know the types of tensions that arise in day-to-day transition work or how front-line workers will respond. To that end, this innovative study differs from the largely descriptive studies by conceptualising care transitions as street-level work in order to capture how transition practice takes shape within the complexities and dynamics of the local setting. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 23 hospital health professionals and community service providers across primary, sub-acute and acute care through focus groups. A thematic analysis and interrogation of themes using street-level concepts derived three key themes.
Findings
The themes of risk logics and dilemmas of fragmentation make explicit both the local constraints and opportunities of care transitions and how these intersect to engender a particular logic of practice. By revealing the various discretionary tactics adopted by front-line providers, the third theme simultaneously highlights how discretionary spaces might represent both possibilities and problematics for balancing organisational and patient needs.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the knowledge of street-level work in health settings and specifically, the nature of transition work. Importantly, it benefits policy and practice by uncovering mechanisms that could facilitate and impede quality transitions in discrete settings.
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