Search results
1 – 10 of 351Jenny Lynne Semenza, Regina Koury and Catherine Gray
This article aims to provide a comprehensive step by step plan on creating a Zombie Library, a physical collection of e‐books through the use of QR codes. Drawing on the…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to provide a comprehensive step by step plan on creating a Zombie Library, a physical collection of e‐books through the use of QR codes. Drawing on the collective authors' experience working with the QR codes creation, this article aims to help librarians interested in promoting e‐book collections and creating QR‐coded Zombie books in their libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was performed using library databases, as well as consulting various online library subject guides on the use of QR codes in libraries. Between November 2011 and October 2012 Idaho State University (ISU) library executed a plan for creating QR codes for a Gale Virtual Reference Library e‐book collection.
Findings
The study found an increased usage of the e‐book collection. The actual physical production of the items was more time‐consuming than originally expected. The Zombie Library project received a lot of support and enthusiasm from the campus community. Plans are being made to expand this project to other e‐book collections and other physical media (posters, bookmarks, etc.). This article combines promoting e‐book collections with physical representations of the e‐book via QR codes.
Originality/value
This article is an inclusive step by step plan for promoting e‐book collections using QR codes.
Details
Keywords
An important work has just been published by the Leeds University Vocational Guidance Research Unit. Catherine Avent takes an overall look at it, and Leonard Gray sees what is in…
Abstract
An important work has just been published by the Leeds University Vocational Guidance Research Unit. Catherine Avent takes an overall look at it, and Leonard Gray sees what is in it for the careers teacher.
Hannah Catherine Spring, Fiona Katherine Howlett, Claire Connor, Ashton Alderson, Joe Antcliff, Kimberley Dutton, Oliva Gray, Emily Hirst, Zeba Jabeen, Myra Jamil, Sally Mattimoe and Siobhan Waister
Asylum seekers and refugees experience substantial barriers to successful transition to a new society. The purpose of this paper is to explore the value and meaning of a community…
Abstract
Purpose
Asylum seekers and refugees experience substantial barriers to successful transition to a new society. The purpose of this paper is to explore the value and meaning of a community drop-in service offering social support for refugees and asylum seekers in the northeast of England and to identify the occupational preferences of the service users.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews was conducted with refugees and asylum seekers using a community drop-in service. In total, 18 people participated from ten countries. Data were analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis.
Findings
The value and meaning of the service was expressed through four key areas: the need to experience a sense of community; being able to make an altruistic contribution within the community; the need for societal integration; and having the opportunity to engage in meaningful and productive occupations.
Practical implications
Community and altruism have profound cultural meaning for asylum seekers and refugees and the need to integrate, belong and contribute is paramount to successful resettlement. Community-based drop-in services can aid this at deep, culturally relevant levels. This study may inform policy and practice development, future service development and highlight potential opportunities for health and social care services provision amongst this growing population.
Originality/value
To date there are no studies that provide empirical evidence on how community-based drop-in services for refugees and asylum seekers are received. This study provides a cultural insight into the deeper value and meaning of such services, and is particularly relevant for professionals in all sectors who are working with asylum seekers and refugees.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to examine the author’s experiences as a school teacher and a lesbian. It considers the culture and discourses of power in the school and the ethical…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the author’s experiences as a school teacher and a lesbian. It considers the culture and discourses of power in the school and the ethical implications of telling the author’s story. Utilizing autoethnography as a method of inquiry, it draws on a critical incident to explore the incompatibility of the author’s private and professional identities, and reflect on the impact of homophobic and heteronormative discursive practices in the workplace, on health, well-being and identity.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is grounded in an interpretivist philosophy. It utilizes writing about the self as a method of inquiry.
Findings
This research examines the incompatibility of the author’s private and professional identities and offers insight into the steps that those in positions of power will take to protect and perpetuate the heteronormative discourse of rural life.
Research limitations/implications
This research presents the perspective of only one lesbian teacher in a rural context. Consequently, generalizations are inappropriate and recommendations are difficult. Whilst the absence of clear ethical regulation presents an infinite number of possibilities for autoethnographers, the silence that surrounds the prescription of the ethics of autoethnography leaves those of us at the beginnings of our research careers without clear guidance.
Originality/value
This research specifically addresses a dearth of research examining the experiences of the rural lesbian (or gay) teacher in the UK. Headteachers of rural schools must ensure that their schools are inclusive and welcoming environments for teachers, and their equalities policies are living documents that are not simply cast aside in the face of rural parent power. Young people in the countryside deserve access to the full pool of teaching talent and should have access to the diverse role models that their urban and suburban counterparts are beginning to enjoy.
Details
Keywords
Alan Combs, Martin Samy and Anastasia Myachina
The purpose of this paper is to explore cultural impact on the harmonisation of Russian Accounting Standards with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore cultural impact on the harmonisation of Russian Accounting Standards with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical review established that differences still exist between the two sets of accounting standards. For decades, Russia was a socialist state of planned economy. Accounting was a tool of centralised control, and accountants had a job of gathering information for statistical purposes of the government and tax authorities. This led to the development of a “Soviet culture” mindset. Accountants saw their jobs as following prescribed rules. Accounting is seen by Hofstede as a field in which historically developed practices are more important than laws of nature. It is therefore expected that accounting rules and the way they are applied will vary among different national cultures. Hence, Gray tried to explore how Hofstede's national cultural dimensions may explain international differences in accounting. With respect to past research in this area, Nobes argued that “national accounting traditions are likely to continue into consolidated reporting where scope for this exists within IFRS rules”. Ding et al. investigated the role of a country's culture and legal origin as an explanation for the differences between local Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and IAS as they were in 2001. The study gathered 53 Russian accountants' attitudes towards reporting under harmonised Russian Accounting Standards through semi structured interviews.
Findings
The findings supported the theoretical view of a “Soviet culture” which has an impact on harmonisation of Russian Accounting Standards with the IFRS. Russia's high rankings in such cultural dimensions as power distance, uncertainty avoidance and collectivism have contributed to the development of certain preferences among Russian accountants. Those preferences were for statutory control, uniformity, conservatism and secrecy. Further findings indicate that accountants in Russia display reluctance to disclose financial information to the external users. One of the main reasons was found to be fear of disclosing too much information to competitors. Based on these findings, accountants in Russia display clear signs of preference for secrecy as opposed to transparency, as identified by Gray.
Originality/value
One of the contributions of this study is to examine current perceptions of Russian accountants towards financial reporting under new harmonised Russian Accounting Standards based on Rozhnova's study.
Details
Keywords
Catherine Lejealle, Sylvaine Castellano and Insaf Khelladi
This paper aims to explore how the lived experience of online communities’ participants makes these communities evolve into online communities of practice (CoPs).
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how the lived experience of online communities’ participants makes these communities evolve into online communities of practice (CoPs).
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research design was used among backpackers. Data on backpackers’ lived experience and interactions were collected.
Findings
The results suggest a process of how online communities can become genuine online CoPs, thanks to participants’ lived experience. Their activities (information search, perceived benefits and electronic word-of-mouth) result in knowledge sharing and creation. The findings also emphasize the roles of expertise and offline interactions as process moderators.
Research limitations/implications
This study focuses on one specific practice to conduct the research (i.e. backpacking), which limits the generalizability of the results.
Practical implications
This study offers several implications for companies and stakeholders. First, it describes how the lived experience transforms online communities into CoPs and helps stakeholders obtain knowledge for customers to innovate. Second, it analyzes the processes of participation, interaction and promotion to share and create knowledge for customers to increase stakeholders’ competitiveness. Third, this study integrates members’ offline interactions by highlighting their potential effects on tacit knowledge loss in online CoPs.
Originality/value
The literature posits that online communities may evolve into online CoPs through a three-stage hierarchical path, but the underlying mechanisms and members’ contributions to the process have been largely neglected in the literature.
Details
Keywords
Catherine Compton-Lilly, Shuning Liu, Maria Padrós Cuxart, Lindsay Pettit and Yanli Timm
This conceptual paper aims to explore biases in reading textbooks that have been used to teach generations of Americans, including children in urban communities. While these texts…
Abstract
Purpose
This conceptual paper aims to explore biases in reading textbooks that have been used to teach generations of Americans, including children in urban communities. While these texts are no longer used, the images they present and the ideas embedded in these texts unfortunately contribute to who we are as a nation.
Design/methodology/approach
These texts were identified by Catherine Compton-Lilly as she trolled the historical archives of a major university.
Findings
In addition to an analysis of historic texts, more recent attempts to create culturally responsive texts often designed to serve children in urban communities are examined, and the learnings from these attempts are being explored.
Practical implications
This conceptual paper points to the need for systematic analyses of biases operating in textbooks that are currently used in schools.
Originality/value
This work reveals and explores one way in which historical bias has historically infected the early learning experiences of young children in the USA.
Details
Keywords
So far, there has been little research on the extent or implications of corporate reporting on the Internet. This paper identifies the type of work which has been done to date in…
Abstract
So far, there has been little research on the extent or implications of corporate reporting on the Internet. This paper identifies the type of work which has been done to date in this new field, and proceeds to outline some possible areas and questions for future research work. The discussion falls into the five following principal areas: Corporate governance, and the nature of the stakeholder/company relationship; The company’s viewpoint: incentives and disincentives for expanded financial reporting; Verification: the changing role of audit; Information/communication issues; Ethical, behavioural and philosophical aspects.
Details
Keywords
Bríd D. Dunne, Katie Robinson and Judith Pettigrew
This paper aims to examine the relationship between psychiatry and occupational therapy in Ireland through a case study of the development of the occupational therapy department…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the relationship between psychiatry and occupational therapy in Ireland through a case study of the development of the occupational therapy department in St. Patrick’s Hospital, Dublin, from 1935 to 1969. Patronage by psychiatrists was an important factor in the professionalisation of occupational therapy internationally.
Design/methodology/approach
Documentary sources and oral history interviews were analysed to conduct an instrumental case study of occupational therapy at St. Patrick’s Hospital from 1935 to 1969.
Findings
The research identified key individuals associated with the development of occupational therapy at St. Patrick’s Hospital, including psychiatrist Norman Moore, occupational therapy worker Olga Gale, occupational therapist Margaret Sinclair, and social therapist Irene Violet Grey. Occupational therapy was considered by the hospital authorities to be “an important part in the treatment of all types of psychiatric illness” (Board Meeting Minutes, 1956). It aimed to develop patient’s self-esteem and facilitate social participation. To achieve these objectives, patients engaged in activities such as dances, arts and crafts, and social activities.
Originality/value
This study has highlighted the contributions of key individuals, identified the links between occupational therapy and psychiatry, and provided an insight into the development of the profession in Ireland prior to the establishment of occupational therapy education in 1963. Occupational therapy practice at St. Patrick’s Hospital from 1935 to 1969 was congruent with the prevailing philosophy of occupational therapy internationally, which involved treatment through activities to enhance participation in society.
Details