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The purpose of this paper is to draw a picture of the current landscape of library assessment based on the data gathered in interviews. The authors will focus specifically on the continuum between micro and strategic assessment and share the lessons learned from diverse institutions and geographies about how to build a culture of assessment.

Between 2015 and 2017, the researchers have interviewed more than 75 library directors and leaders, library assessment practitioners, and academic experts on four continents about library assessment and its current state in their institutions.

The results reveal a varied landscape, with libraries in widely varying stages of assessment performance and readiness.

This paper presents the results of a large-scale study over more than two years. More than 75 people have been interviewed in five countries. The scale and scope of the work is both significant and unique.

Cross-cultural studies on differences in eating and consumer behavior have several limitations due to differences between countries, for example, in national health policies. Switzerland combines cultural diversity between the language regions, but with a common national health policy. Therefore, Switzerland provides an ideal framework to investigate cross-cultural eating and consumer behavior. The aim of this study was to combine food consumption, purchase data and sales data to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of cultural dietary differences.

Six national Swiss studies on food consumption, one study of food sales from the largest supermarket chain in Switzerland and one national study of food purchasing were included. The estimated marginal mean of each food category in each language region was calculated using linear regression and respective linear random effect models.

In the French- and Italian-speaking regions more fish was sold, bought and consumed than in the German-speaking region of Switzerland. In contrast, in the German-speaking region, more milk and dairy products were sold, bought and consumed. Language regions explained sales, purchase and consumption of foods, but the findings were only consistent for fish and milk and dairy products.

If possible limitations of cross-culture studies between countries are eliminated, cultural eating and consumer differences are still visible, even in a small country like Switzerland. For the first time, the complexity of studying food consumption, purchasing and sales is shown in one study. This indicates the importance of further studies which consider these three perspectives to better understand cultural differences in eating and consumption behavior.

Bystander intervention mitigates the negative impact of bias incidents in the workplace. However, intervention tends to be viewed as binary: intervention occurred or it did not. Consequently, research has focused on conditions under which witnesses of bias incidents choose to intervene, and less is known about how witnesses may intervene. This paper elucidates the intervention behavior choices available to witnesses of bias incidents and develops a bystander intervention behavior (BIB) scale.

To develop the scale, the authors used the three-phased act frequency methodology. In phase I, the authors surveyed faculty who had both witnessed a bias incident and seen someone intervene to address it. The authors asked these faculties to list the observed bystander intervention behaviors they had personally observed. In Phase II, different survey respondents and subject matter experts assessed the prototypicality of each of the behaviors in relation to the concept of bystander intervention. In phase III, the authors tested the validity and reliability of the resulting 18-item scale and assessed the ability of bystander intervention behavior to mitigate the negative impact of bias incidents on the academic workplace.

The BIB scale consists of two theoretically derived, empirically validated and reliable dimensions; it can be used as a summary score to evaluate the extent to which colleagues intervene indirectly and directly when a bias incident occurs in the academic workplace.

This scale is valuable in advancing efforts to mitigate the negative effect of bias in the workplace and training colleagues to intervene in various ways when bias occurs.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the adoption or rejection of management accounting innovations (MAIs) in the specific context of small and medium entreprises (SMEs) through a constructivist approach of the theory of the diffusion of innovations.

The paper uses a case study approach during the rollout of two MAIs run by the company’s management controller. One of them was adopted, and the other was rejected. To understand the perception of different actors in the company, the authors carried out 28 semistructured interviews at different periods of time: when the management controller started his job, when he/she was introduced to the two MAIs and at the decision-making to adopt or reject the innovations. The approach of Rogers’ framework is here constructivist. The case study allows us to analyze qualitatively the intrinsic perceived attributes of the innovations as well as the organizational innovativeness and to put them into context.

MAIs are not merely technical innovations but social practices. The relative advantage is necessary but not sufficient for their adoption. This paper also demonstrates the importance of the champion in the specific context of SMEs. This key player in the promotion and adoption of MAIs in SMEs has to be endorsed by the leader of the organization to ensure the innovation’s adoption. In addition, Rogers’ framework underlines that the predominant factor is complexity as both an endogenous and a heterogeneous element, underscoring the information and training that the project’s promoter should organize for the staff.

The main limit is due to the methodological approach (case study): Would these factors be as significant in a completely different sector to management accounting or in another type of enterprise?

The analytical grid combines different organizational and individual factors described by Rogers and provides us with a predictive approach to the innovation’s chances of adoption and the risk of rejection.

Complexity, both as an innovation attribute perceived by individuals and as an internal characteristic of the organization, is a decisive factor in the rejection or adoption decision.

This paper answers to two main research gaps. Most of papers analyze the introduction of one unique innovation in different entities. Here, the authors focus on one entity with two different innovations. In addition, most of papers were retrospective. In this paper, thanks to the case study, the introduction and the process of adoption of two innovations were studied at the time it happened and not after the events had occurred. Moreover, while most papers using Roger’s framework are quantitative, the authors pay attention to the meaning of the different characteristics at different stages and in the specific context of one SME with a constructivist qualitative approach.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how Danish higher education institutions (HEIs) navigate the demands and expectations of accreditation procedures, and how the limited freedom posed by accreditation schemes is used by HEIs by way of translation.

Through document studies of policy documents and the institutional self-assessment reports, the paper follows the concept of quality from the international level to the Danish national level, and onwards into the individual HEIs, where the authors examine how notions of quality are constructed through the translation of national regulation, guidelines and procedures of accreditation into the self-narratives of the self-assessment reports.

The authors find that the national guidelines for accreditation represents a complex translation of supranational guidelines by minimizing certain aspects and enhancing others. This national translation is then analyzed as the frame for the institutional translations where the analysis reveals how HEIs exercise a great deal of agency, within a quite narrow frame constituted by regulations and guidelines.

By using the Olivers (1991) typology of organizational responses, the authors discuss how the HEIs not only imitate and abide to institutionalized norms and concepts of quality but also reformulate, edit, omit and enhance certain elements of quality. The authors demonstrate that when accreditation meets the HEIs, it is clearly the national agendas that are most pervasive and offer the most relevant vocabulary for the HEIs.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of remote e‐working on the key research areas of work‐life balance, job effectiveness and well‐being. The study provides a set of generalisable themes drawn from the key research areas, including building trust, management style and the quality of work and non‐working life.

The paper is an exploratory study into the psychological factors affecting remote e‐workers using qualitative thematic analysis of eleven in‐depth interviews with e‐workers, across five organisations and three sectors. All participants worked remotely using technology independent of time and location for several years and considered themselves to be experts.

The paper provides insights into the diverse factors affecting remote e‐workers and produces ten emerging themes. Differentiating factors between e‐workers included access to technology, ability to work flexibly and individual competencies. Adverse impacts were found on well‐being, due to over‐working and a lack of time for recuperation. Trust and management style were found to be key influences on e‐worker effectiveness.

Because of the exploratory nature of the research and approach the research requires further testing for generalisability. The emerging themes could be used to develop a wide‐scale survey of e‐workers, whereby the themes would be further validated.

Practical working examples are provided by the e‐workers and those who also manage e‐workers based on the ten emerging themes.

This paper identifies a number of generalisable themes that can be used to inform the psychological factors affecting remote e‐worker effectiveness.

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the overarching role of learning capabilities by presenting a framework to describe how learning capability development is captured by combining the three main elements of internal marketing orientation, exploratory capabilities and resource recombination.

This is a conceptual paper building upon the theoretical integration approach of Mayer and Sparrowe (2013) to establish competitive empowerment through learning capability development, effective internal response and resources recombination.

The competitive learning capability model provides a firm’s foundation for theorizing organizational competitive models from an internal perspective, by mastering learning capability development at the centre of the model.

The paper emphasizes the competitive connotation of learning capabilities as a construct in strategic management. It shows the underlying role of learning across organizational processes; hence, its theoretical significance through the learning capabilities model.

This paper argues that learning is at the centre of organizational competitiveness. Firms can achieve more fruitful results by continuously implementing resource integration strategies built on their learned experiences.

The principal significance of this paper lies in the achievement of conceptualizing learning from a strategic management perspective. Insight in this area helps bridge organizational efforts in pursuit of competitive advantage by exploiting key core learning competencies embedded in a firm’s resources and capabilities.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and provide initial validation for the new E-Work Life (EWL) Scale. This measure assesses a range of theoretically relevant aspects of the e-working experience related to four main areas: job effectiveness, relationship with the organisation, well-being and work-life balance.

This study presents structured item development. Internal validity and reliability were tested on a sample of 260 e-workers (65 per cent female, age range 25–74). Correlations of the EWL scale with a measure of general health were tested on a subsample of 119 workers to provide initial evidence of construct validity.

Exploratory factor analysis supported a 17-item scale assessing four factors: work-life interference, productivity, organisational trust and flexibility. Individual well-being was measured and a pattern of significant correlations against four factors as indicators of general health were found, including mental health and vitality.

A new sample would confirm the strength of the EWL scale alongside further tests of validity. Coping strategies related to the scale would aid mapping of individual competencies for remote e-working to promote e-workers’ self-management, management style and organisational policy.

The EWL scale helps organisations to evaluate and support the well-being of remote e-workers. It provides measurement on three levels: individual, supervisory and organisational, whereby practical strategies for improvement can be linked to the scale.

The EWL scale completes a gap in the research by providing a measure aiding organisations to evaluate and support remote e-worker well-being.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on Public Safety Networks (PSNs) created and used in the USA at the state level. Empirical analysis describes the formation and use of extant state‐level PSNs, based upon factors representing rational choice and institutional theories.

Contextual data representing 160 different characteristics and descriptors of state‐level attributes produces two factors that evidence an underlying structure consistent with rational choice and institutional theories. Using these factors as predictors, the authors employ multiple regression analysis to explain differences in size and maturity among state public‐safety collaborations. The size and maturity indicators come from extensive survey data collected in phone interviews with senior personnel at 80 PSNs.

Consistent with rational choice theory, higher needs and resources predict larger PSN size. Contrary to expectations, institutionalization rather than a culture of innovation is associated with PSN maturity, and suggests that maturity brings positive benefits, such as more experience, better operational routines and increased organizational competence.

This study moves beyond the usual case study approach to empirically investigate theoretical explanations for state‐level collaboration characteristics.

The authors' research investigates the social and environmental backdrop against which PSNs are implemented, to improve understanding of the state‐specific settings in which PSNs currently reside and develop. Given the financial and human resources involved in PSN creation and implementation, their initiators would benefit from a better understanding of governmental settings linked to PSN success. Identification of potential success or risk factors advances understanding of the underlying dynamics of interagency collaboration efforts.

This study aims to examine both male and female accountants’ perceptions of female career progression in the Accounting Profession in Ireland. This study is set in the context of a steady rise in the total proportion of female members across the seven accountancy bodies worldwide and the recent acknowledged failure of larger accountancy firms to promote women to senior levels in equal measure compared to male colleagues.

A quantitative study (with a qualitative component) was undertaken to gather the opinions and perceptions of Irish accounting professionals on their career progression, gender-related barriers and obstacles, the “glass ceiling”, networking and flexible work arrangements. The sample of respondents reflected the diversity of accounting disciplines and gender divide in the wider population.

Evidence of a divergence between the perception and the reality of the lived experience of female accountants, across the gender divide, was found. While respondents believe they have not experienced gender-related barriers in their career progression, it is clear that both genders believe that women succeed in this profession by adapting to masculine occupational values and norms.

These findings contribute to the extant literature on career progression of women and augment the female management and career development literature. The inclusion of the perception and comparison of male colleagues is of particular interest.