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1 – 10 of 53The paper will take a critical look at the changing face of British Higher Education and relate this to contemporary work on the sociology of higher education (Becher, 1989;…
Abstract
The paper will take a critical look at the changing face of British Higher Education and relate this to contemporary work on the sociology of higher education (Becher, 1989; Rustin, 1992) and public sector management (Farnham and Horton, 1993). The huge expansion of the numbers of students in higher education and the changes in funding criteria has been paralleled by changes in the organisational contexts within which that teaching takes place and these will be the focus of the paper. In general we will suggest that the two key results of external pressures are moves towards greater managerial control and a diminishing sphere of academic professional autonomy (Miller, 1991; Wilson, 1991; Trow, 1993). These changes are reflected and reinforced by administrative structures like modularity which are rhetorically grounded in notions of student/consumer choice but in practice also erode the “responsible autonomy” (Friedman, 1977) that professional academics have historically exercised over their labour process. This ‘marketisation’ of the external and internal contexts of HE is equivalent to the process that has been happening in other public sector organisations for the last ten years (Farnham and Horton, 1993). The valorisation of ‘management’ that it implies has obvious resonances in contemporary writing on organisations which seeks to replace administered bureaucracies with flexible, mission driven, loose‐tight structures.
Jari Salo, Teck Ming Tan and Hannu Makkonen
The purpose of this paper is to cast light on the nature of the digitalization process that occurs when digital technologies are adopted in buyer–seller relationships.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to cast light on the nature of the digitalization process that occurs when digital technologies are adopted in buyer–seller relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
The study features a case study from the steel processing industry.
Findings
The present research builds on and extends the interaction approach to the context of buyer–seller relationship digitalization process. The study explicates the interrelated elements of digital infrastructure, digital communication and degree of digitalization of the buyer–seller relationship.
Research limitations/implications
The study aims at theoretical generalization and thus produces conceptual understanding that is to some extent applicable to various contexts. The generalization of the empirical insights to other process-focused industries is to some extent possible. However, further research in versatile empirical contexts is needed to validate the results.
Practical implications
For managers, the study presents a success case of digital technologies use for improving a buyer–seller relationship.
Originality/value
The originality of the present research is in the way it depicts how a buyer–seller relationship is gradually digitalized in successive digital technology adoptions, that is, a virtuous cycle of digitalization, that creates and alters the digital infrastructure and digital communication processes between the buyer and the seller resulting in different outcomes (degrees of digitalization in the buyer–seller relationship).
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Juan Antonio Fernandez, Emily M. David and Shaohui (Sophie) Chen
Juan Antonio Fernandez, Emily M. David and Shaohui (Sophie) Chen
Juan Antonio Fernandez, Emily M. David and Shaohui (Sophie) Chen
Saku Suuriniemi, Jari Kangas and Lauri Kettunen
The paper addresses various ways of driving a magneto‐quasi‐static coupled field‐circuit problems, starting with the underlying assumptions of this problem class. It focuses on…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper addresses various ways of driving a magneto‐quasi‐static coupled field‐circuit problems, starting with the underlying assumptions of this problem class. It focuses on problem consistency, supporting both conceptual understanding, and translation into software.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper proceeds from a precisely defined problem class and analyze its consistency with homology theory.
Findings
Precise notion of “driving a problem,” extensive discussion of modeling assumptions and decisions, and classification and consistency analysis of various driving methods.
Practical implications
Helps modelers systematically pose consistent coupled field‐circuit problems. The computation of homology groups can be automated to help pose problems and detect consistency problems.
Originality/value
Starting from the basic underlying assumptions, the paper summarizes logically the application of homology to consistency analysis. The style is tutorial for modelers, with numerous particular cases.
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Jari Juga, Jouni Juntunen and David B. Grant
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how perceived service quality influences both a shipper's satisfaction and subsequent loyalty in third‐party logistics outsourcing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how perceived service quality influences both a shipper's satisfaction and subsequent loyalty in third‐party logistics outsourcing relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Critical service dimensions are identified and their impact on satisfaction and loyalty are developed into a theoretical model, which in turn is examined empirically using structural equation modelling from a survey of 235 industrial companies in Finland.
Findings
The results support the satisfaction‐loyalty model in a logistics outsourcing context confirming that service perceptions influence loyalty through a shipper's overall satisfaction with the service provider.
Research limitation/implications
The empirical study is limited to Finland and data were collected before the financial crisis of 2008‐2009 which affected the economy and this industrial sector. The theoretical constructs and model also need to be validated and tested further across a wider empirical context.
Practical implications
Logistics service providers recognise the importance of service quality in outsourcing relationships. However, while the continuity of the current relationship is supported by good service quality, the efforts to extend the scope of the outsourcing arrangement need to be examined on a different basis.
Originality/value
The paper is one of the first to investigate and confirm the service‐satisfaction‐loyalty paradigm in a logistics outsourcing context.
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Jari Kangas, Saku Suuriniemi and Lauri Kettunen
The purpose of this paper is to study algebraic structures that underlie the geometric approaches. The structures and their properties are analyzed to address how to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study algebraic structures that underlie the geometric approaches. The structures and their properties are analyzed to address how to systematically pose a class of boundary value problems in a pair of interlocked complexes.
Design/methodology/approach
The work utilizes concepts of algebraic topology to have a solid framework for the analysis. The algebraic structures constitute a set of requirements and guidelines that are adhered to in the analysis.
Findings
A precise notion of “relative dual complex”, and certain necessary requirements for discrete Hodge‐operators are found.
Practical implications
The paper includes a set of prerequisites, especially for discrete Hodge‐operators. The prerequisites aid, for example, in verifying new computational methods and algorithms.
Originality/value
The paper gives an overall view of the algebraic structures and their role in the geometric approaches. The paper establishes a set of prerequisites that are inherent in the geometric approaches.
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