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Article
Publication date: 1 June 2004

G. Dale Wagner and Daniele D. Flannery

This study identifies and empirically tests factors that may influence learners' use of a computer‐based training support system (TSS). The areas of research and theory were drawn…

2851

Abstract

This study identifies and empirically tests factors that may influence learners' use of a computer‐based training support system (TSS). The areas of research and theory were drawn from human‐computer interaction, information and business management, and adult education. The factors suggested in the literature that may affect learner's use of a TSS were developed in an instrument using 12 subscales. Four hundred and forty six government employees responded to the survey instrument. Multiple regression was used to test the factors that influenced the employee's use of the TSS and the relationships among the factors. Implications of the findings for further research and for human resource development managers are discussed.

Details

Journal of European Industrial Training, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0590

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1985

The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains…

12676

Abstract

The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains features to help the reader to retrieve relevant literature from MCB University Press' considerable output. Each entry within has been indexed according to author(s) and the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus. The latter thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid retrieval. Each article or book is assigned its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. This Volume indexes 29 journals indicating the depth, coverage and expansion of MCB's portfolio.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 23 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 29 March 2014

Matthew R. Griffis

This exploratory study, a Ph.D. dissertation completed at the University of Western Ontario in 2013, examines the materially embedded relations of power between library users and…

Abstract

This exploratory study, a Ph.D. dissertation completed at the University of Western Ontario in 2013, examines the materially embedded relations of power between library users and staff in public libraries and how building design regulates spatial behavior according to organizational objectives. It considers three public library buildings as organization spaces (Dale & Burrell, 2008) and determines the extent to which their spatial organizations reproduce the relations of power between the library and its public that originated with the modern public library building type ca. 1900. Adopting a multicase study design, I conducted site visits to three, purposefully selected public library buildings of similar size but various ages. Site visits included: blueprint analysis; organizational document analysis; in-depth, semi-structured interviews with library users and library staff; cognitive mapping exercises; observations; and photography.

Despite newer approaches to designing public library buildings, the use of newer information technologies, and the emergence of newer paradigms of library service delivery (e.g., the user-centered model), findings strongly suggest that the library as an organization still relies on many of the same socio-spatial models of control as it did one century ago when public library design first became standardized. The three public libraries examined show spatial organizations that were designed primarily with the librarian, library materials, and library operations in mind far more than the library user or the user’s many needs. This not only calls into question the public library’s progressiveness over the last century but also hints at its ability to survive in the new century.

Details

Advances in Library Administration and Organization
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-744-3

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Article
Publication date: 17 August 2012

Aapo Länsiluoto and Marko Järvenpää

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why a case company integrated an environmental management system (EMS) into a performance management system (PMS), specifically…

1467

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why a case company integrated an environmental management system (EMS) into a performance management system (PMS), specifically a balanced scorecard (BSC).

Design/methodology/approach

This interpretative case study utilized qualitative methods in semi‐structured interviews, internal documents and e‐mails.

Findings

The company integrated its environmental measures into the process perspective in its BSC. The integration centralized its fragmented PMS, stimulated its strategic control and complemented its financial reporting. This integration also crystallized the causality between the company's environmental actions and financial performance. Therefore, the integration enabled improvements to environmental performance and strengthened the finance‐oriented culture of the company.

Research limitations/implications

The study has general limitations associated with the qualitative methods used.

Originality/value

The paper shows that environmental measures are worthwhile elements to integrate into the process perspective of a PMS if a company is in an industrial sector. Environmental measures can be worth selecting due to the way the measures affect a company's financial performance, if the company has a very finance‐driven culture. BSC can be useful for different purposes, such as for centralizing a fragmented information system, legitimizing environmental actions and for strengthening corporate culture.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 24 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 2 November 2009

Sean T. Doherty

Health scientists and urban planners have long been interested in the influence that the built environment has on the physical activities in which we engage, the environmental…

Abstract

Health scientists and urban planners have long been interested in the influence that the built environment has on the physical activities in which we engage, the environmental hazards we face, the kinds of amenities we enjoy, and the resulting impacts on our health. However, it is widely recognized that the extent of this influence, and the specific cause-and-effect relationships that exist, are still relatively unclear. Recent reviews highlight the need for more individual-level data on daily activities (especially physical activity) over long periods of time linked spatially to real-world characteristics of the built environment in diverse settings, along with a wide range of personal mediating variables. While capturing objective data on the built environment has benefited from wide-scale availability of detailed land use and transport network databases, the same cannot be said of human activity. A more diverse history of data collection methods exists for such activity and continues to evolve owing to a variety of quickly emerging wearable sensor technologies. At present, no “gold standard” method has emerged for assessing physical activity type and intensity under the real-world conditions of the built environment; in fact, most methods have barely been tested outside of the laboratory, and those that have tend to experience significant drops in accuracy and reliability. This paper provides a review of these diverse methods and emerging technologies, including biochemical, self-report, direct observation, passive motion detection, and integrated approaches. Based on this review and current needs, an integrated three-tiered methodology is proposed, including: (1) passive location tracking (e.g., using global positioning systems); (2) passive motion/biometric tracking (e.g., using accelerometers); and (3) limited self-reporting (e.g., using prompted recall diaries). Key development issues are highlighted, including the need for proper validation and automated activity-detection algorithms. The paper ends with a look at some of the key lessons learned and new opportunities that have emerged at the crossroads of urban studies and health sciences.

We do have a vision for a world in which people can walk to shops, school, friends' homes, or transit stations; in which they can mingle with their neighbors and admire trees, plants, and waterways; in which the air and water are clean; and in which there are parks and play areas for children, gathering spots for teens and the elderly, and convenient work and recreation places for the rest of us. (Frumkin, Frank, & Jackson, 2004, p. xvii)

Details

Transport Survey Methods
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84-855844-1

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1985

Tomas Riha

Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely…

2578

Abstract

Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely, innovative thought structures and attitudes have almost always forced economic institutions and modes of behaviour to adjust. We learn from the history of economic doctrines how a particular theory emerged and whether, and in which environment, it could take root. We can see how a school evolves out of a common methodological perception and similar techniques of analysis, and how it has to establish itself. The interaction between unresolved problems on the one hand, and the search for better solutions or explanations on the other, leads to a change in paradigma and to the formation of new lines of reasoning. As long as the real world is subject to progress and change scientific search for explanation must out of necessity continue.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 12 no. 3/4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Abstract

Details

A Sustainability Assessment
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-481-3

Article
Publication date: 9 March 2012

Mads Mortensen and Jan Arlbjørn

This paper aims to investigate the concept of inter‐organisational supplier development programs and to stress the importance of considering suppliers' interest and motivation…

3392

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the concept of inter‐organisational supplier development programs and to stress the importance of considering suppliers' interest and motivation when implementing development initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper's theoretical framework is based on an in‐depth literature review that analyses how extant supplier development literature considers an inter‐organisational approach. A single case study of eight inter‐organisational relationships is also included.

Findings

The literature review reveals a lack of focus on inter‐organisational approaches to supplier development, even though the literature mentions it as a missing theme. Customer attractiveness is presented as one approach that takes supplier view and motivation into consideration. This idea is supported by the case study, which indicates that supplier performance is influenced by perceived customer attractiveness.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is based on only a single case study and does not provide the basis for statistical generalisation. A theory on customer attractiveness is under development, and the analysis presented here is based on the theoretical findings.

Practical implications

Because suppliers can have their own strategic agendas, such as prioritising developments with the most attractive customers, buyers should consider suppliers' perspectives and motivations when analysing and implementing supplier development programs.

Originality/value

This paper is among the first to focus on the importance of viewing both parties' interest in a buyer‐supplier relationship when implementing supplier development initiatives. The concept of customer attractiveness as an inter‐organisational approach represents a valuable addition to supplier development literature.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 17 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 February 2018

Loukas K. Tsironis

The purpose of this paper is to propose a way of implementing data mining (DM) techniques and algorithms to apply quality improvement (QI) approaches in order to resolve quality…

1379

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a way of implementing data mining (DM) techniques and algorithms to apply quality improvement (QI) approaches in order to resolve quality issues (Rokach and Maimon, 2006; Köksal et al., 2011; Kahraman and Yanik, 2016). The effectiveness of the proposed methodologies is demonstrated through their application results. The goal of this paper is to develop a DM system based on the seven new QI tools in order to discover useful knowledge, in the form of rules, that are hidden in a vast amount of data and to propose solutions and actions that will lead an organization to improve its quality through the evaluation of the results.

Design/methodology/approach

Four popular data-mining approaches (rough sets, association rules, classification rules and Bayesian networks) are applied on a set of 12,477 case records concerning vehicle damages. The set of rules and patterns that is produced by each algorithm is used as an input in order to dynamically form each of the seven new quality tools (QTs).

Findings

The proposed approach enables the creation of the QTs starting from the raw data and passing through the DM process.

Originality/value

The present paper proposes an innovative work concerning the formation of the seven new QTs of quality management using DM popular algorithms. The resulted seven DM QTs were used to identify patterns and understand, so they can lead even non-experts to draw useful conclusions and make decisions.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1930

The following is a complete list of World's Records as officially homologated by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale up to December 31, 1929

Abstract

The following is a complete list of World's Records as officially homologated by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale up to December 31, 1929

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 2 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0002-2667

1 – 10 of 288