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21 – 30 of over 11000
Article
Publication date: 10 July 2017

Chris Trevitt, Aliya Steed, Lynn Du Moulin and Tony Foley

The study aims to review the entrepreneurial and educational innovations in technology-enabled distance education in practical legal education (PLE) accomplished by a unit “on the…

Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to review the entrepreneurial and educational innovations in technology-enabled distance education in practical legal education (PLE) accomplished by a unit “on the periphery” of a strong research-led university. It also aims to examine the learning organisation (LO) attributes associated with this initiative.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a longitudinal case study based on interviews and reflective analysis, and reviewed using three “models” drawn from the literature: breaking the “iron triangle” (containing costs; widening access; enhancing quality); a tailored version of distance education appropriate for research-intensive universities; a strategy for successful adoption of disruptive technologies in higher education.

Findings

Entrepreneurialism yielded growth (PLE student numbers went from 150 to 2,000 in 15 years) and diversification (two new programmes established). The PLE programme advanced in two “waves”: the first centred on widening access and the second, on enhancing quality. Costs were contained. Both the presence and absence of LO attributes are identified at three different organisational levels.

Research limitations/implications

Challenges to academic identity may act to inhibit educational change, especially in research-strong settings.

Practical/implications

Business logic, and the creation and institutionalisation of educational development support – an “internal networking” group, were keys to success. “Organisational learning” in complex institutional environments such as universities involves understandably lengthy timescales (e.g. decades or more).

Practical/implications

Technology-enabled disruption in higher education appears relentless. While institutional and individual performance metrics favour research, proven cases of “how to do things differently” in education may well not get exploited, thus opening the market to alternative providers.

Originality/value

This is the only empirical example of a tailored version of distance education appropriate for research-intensive universities that we know about.

Details

The Learning Organization, vol. 24 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-6474

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 February 2011

Nurliza Mohammed Fathi, Uchenna Cyril Eze and Gerald Guan Gan Goh

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that affect knowledge‐sharing attitudes in Malaysia, with emphasis on a manufacturing firm and how this attitude influences…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that affect knowledge‐sharing attitudes in Malaysia, with emphasis on a manufacturing firm and how this attitude influences their intention to share knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a survey research conducted within a manufacturing firm. The questionnaire was developed by adapting items and concepts from prior works, and by developing a new variable, kiasuism. A census sampling method was used to select participants for this research. The data derive from a case analysis in a manufacturing company in Malaysia. The analysis was based on 141 valid responses.

Findings

The findings indicate that collectivism, social network, social trust, shared goal, incentive systems, kiasuism and self‐efficacy emerged significant except for individualism. A unique finding is that kiasuism emerged as proposed, which suggest that future works could focus more on this variable to highlight its impact in a firm's ability to share knowledge. Overall, the data support our framework and indicate that knowledge sharing among employees in Malaysia's private companies is gaining grounds.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations of this research include the case study approach adopted, which does not allow the generalization of the results beyond that of the firm being studied. The implications emanating from this research is that the ability of a firm, especially electronic manufacturing firms, to harness internal resources and capabilities to enhance knowledge sharing among employees, would be critical for the firm to maintain a competitive position in the marketplace.

Originality/value

This paper provides specific backgrounds of the key factors that could affect the effective implementation of knowledge‐sharing initiatives in a firm, particularly those in the manufacturing sector. The findings suggest key implications for practice and research involved in knowledge‐sharing activities in their firms and related initiatives.

Details

Library Review, vol. 60 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 April 2023

Maheshkumar P. Joshi, Deepak Pandit, Shalini Rahul Tiwari and Archana Choudhary

Using the extant literature review, this paper aims to explore the relationship between gender, entrepreneurial education (EE) and entrepreneurial intention (EI) in the Indian…

Abstract

Purpose

Using the extant literature review, this paper aims to explore the relationship between gender, entrepreneurial education (EE) and entrepreneurial intention (EI) in the Indian context, which the authors believe is a novel approach to this research stream. The authors also use career preparedness as a control variable to examine this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 368 undergraduate students across four Indian universities (one exclusively for female students) through a standard structured questionnaire. Additionally, rather than examining, EI has been treated as a monolithic construct; however, the authors conceptualize it as comprising three different dimensions that include grand vision and risk-taking ability; opportunity exploitation; and ability to persevere. An additional analysis was conducted for the students who reported higher scores for “being well prepared for their careers” through their institutes’ academic programs and communities of entrepreneurs. The authors also interviewed some entrepreneurship instructors, who confirmed the present findings through their observations.

Findings

The findings indicate that, essentially, there is a positive relationship between EE and EI. The authors find that male students scored higher for the first two dimensions of EI but not the third. Additionally, the authors used career preparedness as a control variable for additional analysis. The authors observed that students with higher “career preparedness” reported a positive relationship between EE and EI, independent of gender, for all three dimensions of EI. Thus, it may be assumed that if a community of entrepreneurs needs to be developed in India, a focus on career preparedness is critical.

Research limitations/implications

First, given that the present survey reflected a single moment in linking EE to EI (which may be considered a limitation of the study), future researchers might focus on a longitudinal approach. Second, all the respondents are attending urban universities (and, as such, very likely belong to the upper middle class of Indian society). The financial divide between urban and rural India is well known; as such, the results might be different if the sample was drawn from rural and poor India.

Originality/value

The salience/value of this study lies in the conceptualization of EI comprising three sub-constructs to understand the impact of formal EE (with three sub-constructs) on EI. The focus on career preparedness for a female student is a new direction of inquiry with respect to entrepreneurial intention.

Details

Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6204

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1996

Sandi Mann

Training initiatives are widely acknowledged to be a salient feature of the competitive organization’s corporate strategy. Contends that, despite the heavy investment in training…

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Abstract

Training initiatives are widely acknowledged to be a salient feature of the competitive organization’s corporate strategy. Contends that, despite the heavy investment in training, organizations frequently fail to evaluate adequately the value or success of their training programmes. Those companies which do evaluate often use measures considered ineffective by many researchers. Part of the reason for companies’ reluctance to evaluate their training may be confusion as to how and what to evaluate. Reviews some of the barriers to effective training evaluation and outlines the benefits that organizations which do evaluate can invite. Describes the results and implications for organizations of a study undertaken in Europe to answer the question: “What should training evaluations evaluate?” Concludes that neither reactions to training nor immediate post‐training knowledge are predictors of subsequent self‐efficacy (an established indicator of actual performance).

Details

Journal of European Industrial Training, vol. 20 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0590

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2003

Eran Vigoda‐Gadot, Hedva Vinarski‐Peretz and Eyal Ben‐Zion

This paper reports on two separate studies (S1, n = 169; S2, n = 224) that were designed to examine the relationship between organizational image, perceptions of workplace…

3835

Abstract

This paper reports on two separate studies (S1, n = 169; S2, n = 224) that were designed to examine the relationship between organizational image, perceptions of workplace politics, and an additional set of job related variables (i.e. job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job autonomy). The paper suggests that perceptions of politics have never been examined in relation to organizational image, despite the fact that both concepts are closely related to more general ideas of climate and atmosphere in and around the workplace. For this purpose, a structural equation modeling with LISREL 8.30 was used to compare three alternative models in each of the studies. Findings reveal that the first model, where perceptions of politics function as antecedents of satisfaction and commitment that have an impact on organizational image, fitted the data best. The article concludes that perceptions of politics may have an important initial impact on the formation of organizational image via other job attitudes. Relevant implications for future studies in this area are discussed.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 18 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 May 2016

Ranis Cheng, Fernando Lourenço and Sheilagh Resnick

Despite rising graduate unemployment in the UK, there are insufficient numbers of graduates employed in small and medium sized-enterprises (SMEs). The literature suggests that a…

2739

Abstract

Purpose

Despite rising graduate unemployment in the UK, there are insufficient numbers of graduates employed in small and medium sized-enterprises (SMEs). The literature suggests that a teaching emphasis on large organisational business models in higher education institutions, particularly in the teaching of marketing theory, renders the SME sector unattractive to graduate employment and conversely, it is perceived that graduates lack additional “soft skills” vital for SME development and growth. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of how SMEs define marketing and to compare student perspective on marketing within a SME context. This paper also examines the need to improve the conventional marketing curriculum with additional teaching solutions that consider the reality of UK SME ownership and student employment prospects.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research approach was adopted using in-depth interviews amongst ten SME owners and 20 undergraduate marketing students of a UK university.

Findings

Findings revealed that the marketing practices used in SMEs were not present in the marketing curriculum in the case university. The employment of marketing graduates was not positively perceived by SME owners and equally, marketing undergraduates did not view SMEs as the career organisation of choice.

Originality/value

The study re-evaluates the HE marketing curriculum and suggests an update of the curriculum in order to move the university-industry-government relationship away from the traditional knowledge transfer perspective.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 23 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 February 2020

Korinzia Toniolo, Eleonora Masiero, Maurizio Massaro and Carlo Bagnoli

This research aims to investigate how digital academic entrepreneurship (AE) develops, exploring its evolution from a micro to a macro perspective and highlighting the role of…

1156

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to investigate how digital academic entrepreneurship (AE) develops, exploring its evolution from a micro to a macro perspective and highlighting the role of intellectual capital along the process. This paper contributes to the Special Issue on digital AE, providing research and practical implications.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a grounded theory approach which allows exploring the “How” question of digital AE. It focuses on the case of “Strategy Innovation,” the Ca' Foscari University of Venice (Italy) spin-off.

Findings

Digital AE develops and regenerates through a virtuous cycle that, while supported by digital technologies, starts from single individuals and their networks, reaches a broader ecosystem, and ends once back to individuals. This study offers insights about the social impact of academic venturing activities and provides practitioners with useful insights for the understanding of academic spin-offs activities and related opportunities.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on the specific research context of “Strategy Innovation,” Ca' Foscari University of Venice (Italy) spin-off. Future research should address in-depth analyses in the exploration of how digital AE emerges and evolves in different contexts and forms.

Originality/value

This study investigates digital AE's development over time, broadly illustrating the phenomenon from a micro to a macro perspective and presenting an explicative and analytical model.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 26 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 August 2014

Giustina Secundo and Gianluca Elia

– This paper aims at proposing a performance measurement system (PMS) for academic entrepreneurship.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims at proposing a performance measurement system (PMS) for academic entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

The PMS has been developed through action research carried out within an Italian higher education and research centre on the basis of the literature background, focus groups and interviews.

Findings

The study presents a new PMS based on an input–output model for academic entrepreneurship. As a result, a multidimensional framework for measuring technology entrepreneurship is proposed together with a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the “third mission” of universities. The application of the framework allows demonstration of its validity in public settings.

Research limitations/implications

Because the research was conducted in a specific organisation, the possibility of generalizing the results to similar institutions is a key issue. Hence, it is important to distinguish between what is general in scope and what is case-specific.

Practical implications

This study contributes to the extant literature on performance measurement of entrepreneurship process within research and higher education institutes that is traditionally focussed at the firm level. From a practitioner perspective, the model can be used both by universities which are interested in measuring their entrepreneurial capital and by other stakeholders who are interested in evaluating the value generation performances of universities. Implications for the society are clarified as well.

Social implications

As for the society, the proposed model allows evaluation of the university’s pivotal role in the social and economic development of the region where it is located, especially in terms of new employments and new technology-intensive firms.

Originality/value

The PMS is developed according to a process-oriented perspective of the academic entrepreneurship by identifying, for each step, a set of KPIs to meet the information needs of different stakeholders. The proposed PMS allows monitoring each phase of the technology entrepreneurship and managing the results in terms of social and economic impact developed. Contributions in PMS and intellectual capital literature are identified.

Details

Measuring Business Excellence, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-3047

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 August 2020

Qin Kang, Yicheng Fan, Kun Zhang, Xiaolang Chen, Hongyu San, Yiqing Chen and Heming Zhao

With excellent mechanic properties and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) resistance, 12Cr2Mo1R(H) steel is suitable to make hot-wall hydrogenation reactors. However, longtime exposure…

Abstract

Purpose

With excellent mechanic properties and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) resistance, 12Cr2Mo1R(H) steel is suitable to make hot-wall hydrogenation reactors. However, longtime exposure to a harsh environment of high-pressure hydrogen at medium temperature in practical application would still induce severe hydrogen uptake and eventually damage the mechanical properties of the steel. The study aims to evaluate the HE resistance of the steel under different tensile strain rates after hydrogen charging and analyze the hydrogen effect from atomic level.

Design/methodology/approach

This research studied the HE properties of 12Cr2Mo1R(H) steel by slow strain rate tests. Meanwhile, the effect of hydrogen on the structures and the mechanical properties of the simplified models of the steel was also investigated by first-principle calculations.

Findings

Experimental results showed that after hydrogen pre-charging in this work, hydrogen had little effect on the microstructure of the steel. The elongations and reduction of cross-sectional area of the samples reduced a lot, by contrast, the yield and tensile strengths changed slightly. The 12Cr2Mo1R(H) steel was not very susceptible to HE with a maximum embrittlement index of about 20.00%. First principles calculation results showed that after H dissolution, lattice distortion occurred and interstitial H atoms would preferentially occupy the tetrahedral interstitial site in bcc-Fe crystal and increase the stability of the supercells. With the increase of H atoms added into the simplified model, the steel still possessed a good ductility and toughness at a low hydrogen concentration, while the material would become brittle as the concentration of hydrogen continued to increase.

Originality/value

These finds can provide valuable information for subsequent HE studies on this steel.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 67 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 August 2019

Kun Zhang, Yicheng Fan, Xiaowei Luo, Xiaolang Chen, Chaolei Ban, Heming Zhao and Yiqing Chen

12Cr2Mo1R(H) steel is commonly used to make hot-wall hydrogenation reactors given its excellent mechanical properties and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) resistance. Longtime exposure…

211

Abstract

Purpose

12Cr2Mo1R(H) steel is commonly used to make hot-wall hydrogenation reactors given its excellent mechanical properties and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) resistance. Longtime exposure to high-pressure hydrogen at medium temperature would still severely damage the mechanical properties of the Cr-Mo steel with surface HICs caused by hydrogen adsorption and hydrogen uptake. The mechanisms of HE remain controversial and have not been fully understood so far.

Design/methodology/approach

The HE of the steel was investigated by slow strain rate test at different strain rates with in situ hydrogen charging. The diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in the steel is measured by electrochemical technology of hydrogen permeation. HIC cracks of the fractured specimens were captured with field emission SEM equipped with an electron backscatter diffraction system.

Findings

Results showed that the hydrogen led to the plasticity of the samples reduced significantly, together with the distinct work hardening behavior induced by hydrogen charging during plastic flow stage. The fracture of in situ charged sample changes from quasi-cleavage to intergranular fracture with the decreasing of strain rates, which indicates that the steel become more susceptible to hydrogen. High densities of dislocations and deformation are found around the crack, where grains are highly sensitive to HIC. Grains with different Taylor factor are more susceptible to intergranular crack.

Originality/value

The results of the study would be helpful to a safer application of the steel.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 66 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Keywords

21 – 30 of over 11000