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21 – 30 of 266Andrew Ellison, Graham Squires and Patrick Dempsey
There are some 487,000 places in long-stay residential care and nursing homes in the UK representing an industry worth some £15.2 billion per annum. Creating leases with…
Abstract
Purpose
There are some 487,000 places in long-stay residential care and nursing homes in the UK representing an industry worth some £15.2 billion per annum. Creating leases with guaranteed rental uplifts, a property bond in all but name, now attracts significant investment into healthcare. This is argued to be unsustainable, as evidenced by the collapse of Southern Cross Healthcare. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into institutional investment for sustainable healthcare provision.
Design/methodology/approach
It is carried out via a range of unstructured and semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of a small elite of professionals involved at the summit of this investment market and analysis of secondary literature concerning the wider international property market regarding the way in which advisers and investors view the security and value of these new instruments.
Findings
It is found that the differentiation between rental growth and indexed rental uplifts reveal a misunderstanding of the nature of the investment vehicles currently being marketed.
Practical implications
The implication of the research, is that much modern private healthcare provision is financially unsustainable, as has begun to be recognised in recent government regulation and guidance.
Originality/value
This research provides new and original insight into institutional investment for sustainable healthcare provision
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Lisa J. Barlow and Margaret E. Graham
A survey undertaken between January and March 1998 investigated the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in a sample of 120 industrial and commercial libraries…
Abstract
A survey undertaken between January and March 1998 investigated the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in a sample of 120 industrial and commercial libraries. Ninety‐six per cent of the organisations which responded to the questionnaire use computers for some aspect of their library and information services. ICT was used for a range of office and other applications including, in rank order, e‐mail, word processing, spreadsheets, presentation packages and database management systems. Ninety‐one per cent of the sample used various Internet facilities including e‐mail, World Wide Web, file transfer protocol (ftp) and telnet. This paper describes the results of the survey, reporting on the current state of the art of ICT use and future plans for automation in the sample.
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The current study aims to present an exploratory analysis of the use of Facebook in American public and academic libraries, with the purpose of understanding patterns of Facebook…
Abstract
Purpose
The current study aims to present an exploratory analysis of the use of Facebook in American public and academic libraries, with the purpose of understanding patterns of Facebook use in libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
This study presents both a statistical descriptive analysis and a content analysis.
Findings
The research findings show that both kinds of libraries use the information section and the wall and that there is a difference in the use of other Facebook sections, which was surprisingly limited in both kinds of libraries. In addition, public libraries use the wall and the photos section as major channels of information more than academic libraries. Concentrating on the content of the Facebook wall posts, it appears that there are some differences between the two sections (categories and sub‐categories). However, it seems that both kinds of libraries use Facebook simply as a way to deliver information to users, rather than as a venue for discussion.
Originality/value
Research findings enable librarians and information scientists to better understand the Facebook phenomenon in different kinds of libraries.
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Changsu Kim, Minghui Kang and Tao Wang
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether social networking site (SNS) communities benefit from collective knowledge and collaboration, which represent a portfolio of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether social networking site (SNS) communities benefit from collective knowledge and collaboration, which represent a portfolio of knowledge transfer on SNSs.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted on a large scale through an online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze data collected from 674 experienced SNS users.
Findings
The results indicate that all three exogenous variables, presented as user characteristics and integrated into SNS user characteristics, were positively related to the knowledge transfer portfolio, namely, to collective knowledge and collaboration, and these variables had significant moderating effects on SNS users’ community cohesiveness. Early SNS adoption was more likely than late SNS adoption to moderate the relationship between collective knowledge and community cohesiveness and that between collective collaboration and community cohesiveness.
Practical implications
The findings provide useful insights for SNS operators to enhance the process of collaborative knowledge transfer. They may also be used to obtain better insights into important factors that require closer attention during SNS use.
Originality/value
The present study provides a systematic analysis of SNS use by considering a new research model and investigating the effects of SNS-based knowledge transfer on user outcomes based on three major characteristics of SNS users. The results are expected to provide a major foundation for further SNS research and a better understanding of the relationships between SNS user characteristics, knowledge transfer, and community cohesiveness.
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James Bennett, Mark Owers, Michael Pitt and Matthew Tucker
This paper aims to examine the impact of social networking in the workplace and to assess its use as an effective business tool.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the impact of social networking in the workplace and to assess its use as an effective business tool.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper examines positive and negative perceptions of social networking in the workplace and provides a critical review of literature in the area. The drivers of, and barriers to, change are explored, and whether the reasons for some organisations prohibiting or restricting social networking in the workplace are well‐founded or corporate suicide. The link between social networking and organisational culture is examined, looking at whether social networking tools are capable of revitalising and reshaping the culture and brand of an organisation, which in turn can lead to better ways of working and increased levels of employee productivity and satisfaction.
Findings
The findings indicate that the business advantages and benefits of social networking in the workplace are still very much underappreciated and undervalued. Although some organisations across the world have started to implement some of the facets of social networking technology and reap the business benefits, fear, resistance and risk are the opinions that still dominate many organisations.
Originality/value
The value of social networking technology in the workplace is yet to be determined. This paper addresses gaps in the current literature and demonstrates that the business benefits of social networking far outweigh the negative perceptions that are still predominant in the pre‐millennial generations. The paper highlights that social networking technology can facilitate improved workplace productivity by enhancing the communication and collaboration of employees which aids knowledge transfer and consequently makes organisations more agile. Moreover, social networking can provide enhanced levels of employee satisfaction by reducing the social isolation of teleworkers and making them feel part of organisational culture during long absences from the physical office.
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