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Article
Publication date: 19 September 2016

Underutilisation of self-service libraries in Chinese cities: The absence of a patron-centric perspective

Lihong Zhou, Yaqian Song and Tong Zhou

Self-service libraries (SSLs) have been regarded as an effective approach to provide convenient book services to the enormously large populations of China’s cities. These…

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Abstract

Purpose

Self-service libraries (SSLs) have been regarded as an effective approach to provide convenient book services to the enormously large populations of China’s cities. These SSLs are in fact automatic book service machines, which provide a combination of services, including reading card issuing, book lending and returning, and book reservations and collection. However, despite acclaimed success, SSL services are not well received by patrons and are underutilised. The purpose of this paper is to identify and understand the causes of the underutilisation of SSL services in Chinese cities.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted an inductive approach and a case study research design. The SSL services in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province, were adopted as the case study, in which 20 public librarians, SSL workers and managers, and library patrons were approached and interviewed using semi-structured question scripts. The interview data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach.

Findings

The analysis pointed to 13 causes in three main themes: management problems, service limitations, and the implicit role of government. Further conceptualisation of the findings revealed that the underutilisation of SSL services has resulted from the absence of a patron-centric perspective and the negligence of patrons’ needs and requirements. Therefore, to increase the popularity and usage of SSLs, it is necessary to develop patron-centric management mechanisms through which patrons’ needs and requirements can be effectively understood and responded to.

Originality/value

This study aims to develop specific suggestions to improve the usage of SSLs. Furthermore, although this study focuses on SSL development in China, this research can provide useful suggestions and implications that can be shared across international borders.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 34 no. 3
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-05-2016-0054
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

  • China
  • Case study
  • Library services
  • Public library
  • Self-service libraries
  • Underutilisation

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Article
Publication date: 4 February 2019

Towards digital scholarship services in China’s university libraries: Establishing a guiding framework from literature

Lihong Zhou, Ruhua Huang and Tim Zijlstra

This paper aims to report on a literature review that aimed to establish a guiding framework for the development of digital scholarship services in China’s university libraries.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to report on a literature review that aimed to establish a guiding framework for the development of digital scholarship services in China’s university libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework was developed through systematically searching, screening, assessing, coding and aggregating digital scholarship services as reported in the existing body of literature. Three types of literature were included in the analysis: international academic literature as reported in English; academic literature in Chinese; and relevant professional reports.

Findings

The literature analysis pointed to 25 different digital scholarship services, which emerged in six themes: supporting services, formulating research ideas, locating research partners, writing proposals, conducting research and publishing results.

Originality/value

Although this literature review focused on university libraries in China, the research findings and the guiding framework developed provide useful insights and indications that can be shared across international borders.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-04-2018-0074
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

  • University libraries
  • Digital scholarship
  • Digital scholarship services
  • Guiding framework

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Article
Publication date: 18 September 2017

Proposing a framework of barriers to opening government data in China: A critical literature review

Ruhua Huang, Tong Lai and Lihong Zhou

This paper reports on a critical literature review, which aimed to identify, understand and qualify barriers that hinder the release of open government data (OGD) in…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper reports on a critical literature review, which aimed to identify, understand and qualify barriers that hinder the release of open government data (OGD) in China. Moreover, the purpose of this paper is to develop and propose a theoretical framework, which can be adopted as a basis for empirical investigation in the future, and to articulate mitigating strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted an inductive qualitative approach, retrieving 42 academic articles from three main Chinese academic databases: CNKI, Wanfang and CQVIP. A thematic analysis approach was employed for the literature analysis.

Findings

The literature analysis pointed to 15 barriers to the release of OGD in China. Furthermore, the barriers emerged in the following three main themes: institutional barriers, data integrity and quality barriers, and user participation barriers.

Originality/value

This paper reports on one of the early research efforts into the problems of releasing OGD in China. Although this study focusses on Chinese context and issues, the findings and lessons learnt can be shared across international borders.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 35 no. 3
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-01-2017-0014
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

  • Barriers
  • Literature review
  • Open government
  • Open government data
  • Theoretical framework
  • Chinese Government

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Article
Publication date: 2 September 2013

Doing qualitative research in Chinese contexts: Lessons learned from conducting interviews in a Chinese healthcare environment

Lihong Zhou and Miguel Baptista Nunes

The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the process of doing qualitative inductive research in China, drawing its conclusions from a grounded theory study. To…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the process of doing qualitative inductive research in China, drawing its conclusions from a grounded theory study. To be more specific, this paper reflects on the process of approaching interviewees, guaranteeing their participation, conducting the interviews and encouraging responses in the context of Chinese culture.

Design/methodology/approach

The discussion in the paper uses Hofstede's cultural dimensions as a tool in the interpretation and understanding of both the behaviour and the preconceptions of the interview participants involved in a research project focused on exploring and explaining barriers and enablers to knowledge sharing between traditional and Western healthcare professionals in China. The context for the study was a public hospital in the province of Hubei in Central China. A total of 49 semi-structured interviews were carried out and analysed.

Findings

Despite the grounded theory methodology being applicable in different cultural contexts, the culture itself may present challenges and barriers at both the data collection and analysis stages. These cultural problems may hinder interaction with informants, misunderstanding of responses and behaviours, and thus significantly impair the research validity and reliability.

Practical implications

The paper provides advice and recommendations to researchers aiming at doing this type of study in China.

Originality/value

The paper is of interest to inductive researchers, in particular those using grounded theory, as it describes and discusses the actual application of the methodology in a non-Western context. The paper is also of interest to any researchers intending to undertake participative research in China.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 31 no. 3
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-11-2012-0104
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

  • Chinese culture
  • Grounded theory
  • Healthcare environment
  • Qualitative methods
  • Semi-structured interview
  • Knowledge sharing
  • China

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Article
Publication date: 22 March 2011

Expanding the concept of requirements traceability: The role of electronic records management in gathering evidence of crucial communications and negotiations

Hui Chen, Miguel Baptista Nunes, Lihong Zhou and Guo Chao Peng

Despite its tremendous success and achievements, the information science (IS) industry has been plagued by shadows of failure and inefficiency since its early days. This…

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Abstract

Purpose

Despite its tremendous success and achievements, the information science (IS) industry has been plagued by shadows of failure and inefficiency since its early days. This paper takes the stance that poor communication with target organizations and users is one of the major causes of these problems. If this communication is not properly recorded and managed, many of the agreed decisions may never be assumed by target organizations, therefore leaving project managers entirely responsible for failures or deviation from initial requirements. Nonetheless, the vast majority of Software (SW) development companies have very weak provision for Electronic Records Management (ERM). This is evident from the persistent use of ISO 9001 and ISO 90003 in their Quality Assurance (QA) and the consistent neglecting of the ISO 15489 standard for records management. This paper aims to examine this issue

Design/methodology/approach

Since there are no studies in this area, this research employed an inductive qualitative research approach that consisted of a combination of critical literature review, an exploratory case study and thematic analysis.

Findings

This paper reports on the study of an SW company that implemented ERM policies and an in‐house system that not only supports the recording of documentation and evidence for every phase of the development, but also the very difficult processes of organizational learning.

Practical implications

This paper is of interest to both IS academics and practitioners, namely those interested in QA and ERM.

Originality/value

There is very little research in this area that can inform both academics and practitioners on how to use ERM within SW project management practices. This paper aims at providing early insights into ways of addressing this gap and at generating discussion in this area.

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 63 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/00012531111135646
ISSN: 0001-253X

Keywords

  • Information systems
  • Project management
  • Quality assurance
  • Information science

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Article
Publication date: 20 June 2016

Information literacy instruction in Chinese universities: MOOCs versus the traditional approach

Ruhua Huang, Baiyang Li and Lihong Zhou

The purpose of this paper is to discuss a teaching project and a series of systematic efforts to promote an information literacy instruction (ILI) module and transform it…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss a teaching project and a series of systematic efforts to promote an information literacy instruction (ILI) module and transform it into a successful and well-established massive open online courses (MOOCs). Specifically, this paper provides not only a detailed description and discussion on these transformation processes, but also a comparative analysis of two very different teaching approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper focuses on the ILI module in Wuhan University with a top-ranked Library and Information School in China. As a result, this module has been treated as a case study to investigate the transformation processes from a traditional module to MOOCs. Specifically, two research processes are scrutinized in this study, namely, analytic hierarchy process analysis and data analysis on the ILI MOOCs.

Findings

It has become evident that ILI is widely considered to be extremely important, not only for university students, but also for a large number of post-college professionals in various industries. Moreover, by using innovation and interactive online techniques, MOOCs have significantly improved the quality of ILI.

Practical implications

If a module is delivered to a large number of students, MOOCs are effective and convenient. To ensure a successful ILI course, this study describes a detailed procedure for transforming a traditional course to a ubiquitous, high-quality and interactive one.

Originality/value

This paper represents early attempts to develop MOOCs on ILI in China. In addition, experience and insight from this study are of interest to university educators and policy makers with implications beyond the Chinese educational system.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 34 no. 2
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-02-2016-0013
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

  • Information retrieval
  • Higher education
  • Education technology
  • Information literacy instruction
  • Library science education
  • Massive open online course

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Article
Publication date: 6 June 2008

Supporting decision making in risk management through an evidence‐based information systems project risk checklist

Lihong Zhou, Ana Vasconcelos and Miguel Nunes

This paper aims to present a study of Information Systems project risk management aimed at identifying a risk ontology and checklist that will enable decision making and…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a study of Information Systems project risk management aimed at identifying a risk ontology and checklist that will enable decision making and mitigation strategy planning in information system (IS) development in the public sector. This sector is an ideal research field in risk management practices, due to the visibility that failure of IS/IT projects has acquired as a consequence of the duty of accountability that characterises it.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a qualitative approach anchored on a critical literature review, leading to the development of an analytical framework, followed by a thorough case‐study survey.

Findings

A project risk ontology was derived from the analysis of ten case‐studies in the UK, USA and New Zealand and was divided into five main categories: pre‐project, customer, project management, technological issues, and development methodology. The analysis found that a considerable number of risk factors are incurred before the start of the formal project and pre‐determine the future of the project and create predictable risks that can be avoided.

Research limitations/implications

This paper has focused on the pre‐implementation and implementation phases of IT/IS projects and further research into IS post‐implementation is required.

Originality/value

The proposed ontology is designed to fit in real life systems development cycles and is aimed at supporting risk assessment and control. The findings suggest that risk thinking should start early in the project and not, as many modern design and development methodologies propose, solely as part of the development process itself.

Details

Information Management & Computer Security, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09685220810879636
ISSN: 0968-5227

Keywords

  • Information systems
  • Risk management
  • Risk analysis

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Article
Publication date: 4 February 2019

Estimating the mechanism of farmers’ effective participation in Chinese rural land consolidation

Wenxiong Wang, Lihong Yu, Wei Zhou, David W. Marcouiller and Bin Luo

Effective farmer participation in the rural land consolidation process has become increasingly important because it improves results in rural land consolidation and land…

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Abstract

Purpose

Effective farmer participation in the rural land consolidation process has become increasingly important because it improves results in rural land consolidation and land use efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mechanism of farmers’ effective participation in Chinese rural land consolidation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors empirically assess farmers’ effective participation in the rural land consolidation process in ten counties of China’s Hubei province. Focusing on an effective decision-making model, the authors comprehensively evaluated farmer participation using surveys that incorporated an index system and analyzed survey results using a structural equation model to examine factors that influenced farmer’s effective participation.

Findings

The results of the study suggest that the correlations between farmers’ effective participation and the impacting factors the authors proposed were particularly strong. In addition, participation ability, participation opportunity and participation incentive are strongly associated with effective farmer participation. Thus, the authors highlight that incentives should be provided to encourage farmers’ effective participation in rural land consolidation.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the chosen approach and the set of the research object, the geographic context of the empirical survey work was limited; furthermore, the authors only studied the influencing factors at the individual level, leaving the interaction effects between governmental factors and farmer individual factors inadequately explained.

Originality/value

Despite those limitations, these results serve as an important reference for government agencies and stakeholder groups in rural land consolidation decision making.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CAER-08-2016-0126
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

  • Farmers
  • Structural equation modelling
  • Influencing factors
  • Effective participation
  • Rural land consolidation

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Article
Publication date: 11 September 2017

Does recycling improve information usefulness of income? The case of Japan

Frendy and HU Dan Semba

The Accounting Standards Board of Japan (ASBJ) proposed a new set of endorsed International Financial Reporting Standards in June 2015. ASBJ claims that non-recycling of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The Accounting Standards Board of Japan (ASBJ) proposed a new set of endorsed International Financial Reporting Standards in June 2015. ASBJ claims that non-recycling of other comprehensive income (OCI) items decreases the information usefulness of earnings in a proposed comprehensive income standard. There has been no existing empirical evidence which supports the ASBJ’s statement and the purpose of the study is to test whether OCI recycling improves information usefulness of net income from six perspectives: relative and incremental value relevance, persistence, variability, operating cash flow and net income predictive power.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is an empirical work using a listed Japanese firms sample of 5,385 firm-years from fiscal year 2012-2014.

Findings

The results challenge the ASBJ’s claim that recycling improves the general information usefulness characteristics of net income. The empirical results show that OCI recycling improves net income’s relative value relevance characteristic of financial firms. However, recycling information by itself does not improve the incremental value relevance, and the predictive power of operating cash flow and net income. The authors also find that the inclusion of recycling decreases the persistence and increases the variability of net income.

Research limitations/implications

This paper has two research limitations. First, this study is constrained to analyze a limited OCI recycling data that is recently disclosed by listed Japanese firms. Second, the results of this study have limited external validity to capital markets with OCI reclassification standards that deviate from Japanese GAAP.

Originality/value

This study provides initial empirical evidence that examines information usefulness of OCI recycling in Japan. The findings of this study are relevant for accounting standards setters aiming to increase the information usefulness of earnings for capital market investors.

Details

Asian Review of Accounting, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/ARA-11-2015-0111
ISSN: 1321-7348

Keywords

  • Japan
  • Recycling
  • Value relevance
  • Information usefulness
  • Other comprehensive income
  • Reclassification adjustment

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Article
Publication date: 4 July 2016

Synthesis of curcumin catalyzed by KF/Al2O3

Lihong Gao, Jiang Chen, Jun Zheng and Haiyan Zhang

The purpose of the study reported in this paper is to synthesis curcumin, which was reported to possess broad pharmacological effects and excellent dyeing properties, via…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study reported in this paper is to synthesis curcumin, which was reported to possess broad pharmacological effects and excellent dyeing properties, via Claisen-Schmidt condensation reaction catalysed by an efficient and green solid base catalyst, KF/Al2O3.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of catalysts with different KF loadings and varying calcination temperatures had been prepared, characterised by Brunauer–Emmett–Taller surface area, temperature-programmed desorption with CO2 using infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and tested in the Claisen–Schmidt condensation reaction. The effects of different reaction parameters such as temperature, the amount of catalyst, reactant ratio and time on the synthesis of curcumin were examined. The possibility of recycling the catalyst was also investigated in detail. Moreover, the reaction mechanism and the role of KF/Al2O3 in the synthetic process were discussed.

Findings

The study provides an efficient and green solid base catalyst, KF/Al2O3, and 64.3 per cent yield of curcumin was obtained under the optimum reaction conditions. Experimental results indicate that the third reused catalyst could retain part of the catalytic activity, and the regenerated one could be reused with reasonable catalytic activity. Besides, K3AlF6 was proposed as the active site of the catalyst for the reaction by the analysis of the characterization results of KF/Al2O3.

Originality/value

KF/Al2O3 was found to be an efficient catalyst for catalytic synthesis of curcumin and could be easily recycled several times. This information may be useful for further research and practical applications of curcumin.

Details

Pigment & Resin Technology, vol. 45 no. 4
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PRT-01-2015-0002
ISSN: 0369-9420

Keywords

  • Synthesis
  • Colourant
  • Curcumin
  • Heterogeneous catalyst

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