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1 – 10 of 145This paper focuses on a shared learning module on collaborative practice for graduate primary care mental health workers as a case study in formative evaluation that…
Abstract
This paper focuses on a shared learning module on collaborative practice for graduate primary care mental health workers as a case study in formative evaluation that combines qualitative and quantitative methods. Evaluation data are collected across four levels in an attempt to explore issues relating to:• curriculum content• training methods and design• PCMHWs' experiences of the training• outcomes in respect of attitude change and self‐reported changes in knowledge, skills and practice.The paper draws on a review of inter‐professional education undertaken by the British Education Research Association (BERA) to explore what interactive methods of learning are employed in the delivery of the module as a means of fostering improved collaborative practice that can be transferred from the learning environment to the primary care mental health setting. According to Barr et al (2005, p31) inter‐professional education takes place on ‘occasions when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care’.The paper concludes that although limited in its generalisability and the extent to which changes in attitudes and practice can be attributed to the training intervention, there are some useful lessons to be learned for planning and delivering training to promote collaborative working within primary care mental health.
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The objective of this study was to extend prior research by examining subordinate–superior information asymmetry as an intervening variable linking budgetary participation…
Abstract
The objective of this study was to extend prior research by examining subordinate–superior information asymmetry as an intervening variable linking budgetary participation and slack. The results indicate two offsetting effects of participation on slack. A significant negative indirect relation between participation and slack was found to act through information asymmetry. Thus, managers reveal private information during the budget process, reducing information asymmetry which subsequently reduces budget slack. These results provide evidence about the inability of past research to confirm a consistent direct relation between budget participation and budget slack.
Isabel Brüggemann, Jochem Kroezen and Paul Tracey
This study gives insights into how marginalized logics evolve after having been replaced by a new dominant logic. In light of the case of UK trade book publishing where an…
Abstract
This study gives insights into how marginalized logics evolve after having been replaced by a new dominant logic. In light of the case of UK trade book publishing where an editorial logic persisted and morphed after the increasing commercialization of the field – epitomized by the proliferation of so-called “factory fiction” – the authors identify three generative paths of marginalized logic evolution: preservation, purification and radicalization. The authors show how these paths hinge on the activities of three groups of actors who resist conforming to a dominant logic. The findings of this study advance scholars’ understanding of the historical evolution of institutional logics, but also remind them that the acts of resistance are typically embedded in macro-level dynamics related to broader institutional processes. In particular, this study sheds light on the different ways in which acts of resistance may be structured by actors’ experience of friction between competing institutional logics.
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Order picking in a warehouse consumes most ofthe stockroom labour because of the highfrequency of transactions. This article presentsan algorithm for order picking in…
Abstract
Order picking in a warehouse consumes most of the stockroom labour because of the high frequency of transactions. This article presents an algorithm for order picking in narrow‐aisle warehouses and describes its implementation using a spreadsheet. The algorithm is illustrated by an example, and the algorithmic method is compared with the current method of order picking in the food industry. Randomly generated problems show savings of up to 85 per cent in distance travelled by the pick‐up vehicle. The manager of the warehouse, where the method has been implemented, confirmed that he has become more effective and efficient on order delivery by using it.
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Kristen K. Greene and Yee-Yin Choong
The purpose of this research is to investigate user comprehension of ambiguous terminology in password rules. Although stringent password policies are in place to protect…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to investigate user comprehension of ambiguous terminology in password rules. Although stringent password policies are in place to protect information system security, such complexity does not have to mean ambiguity for users. While many aspects of passwords have been studied, no research to date has systematically examined how ambiguous terminology affects user comprehension of password rules.
Design/methodology/approach
This research used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in a usable security study with 60 participants. Study tasks contained password rules based on real-world password requirements. Tasks consisted of character-selection tasks that varied the terms for non-alphanumeric characters to explore users’ interpretations of password rule language, and compliance-checking tasks to investigate how well users can apply their understanding of the allowed character space.
Findings
Results show that manipulating password rule terminology causes users’ interpretation of the allowed character space to shrink or expand. Users are confused by the terms “non-alphanumeric”, “symbols”, “special characters” and “punctuation marks” in password rules. Additionally, users are confused by partial lists of allowed characters using “e.g.” or “etc.”
Practical implications
This research provides data-driven usability guidance on constructing clearer language for password policies. Improving language clarity will help usability without sacrificing security, as simplifying password rule language does not change security requirements.
Originality/value
This is the first usable security study to systematically measure the effects of ambiguous password rules on user comprehension of the allowed character space.
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This paper aims to explore the value students place on the sustainable strategies game (SSG) which seeks to improve student engagement in business sustainability through…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the value students place on the sustainable strategies game (SSG) which seeks to improve student engagement in business sustainability through enhanced game-based learning. This game provides an alternative collaborative learning environment to the traditional instructivist approach to enrich Education for Sustainability (EfS) learning experiences and enhance student engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
Students’ reflections on their game-based learning experiences and suggestions for game development were collected through a short qualitative survey. Results are explored through three frameworks, namely, the multifaceted student value model, the dimensions of engagement framework and the UK higher education authority (HEA) framework for engagement through partnership.
Findings
Research findings suggest the SSG provides game-based learning within EfS that delivers “edutainment” within an active, collaborative and experiential learning environment that the students value. It is also able to challenge thinking and emotionally engage students with the fundamentals of business sustainability. Reflection-on-action and the students’ role as co-researchers in game development allow students to become active participants in their learning as well as knowledge producers and evaluators. These outcomes deliver the UK HEA’s core facets of student engagement through partnership.
Research limitations/implications
This practice-focused study presents the self-reported results of a one-time, small study which does not offer generalised, independently validated responses. However, the findings may be of interest to educators considering the adoption of game-based learning and those seeking new learning cultures for EfS.
Practical implications
Game-based learning and teaching approaches can achieve a learner-centred active, collaborative learning environment that enhances student engagement with business sustainability.
Originality/value
Experiences gained from this study should assist others in the implementation of game-based learning to engage students in business sustainability.
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Analyses the economic system slice‐wise, taking the main economic activities for a year together. Within this slice the development of the economic activities is…
Abstract
Analyses the economic system slice‐wise, taking the main economic activities for a year together. Within this slice the development of the economic activities is characterized by plus or minus signs according to an increase or decrease of the activities. This yearly sequence of plus and minus signs is taken as a pattern. Analyses these economic patterns according to cybernetic and economic criteria. Sign‐equivalent patterns are taken together as groups. The chronological development of these groups gives the profiles of the economy. The development of profiles is quite concordant with the business cycle of the economy in question.
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Derek H.T. Walker and Beverley M. Lloyd-Walker
The purpose of this paper is to explore and explain the circumstances in which a highly collaborative integrated project delivery form such an alliance is the most…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore and explain the circumstances in which a highly collaborative integrated project delivery form such an alliance is the most appropriate choice of delivering infrastructure projects.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws upon two previously published studies on alliancing to enable gathering insights from a quantitative study with some qualitative data that indicates project alliance delivery performance is high and suggests why it may be adopted as a project delivery form. A second qualitative study recently completed and published on integrated collaborative forms of project delivery such as alliances is re-analysed to better understand how and why this form may be successful. Together these two studies allowed a focus on the motivation to form an alliance and specific conditions relating to the alliance party’s level of ability and willingness to deeply collaborate.
Findings
The motivation to deeply collaborate may be triggered by specific internal and external trigger mechanisms. These are identified in the paper together with discussion about the requirement of parties to have sufficient knowledge, skills, attributes and experience to collaborate at a deeply engaged level.
Research limitations/implications
The data used in the studies were from large scale infrastructure construction projects. The examples are mainly drawn from countries where collaboration is common and culturally acceptable; results may not apply to cultures, country or workplace, where high levels of competition are seen to be the optimal strategy for project delivery success. Also, the data were drawn from construction project management (PM). Other project-based areas such as professional services for example may present a different context and hence a different rationale.
Practical implications
The study provides deep insights about the nature of collaboration. It may have wider applicability.
Social implications
Project organising is a social activity with social implications for how they are delivered that affect internal as well as external stakeholders. Being mindful about the motivation to choose a particular delivery form is important.
Originality/value
This is a new area of research in PM and the world faces a massive demand for large scale complex projects. This paper may provide a rational to drive policy in project delivery choices.
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HARRIS Computer Systems Division recently announced the Night Hawk 4400, a multiprocessing, real‐time computer system in the Night Hawk 4000 series, which is based on…
Abstract
HARRIS Computer Systems Division recently announced the Night Hawk 4400, a multiprocessing, real‐time computer system in the Night Hawk 4000 series, which is based on reduced instruction set computing (RISC) technology. The new system is fully compatiable with earlier systems in the Night Hawk family, and is designed to preserve the customer's investment in software and input/output (I/O) interfaces and devices.