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1 – 10 of 28Patricia McGee and Felecia Briscoe
This case study examines whether an academic listserv functions primarily as a medium for progressive discourse in which enacted power relations are collaborative or primarily as…
Abstract
This case study examines whether an academic listserv functions primarily as a medium for progressive discourse in which enacted power relations are collaborative or primarily as a medium for discourse in which norms are unilaterally established and off‐line hierarchical power relations are re‐enacted. A few instances of progressive norm setting and other indicators of collaborative power relations were found. However, findings overall suggest that the hierarchical power relations of the college context were re‐enacted in the listserv as revealed by the manner in which the discourse was patterned by gender, rank, and role.
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Sherman L. Hayes and Patricia B. McGee
It is important to understand the organizational structures and decision making processes in the university and their relationship to the CWIS. This article describes, reviews and…
Abstract
It is important to understand the organizational structures and decision making processes in the university and their relationship to the CWIS. This article describes, reviews and summarizes March and Cohens’ theories on the university as a structured anarchy. It also raises a list of questions that CWISs struggle with regularly which may be best answered by this theory. A second part of the article describes the companion theory of garbage can decision making proposed by March, Cohen and Olsen. Besides proposing the decision making model, March and Cohen even offer tactics to use in a structured anarchy that can enhance chances of success. Although CWIS problems seem dominated by management of technical questions, the authors feel that the ability to understand the organizational model of an institution and to manage the decision making process may be equally important to success as technical expertise is.
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Julia Halpin, Patricia Wain and Peter Nolan
This paper reports on a study undertaken in one mental health NHS foundation trust in the UK, which sought to examine to what extent advanced practice nursing could contribute to…
Abstract
This paper reports on a study undertaken in one mental health NHS foundation trust in the UK, which sought to examine to what extent advanced practice nursing could contribute to advancing new ways of working in the future. The literature on advanced nursing in the UK is critically discussed and where availability permits, reference is made to international literature. The findings of a survey of nurses with a Masters degree or acting at advanced level are reported and discussed. Though the data reported here are largely confirmed by similar studies, nevertheless the insights provided should alert organisations to the complexity of introducing new roles during a time of radical change in the health care system. Despite the efforts of a highly motivated trust, respondents identified barriers and obstacles that were of such significance that some were forced to rethink their readiness to embrace the role. It is hoped that the recommendations derived from this study may assist other organisations at a similar stage of implementing advanced nursing practice roles.
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Rodney C. Runyan, Patricia Huddleston and Jane L. Swinney
The purpose of this paper is to describe a qualitative study of small retailers, designed to uncover perceptions of resources which may be utilized to create competitive…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe a qualitative study of small retailers, designed to uncover perceptions of resources which may be utilized to create competitive advantages and improve performance. The resource‐based view (RBV) of the firm has focused on large firms, and this study extends RBV to the small firm.
Design/methodology/approach
Using focus groups of small retailers within four communities in the USA, open‐ended questioning and discussions were utilized to help elicit responses about owner's resources.
Findings
The concepts of community brand identity, local social capital and environmental hostility (though not part of the original discussion guide), emerged as important constructs. Both community brand identity and social capital were articulated by focus group participants as resources which helped them to be successful. Brand identity was seen as important regardless of environment, while social capital emerged as a resource used more in hostile environments.
Research limitations/implications
Brand identity and social capital are non‐economic resources which may help small retailers to compete in increasingly competitive environments. The RBV holds that to provide a competitive advantage, a firm's resources must be valuable, rare, imperfectly mobile and non‐substitutable. This qualitative study supports the conceptualization of brand identity and social capital as such resources.
Practical implications
Small business owners need to recognize the value of non‐monetary resources. Once these are recognized they can then be leveraged by the business owner to improve performance.
Originality/value
Few studies exist which apply the RBV to small firms. Only recently have scholars begun to operationalize constructs of the RBV. Researchers have not investigated social capital or brand identity as mitigators of environmental hostility. This study addresses each of these issues.
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Paola Isabel Rodríguez Gutiérrez, María del Pilar Pastor Pérez and Patricia Esther Alonso Galicia
The purpose of this paper is to describe the elements and relationships that explain the entrepreneurial intent in university students, evaluating possible gender and degree…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the elements and relationships that explain the entrepreneurial intent in university students, evaluating possible gender and degree differences.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is of quantitative approach, survey research design and cross-sectional method. The instrument used was a self-administered questionnaire answered by undergraduate university students enrolled in a public university. The sampling was stratified random, with a representative sample size of 734 cases. For data analysis and hypothesis testing, a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model were made.
Findings
The results show that the entrepreneurial self-efficacy attribute largely explains the entrepreneurial intent, while all other variables, such as entrepreneurial identity aspirations and outcome expectations, play a less important role but maintain some influence.
Research limitations/implications
According to the findings of this research, institutions of higher education should direct efforts to improve the entrepreneurial skills of students, especially for women. And the creation of an institutional entrepreneurial culture should also be emphasized so that the university students are able to build an entrepreneurial identity.
Originality/value
The value of the research is the proposed integrative model that explains how to trigger entrepreneurial intent, shows the prominent role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy as a predictor variable of entrepreneurial intent and the role of entrepreneur identity aspirations and entrepreneurial self-efficacy as mediating variables. Additionally, this research identifies differences in the model of entrepreneurial intent derived from the variables of gender and degrees.
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Businesses in Mexico, particularly small and mid-sized companies, are faced with numerous challenges: a lack of competition, difficulty in positioning and maintaining oneself in…
Abstract
Purpose
Businesses in Mexico, particularly small and mid-sized companies, are faced with numerous challenges: a lack of competition, difficulty in positioning and maintaining oneself in the market, irrational use of natural resources, and poverty in the environment in which they develop. In spite of these problems, many are able to succeed; however, there is limited knowledge about how these businesses could implement organizational changes that would positively impact their results.
Design/methodology/approach
Using dynamic capabilities theory and survey data obtained from pottery businesses in several artisan communities in Mexico through the application of face-to-face interviews, this paper analyzes the relationship between organizational capability for change (OCC) and economic and environmental performance.
Findings
This research proves that OCC positively and significantly impacts economic and environmental performance. Results contribute to the existing literature on OCC in the context of poverty.
Originality/value
This study offers empirical research that illustrates the relationship between OCC and the environmental and economic performance of pottery businesses. Additionally it contributes to a field of knowledge in progress; that is, OCC in contexts of subsistence where poverty is a constant issue. Artisans living in this context can also develop business capabilities that contribute to the permanence of their business in the market.
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Patricia P. Iglesias-Sánchez, Carmen Jambrino-Maldonado, Antonio Peñafiel Velasco and Husam Kokash
The purpose of this paper is to investigate entrepreneurship in Malaga University based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour model. There are two objectives: to analyse the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate entrepreneurship in Malaga University based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour model. There are two objectives: to analyse the influence of the main elements of orientation to entrepreneurship and to evaluate the efficiency of education programmes in the university system.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have chosen Ajzen’s influential model (1991) for analysing entrepreneurial intention as the basis for the analysis of a sample of 392 students at Malaga University.
Findings
The results suggest that the students’ predisposition to entrepreneurship is moderate because perceived risk and ideas about their own abilities hinder their decision to start up a business.
Practical implications
This research has practical implications for universities involved in designing programmes aimed at business creation.
Social implications
This research provides interesting insights which could help new companies to be created, thus alleviating the unemployment resulting from the economic crisis.
Originality/value
With the help of this widely used theoretical model to study, the authors analyse the impact of Entrepreneurship Education Programmes in higher education. It is only a starting point from which to evaluate which elements should be reinforced in entrepreneurship programmes if they are to achieve effective results.
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Virginia Fernández-Pérez, Patricia Esther Alonso-Galicia, María del Mar Fuentes-Fuentes and Lazaro Rodriguez-Ariza
This study analyses the role of social networks and their effects on academics' entrepreneurial intentions (AEI), from an academic cognitive perspective. Specifically, the paper…
Abstract
Purpose
This study analyses the role of social networks and their effects on academics' entrepreneurial intentions (AEI), from an academic cognitive perspective. Specifically, the paper investigates how business (distinguishing between industrial and financial links) and personal social networks, through opportunity-relevant information and support, could influence academics' intentions to start a business venture on the basis of their research knowledge. The paper examines the mediator roles of entrepreneurial attitudes (EA) and self-efficacy on opportunity recognition (SOR) as important psychological variables for academics. In the same context, the paper examines the mediator role of gender.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling analysis, on a sample population of 500 Spanish academics engaged in commercially oriented fields of research.
Findings
The results obtained highlight the positive roles played by business (industrial and financial) networks, both directly in promoting AEI, and indirectly via EA and SOR. The paper finds that male and female academics differ in their perceptions of support from business and financial networks and in their use of these resources in business start-up.
Practical implications
An understanding of these issues offers opportunities to shape government interventions to assist academic entrepreneurs embarking on a business venture, or those already active in this respect, increasing their effectiveness in building, utilizing and enhancing the quality of networking activities.
Originality/value
The paper explores business networking for academics as a factor promoting entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the paper considers an under-researched area that of female entrepreneurship in what is traditionally considered a male-dominated activity.
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Street vendors, modernity and postmodernity: conflict and compromise in the global economy explores street vending within the context of the shift from modernism to postmodernism…
Abstract
Street vendors, modernity and postmodernity: conflict and compromise in the global economy explores street vending within the context of the shift from modernism to postmodernism, suggesting that the former implied crackdowns on the trade because of the ideals of public order and control whilst the latter is more open to such methods. Questions whether this new approach brings fresh dilemmas for the informal sector. Proffers the idea that the policy makers should allow deregulated sectors of informality in the economy to function as incubators for new industry.
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The following is an annotated list of materials dealing with information literacy including instruction in the use of information resources, research, and computer skills related…
Abstract
The following is an annotated list of materials dealing with information literacy including instruction in the use of information resources, research, and computer skills related to retrieving, using, and evaluating information. This review, the twenty‐second to be published in Reference Services Review, includes items in English published in 1995. After 21 years, the title of this review of the literature has been changed from “Library Orientation and Instruction” to “Library Instruction and Information Literacy,” to indicate the growing trend of moving to information skills instruction.