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While shareholder wealth maximization is accepted by finance theoreticians as the financial goal of the firm, the implementation of this goal is not simple. There can be significant economic impacts of using an alternative goal such as return on investment (ROI) maximization instead of net present value maximization. Many areas of management discretion can be affected by the choice of ROI maximization versus profit maximization. Differential managerial decisions for these two alternative goals have been noted in such areas as investments in new plant and equipment, investments in research and development, and maintenance of plant and equipment. In addition, managers may have preferences among alternative accounting policies (depreciation schema and inventory valuation methods) that depend on their objective.

Despite heightened interest in return on investment (ROI) and increased accountability for training professionals to prove their bottom‐line organizational value, many practitioners are deterred from comprehensive measurement and ROI evaluation due to concerns about the cost, time, and human resources necessary to fully implement the process. The purpose of this two‐part series is to present ten best practice, cost‐saving approaches for developing a credible, economical ROI strategy.

A systemic approach to measuring training's impact begins with an evaluation framework. For the purposes of this article, Jack Phillips’ five‐level framework for capturing the financial impact of training programs was referenced. Based on over 20 years of research and global applications, Phillips’ ROI model also includes techniques for isolating the impact of other variables, besides training, on performance improvement.

Many organizations around the globe are using cost‐saving approaches so they can begin conducting ROI evaluation within their current budget, while others use cost‐saving approaches in order to increase the number of ROI studies they conduct. The ten cost‐saving approaches for measuring programs at the ROI level have been proven to significantly decrease resource requirements while still providing sound, credible data. Despite these factors, establishing an evaluation culture is no easy task. In many ways, implementing a system‐wide ROI effort is similar to implementing a large‐scale change initiative.

Practical application of these cost‐saving approaches allows the resource‐constrained training function to present their work in terms of financial benefits that leaders understand and have come to expect. It is a vital step in establishing business partnerships that will enhance commitment for training programs, products, and services going forward.

By evaluating training programs with the ROI in mind, training functions can be perceived in a more credible light. Programs aligned with organization strategy are offered, while others that add little value are redesigned and sometimes eliminated. Trainers, designers and developers can use the findings of an ROI evaluation to increase training alignment with business needs and to improve the efficiency of the training design, development, and delivery life cycle.

Despite heightened interest in return‐on‐investment (ROI) and increased accountability for training professionals to prove their bottom‐line organizational value, many practitioners are deterred from comprehensive measurement and ROI evaluation due to concerns about the cost, time, and human resources necessary to fully implement the process. This article, the second in a two part series, aims to present best practice, cost savings approaches for developing a credible, economical ROI strategy.

A systemic approach to measuring training's impact begins with an evaluation framework. For purposes of this article, Phillips' (1997) five‐level framework for capturing the financial impact of training programs was referenced. Based upon over 20 years of research and global applications, Phillips' ROI model also includes techniques for isolating the impact of other variables, besides training, upon performance improvement.

Many organizations around the globe are using cost‐saving approaches so they can begin conducting ROI evaluation within their current budget while others use cost‐saving approaches in order to increase the number of ROI studies they conduct. The ten cost saving approaches for measuring programs at the ROI level have been proven to significantly decrease resource requirements while still providing sound, credible data. Despite these factors, establishing an evaluation culture is no easy task. In many ways, implementing a system‐wide ROI effort is similar to implementing a large‐scale change initiative.

Practical application of these cost‐savings approaches allows the resource‐constrained training function to present their work in terms of financial benefits that leaders understand and have come to expect. It is a vital step in establishing business partnerships that will enhance commitment for training programs, products, and services going forward.

By evaluating training programs with the ROI in mind, training functions can be perceived in a more credible light. Programs aligned with organization strategy are offered, while others that add little value are redesigned and sometimes eliminated. Trainers, designers and developers can use the findings of an ROI evaluation to increase training alignment with business needs and to improve the efficiency of the training design, development, and delivery life cycle.

The return on investment (ROI) model is a tool used to measure the financial benefits and costs of an investment, in this case, the investment in digital library resources. By applying this model to the AAU digital library resources, the study seeks to determine whether these resources are providing sufficient value for the investment made in them.

The proposed ROI model has two distinct phases and utilizes two different sets of data to calculate the return on investment for a database subscription. In Phase I, the ROI is calculated based on the total number of downloads of full-text articles from the database during the academic year 2019–2020. This information is used to determine the financial returns of the database subscription costs. In Phase II, the ROI is calculated by examining the citations drawn from the Scopus database on a sample of 30 funded research projects for the College of Engineering during the year 2019. These data are used to determine the impact of the database subscription on research output and its contribution to the success of the College of Engineering's research projects. The two phases of the proposed ROI model aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the value of the database subscription and its impact on both financial returns and research output.

The findings of the study indicated different results between Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the study. The positive ROI in Phase 1 suggests that the investment in online databases has a good return for the AAU, as they are gaining almost a dollar for every dollar spent. However, the negative ROI in Phase 2 is concerning. It suggests that the investment in the IEEE database is not generating a positive return for the AAU and may even be costing the institution money. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of measuring ROI in academic libraries, particularly in Arab countries where resources may be limited. By understanding the impact of library investments on institutional outcomes, libraries can make informed decisions about where to allocate their resources and how to optimize their services to best serve their communities.

The findings of the current study were based on data collected from a specific sample, therefore, the findings may not be generalized to other academic libraries. A similar study with larger and more diverse samples can help to validate and extend the results of this study.

The findings of the study provide evidence that the proposed ROI model can be effectively applied in Arab countries and academic libraries in the Arab world, this could encourage more institutions in the region to adopt this model for evaluating their investments and projects. The study may also guide how to adapt the model to the specific cultural and organizational contexts of Arab countries.

The study aims to investigate returns on investment (ROI) from the academic library of India's top ten leading university libraries in terms of research publication. Librarians help academic researchers in a variety of ways. Some of these methods are collection oriented, whilst others are service oriented. The study investigates many factors responsible for the increased or decreased institutional ROI, performance and research out of the institution, such as total library budget, staff, library collection, service and facilities. The ROI % shows the institution's highest and lowest investment return in research publication.

The study is expiation about ROI from the academic library of India's top ten leading university libraries in terms of research publication. The study is based on primary and secondary data gathered from the Ministry of Education, Government of India and universities ranking in June 2020. The data were compiled from the ranking list regarding total library budgets, staff and research publications for 2017–2020. The research is limited to a ROI analysis of university libraries. The study should aid libraries in better understanding the idea of ROI in order to improve library services. The study then looked at various institutions' ROI from 2017 to 2020.

The study aims to investigate ROI from the academic library of India's top ten leading university libraries in terms of research publication. This study investigates many factors responsible for the increased or decreased institutional ROI, performance and research out of the institution, such as total library budget, staff, library collection, service and facilities. The study found that the overall highest research output is by the Indian Institute of Science and the lowest by Jamia Millia Islamia among the ten leading university libraries in India.

The ROI study displays the importance of libraries in terms of research publication of the institutions. This research can also support decision-making, library collection development and institutional library system analysis. The library can assist with publications, sponsorships, grants, finances and teaching enhancement research output. The last point justifies the library's increased importance in establishing an organisation's status and obtaining accreditation.

This study aims to investigate the growing use of financial metrics (such as return on investment [ROI]) to measure performance and evaluate human capital (HC) investments.

The research employed an embedded case study approach, examining how one ROI approach was applied to evaluating HC investments, across three sectors (corporate, public health and international development).

Three major findings emerged in this study: First, interpretations of ROI can lead to ambiguity during implementation. ROI is interpreted trichotomously – metaphorically, as a desire for value; literally, as a metric; and procedurally, as a method for planning and evaluating HC investments. Second, understanding, measuring and tracking the domains of people performance (cognitive, affective and psychomotor) is vital to evaluating the impact of HC investments because this is where the change in behavior occurs. Third, although the logic model measures the change in process following an intervention (input-activity-output-outcome-impact), other approaches measure the change in behavior of people in the intervention (people performance).

These findings provide clarity for practitioners about challenges when applying ROI.

This is the first study to explore how the ROI financial metric is applied in a new domain by first examining its interpretation. It elucidates the use of ROI in practice, as well as the different purposes of key ROI approaches.

This study’s purpose is to contribute to literature on training evaluation following Kirkpatrick’s four-levels model and estimating each training program’s return on investment (ROI) using evidence from a small firm.

This case study uses data collected at a logistics company based upon training output indicators like training program evaluation data; individual performance evaluation reports; information on attained objectives; service and productivity levels; quality audit reports; and accounting data.

Results show that all the training programs addressed report evaluation procedures at the four different levels (reactions, learning, behavior and results). ROI for each training program was estimated based upon costs and benefits associated to each program. The two training programs presenting above-average returns address work quality and conditions. The program addressing corporate social responsibility issues produced below-average results.

Limitations to this study may result from collecting data in a single moment in time and using data from a single organization, excluding generalization and extrapolation of results.

This case study should inspire managers in small and medium enterprises (SME) to implement training evaluation practices and ROI estimation. Having the ROI estimation available allows better management of the training budget, as ROI’s presentation is an argument to assign value and progress.

The originality of this study regards the way it reports training evaluation practices at the four levels established by Kirkpatrick’s framework (2005) and complements it with ROI estimation regarding five training courses run at a Portuguese SME logistics firm.

The main purpose of this study is to test and verify return on investment (ROI) model proposed for academic libraries in Arab countries. The study assessed the value of AAU digital library resources and identified the value of the digital library in supporting the funded research projects.

The proposed ROI model is based on two phases and two different data. In Phase I, the authors calculated ROI based on the total downloads of full text to determine the total financial returns of the database subscription costs for the academic year 2019–2020. In Phase II, the authors examined the citations drawn from the Scopus database on a sample of 30 funded research projects for the College of Engineering during the year 2019.

Although the application of the proposed model has some challenges, it is relevant in measuring the ROI of academic libraries in Arab countries. The results of the study in Phase 1 revealed that the AAU gained $0.95 for every $1 spent on subscriptions to online databases. For Phase 2, the findings indicated a negative ROI of $−0.70 for every $1 spent on library subscriptions to the IEEE database.

This is a case study based on data collected from Al Ain University, United Arab Emirate (UAE). Therefore, the findings of the study may not be generalized, and other studies may find different results if more samples and data are used.

Although the proposed model has been cited by research papers indexed in the Scopus database, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Crossref and ResearchGate, none of these papers tested or verified the suggested ROI model. This study could be the first study testing the suggested model. The findings of the study may contribute to the application of the ROI model in the Arab countries, and particularly the academic libraries in the Arab world.

This paper focuses on the meanings attributed to the measurement of return on investment (ROI) in knowledge management (KM) initiatives in knowledge-intensive organizations. At the heart of this exploratory research is the introduction of a unique coherent perspective of discipline experts regarding the ROI metric, as part of their perception of assessing effectiveness in this field.

The research begins with in-depth semi-structured personal interviews and continues with focus groups, as part of a qualitative research paradigm. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis method, based on the grounded theory approach.

The findings provide empirical evidence regarding the significant challenges associated with the objective assessment of KM performance, which is deeply rooted in numerical-financial values. Despite the high status of ROI in the business environment, the authors find that decision-makers surprisingly avoid evaluating ROI for the most important resource of the organization, notwithstanding the immeasurable hopes that depend on this performance measure and the expectation of establishing the profitability of investment in organizational KM.

The uniqueness of this research is the adoption of the skeptical-critical research approach. For the first time, the authors interrogate the suitability and relevance of the general model of the ROI metric as a means of proving the value and contribution of well-managed knowledge to organizations. The authors call for adoption of a new integrative perspective for evaluating effectiveness, which will reflect the holistic set of KM in organizations.