Search results
1 – 10 of over 97000Kevin Clarke, Jack Flanagan and Sharron O'Neill
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the performance of accounting researchers in winning competitive Australian Research Council (ARC) grants, when compared with researchers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the performance of accounting researchers in winning competitive Australian Research Council (ARC) grants, when compared with researchers from the medical, engineering and law professions, during a period of heightened questioning of accounting methods, bounded by the end of the dot.com boom in 2001 and the global financial crisis in 2008. Protection and expansion of a profession's core knowledge through effective research is regarded as a hallmark of ongoing professional recognition and success in winning ARC grants is one indicator of the strength of this research. Reasons for the absolute and relative performance of accounting researchers in winning ARC grants are explored.
Design/methodology/approach
ARC statistics for the 2000‐2008 period were analysed, along with additional data from the relevant professional associations and the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
Findings
The results indicate that Australian accounting researchers are performing poorly in absolute and relative terms when compared with their professional peers. Some evidence exists that accounting research cultures seem to flourish in only a handful of universities, and that accounting academics are overloaded with teaching to the detriment of research.
Originality/value
The study adds to the growing interest in the value added by accounting research to the accounting profession, the corporate sector and society at large. While the publishing record of Australian accounting researchers appears healthy, when compared with their accounting peers overseas, they perform poorly in winning competitive grants relative to researchers from other professions. This may be a timely wakeup call to the accounting profession that the social acceptance of accounting knowledge should not be taken for granted.
Details
Keywords
Ebikabowei Emmanuel Baro, Gabriel Ejiobi Bosah and Ifeyinwa Calista Obi
The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which academic staff members in tertiary institutions in Nigeria access research grants, and to bring to light the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which academic staff members in tertiary institutions in Nigeria access research grants, and to bring to light the factors that hinder their effort to accessing research grants.
Design/methodology/approach
An online questionnaire was designed using the SurveyMonkey software to collect the qualitative data from academic staff in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Findings
The study revealed that only a few number of academic staff members in the tertiary institutions in Nigeria have received research grants. The study also revealed that a large number of research works carried out by academic staff are funded by themselves from the meager salary they receive. It also emerged that Tertiary Education Trust Fund is the highest funding body that academic staff have received research grants from. Different research funding agencies/organizations both local and international that support studies in Nigeria were also mentioned to create awareness for others to utilize. Politics in the selection of research proposals, inadequate publicity/advertisement for research grants applications and lack of knowledge about funding agencies/organizations were identified as the most mentioned hindrances to accessing research grants in Nigeria.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation of this study is the low response rate obtained, considering the number of tertiary institutions in Nigeria which does not permit generalization. The low response rate suggests that responding to an online questionnaire is not high on the agenda of academic staff members in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, and this is a major challenge for researchers undertaking evidence-based research considering the number of institutions.
Practical/implications
The findings will provide academic staff with important data and insight into the various local and international research funding agencies/organizations that support research in Nigeria.
Social/implications
Academic staff members receiving research grants will enable them find a solution to societal problems through evidence-based research. The findings of this study will inform other academic staff of the various research funding agencies/organizations that support research in Nigeria. This will create awareness for them to access such grants.
Originality/value
The work is an original research work conducted by the researchers. The findings will add to the body of knowledge on the area of research funding in Nigeria.
Details
Keywords
Jakob Edler, Daniela Frischer, Michaela Glanz and Michael Stampfer
University governance is constantly challenged by changing expectations and contexts. New, prestigious and well-endowed funding schemes are one possible source of pressure for…
Abstract
University governance is constantly challenged by changing expectations and contexts. New, prestigious and well-endowed funding schemes are one possible source of pressure for change of university governance. This article analyses the impact of one such scheme, the grants of the European Research Council (ERC), on the governance of European universities. After outlining a model of how this impact on universities can be expected to occur, we present the results of an exploratory study at a very early stage of the ERC’s existence (2010–2011). The empirical analysis is based on an investigation of 11 universities in eight countries, which shows that different kinds of universities are affected in varied and often unexpected ways, with particular differences arising at different levels within the universities.
Details
Keywords
Kevin Clarke, Jack Flanagan and Sharron O'Neill
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether accounting researchers in Australia more proactively pursued government‐sponsored Australian Research Council (ARC) research…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether accounting researchers in Australia more proactively pursued government‐sponsored Australian Research Council (ARC) research funding in the post‐Enron period than researchers in other commerce‐related disciplines.
Design/methodology/approach
The study measures disciplinary research activity using successful Australian Research Council Linkage and Discovery grants for the period 2000 to 2008. The study identifies the number of grants received, the total dollar amount funded, the number of participating institutions, individual researchers and (where applicable) partnering organisations. Using these criteria, the study compares the success of accounting with that of banking and finance, economics and business and management.
Findings
The study highlights accounting's failure to attain comparable levels of research funding relative to other commerce‐related disciplines (both in terms of grants and dollars), even given the public profile of accounting events post‐Enron. The study reveals a significantly higher “elite institution effect” exists in accounting and lower levels of academic and commercial partnerships when compared to other disciplines. The study examines potential reasons for the lack of ARC funding won by accounting researchers.
Practical implications
The persistently low level of representation of accounting researchers among ARC grant winners during this period appears counterintuitive to the traditional “professional model” that links university‐based disciplinary members with practitioners. Why accounting, as a high‐profile profession diverges from this model should be of concern to researchers, universities and the accounting profession.
Originality/value
The study's use of comparative ARC data extends and contextualises earlier studies that have sought to examine the state of accounting research in Australia.
Details
Keywords
The US Federal government is a potential source of support for advancing Library and Information Science (LIS) through funding experimentation, innovation, and demonstration. Most…
Abstract
The US Federal government is a potential source of support for advancing Library and Information Science (LIS) through funding experimentation, innovation, and demonstration. Most agencies are not as much interested in advancing the research front in LIS as they are in LIS contributions that advance other fields. The full potential of federal funding to impact LIS is far from realized. LIS researchers should be aware of each agency's mission as well as the types of research that each one supports. Many people contribute to research agendas but the most influential are researchers themselves. Becoming more successful in winning grants will require researchers to become better grant writers and to collaborate with people outside LIS.
Reports a survey which investigated the funding of library research in six federal government owned universities in Nigeria, and the impact of research funding on the publication…
Abstract
Reports a survey which investigated the funding of library research in six federal government owned universities in Nigeria, and the impact of research funding on the publication output of librarians. Findings indicate that research is either self‐funded, or funded by the respondents’ employers, and an insignificant number have been funded by international agencies. Grants are given for postgraduate degree and personal research. About half the respondents see the research grants they receive to be either fairly adequate or adequate: but the majority expressed dissatisfaction with their research allowances. All agreed that enhanced research grants and allowances would lead to a greater research output. Most publications produced by the respondents resulted from self‐funded research, followed by research sponsored by grants from employers, and lastly from researches funded by foundations, agencies and associations.
Details
Keywords
Sumeth Suebtrakul, Pornpimon Adams, Pitchapa Vutikes, Boosaree Titapiwatanakun, Paul Adams and Jaranit Kaewkungwal
The main purpose of the study was to identify the key elements that characterize successful grant proposals and the relative importance of issues that constitute difficulties and…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of the study was to identify the key elements that characterize successful grant proposals and the relative importance of issues that constitute difficulties and concerns in preparing the proposals. The study aimed, in particular, to explore grantsmanship perceptions based on the experiences of researchers in Thailand who had, or had not yet, successfully been awarded domestic and/or international research funding.
Design/methodology/approach
Anonymous online questionnaires were distributed to researchers in biomedical and public health fields in Thai academic institutes. The online survey asked the anonymous participants to complete a questionnaire comprising both multiple-choice and open-ended questions.
Findings
About 19% of 300 respondents had received both domestic and international research grants, and 60% of domestic research grants. The top 5 issues in grant applications were: (1) choosing a topic that matched the grant opportunity, (2) feasibility of research design and methods, (3) suitable research design and methodology, (4) model and theoretical justification, and (5) ethical considerations. Significant differences in perceptions among researchers were found for the feasibility of research design and methods and proposing a reasonable and justifiable budget.
Originality/value
The information derived from this analysis reflected the perceptions of the researchers and may or may not correlate with those of grant agency reviewers. The results of this study may be insightful and instructive for other researchers and form the basis for training and mentoring researchers in informed and effective grantsmanship, particularly novice researchers with limited or no experience in grant proposal writing. This study particularly reflected grantsmanship perceptions among researchers in Thailand. It may also serve to exemplify lessons learned for researchers in other low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC) exposed to similar settings and situations applying for research grants.
Details
Keywords
Ricardo R. Andrade and Christine E. Kollen
As any library strives to improve services and make them increasingly relevant, planning for change has become routine. During 2011, the University of Arizona's Libraries…
Abstract
As any library strives to improve services and make them increasingly relevant, planning for change has become routine. During 2011, the University of Arizona's Libraries undertook extensive assessments in order to develop and improve services in support of research and grant services so that campus-wide achievements in research, scholarship, and creative works could improve. A project explored ways for the library to become more effective at increasing research and grant support to faculty, researchers, and graduate students in a scalable way, and to help the campus increase achievements in research, scholarship, and creative works. The project defined the library's role in research and grant activities and explored ways for the library to be involved at optimal points in these cycles. This chapter discusses the process developed for assessing what new research and grant support services the library might want to develop. This involved interviewing peer university libraries and surveying faculty and graduate students at the University of Arizona about their research and grant needs. The chapter also describes how results were analyzed to identify potential new library services. The project team recommended new services which were presented to the library for inclusion in its Strategic Plan. The methodology presented in this chapter can be used by any type of library for developing new services to include in their strategic plans.
Details
Keywords
Grit Laudel, Eric Lettkemann, Raphaël Ramuz, Linda Wedlin and Richard Woolley
Bose-Einstein condensation is a scientific innovation in experimental physics whose realisation required considerable time and resources. Its diffusion varied considerably between…
Abstract
Bose-Einstein condensation is a scientific innovation in experimental physics whose realisation required considerable time and resources. Its diffusion varied considerably between and within five countries that were comparatively studied. Differences between countries can be explained by the variation in the national communities’ absorptive capacities, while within-country differences are due to the impact of authority relations on researchers’ opportunities to build protected space for their change of research practices. Beginning experimental research on Bose-Einstein condensation required simultaneous access to the university infrastructure for research and to grants. The former is largely limited to professors, while the latter made researchers vulnerable to the majority opinion and decision practices of their national scientific community.
Details
Keywords
Hedy Jiaying Huang and Keith Hooper
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the funding criteria adopted by funding organisations (FOs) in New Zealand.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the funding criteria adopted by funding organisations (FOs) in New Zealand.
Design/methodology/approach
The naturalistic inquiry paradigm is applied and qualitative interview data were collected using semi‐structured interviews.
Findings
The most important finding is that there is a strong pattern emerging as to how the selected FOs determine the allocation of their funds. Outcomes and key people are important criteria for these FOs, while financial information is regarded as less relevant. On balance, the New Zealand funders involved in this study seem to adopt a creative approach to allocating their funds. To explain the lack of performance and financial measurements, it may be that, unlike their for‐profit counterparts, not‐for‐profit (NFP) organisations' managers are not constrained by returns to shareholders, earnings per share and the bottom line. Thus, many of the New Zealand funders' allocations rely on an instinctive feel for the projects proposed and the character of the applicants proposing them.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation of the research is that it was restricted to Auckland and Wellington and only to those FOs which were willing to participate. It is not possible to generalise the results and apply the findings derived based on seven FOs to all the funders in New Zealand. This research is an exploratory study; further research would be appropriate across Australasia to include larger centres such as Sydney and Melbourne where there are many more FOs.
Practical implications
Funders are in favour of a more creative and soft approach to their philanthropic giving. It is hoped that this research will raise an awareness of a strong tendency of FOs to adopt a creative approach to grant‐making rather than the more scientific approach involving financial analysis.
Social implications
The outcomes and key people are important to this grant‐making process, while much financial information is less relevant.
Originality/value
The paper recommends that FOs should pay more attention to financial analysis while preserving the flexibility of a creative approach. Moreover, grant seekers will have a much clearer idea about what sort of information most grant makers actually utilise in their grant decision‐making processes. The additional contribution of this research project is to enrich the existing literature on philanthropic funding in New Zealand.
Details