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The purpose of this paper is to determine the overall currency of electronic books in the Safari database; to determine currency and release policies of the individual publishers who contribute books to the Safari database; to compare the usage patterns of Safari books to their print counterparts at Texas A&M University; and to discuss the impact of the Safari e‐book collection and chosen purchase model upon collection management at the university.

To determine currency of titles in Safari, the availability of the most recent edition of a title in the Safari database was checked against the availability of the print edition on the publisher's website. To determine the publishers' release policies, a questionnaire was developed and e‐mailed to them.

Of the titles in the Safari database 98.4 percent were the most current edition available. Release policies of the major Safari publishers (O'Reilly and Pearson) indicate that the electronic version of a title is released when the print version is sent to press. No Starch Press, a minor Safari publisher releases its books in Safari 90 days after the print goes on sale. Thomson would not make this information public and the remainder did not respond to the questionnaire.

Subscription to the Safari database (current file) makes available to multiple users the most current computer science and information technology books released by popular publishers. It eliminates the need to expend funds for multiple and replacement copies of this highly requested material.

The current file purchase model assumes that the most recent editions of these popular books are available in Safari. The study indicates that librarians and patrons can be assured that they are accessing the most current editions available.

The paper seeks to describe the provision of access to the Safari Tech Books collection of e‐books at Hillingdon Libraries.

Details are given of how the e‐books collection is part of a broader range of e‐information services provided by Hillingdon. Methods of searching for e‐books are described, with screenshots, advantages to library staff are outlined and aspects of administration and promotion are discussed.

The Safari Tech Books Online service has been useful for novice and specialist users as well as for library staff in answering reference queries.

Practical details are given of providing access to e‐books to users of a public library.

Food‐borne infection remains a major public health concern and it is important that healthcare professionals in training understand the epidemiology of gastro‐intestinal infection and strategies for its prevention. This article describes a student selected component (SSC), i.e. an element which supplements the core curriculum for undergraduate medical students and its use as an educational tool.

The SSC incorporated a refrigerator safari in which students examined a number of domestic refrigerators for factors which might affect adversely the microbiological quality of the food within them as well as determining refrigerator temperatures with a sensitive thermometer.

The refrigerator safaris, although small in number (n=25) highlighted a number of frequently occurring factors such as unacceptable refrigerator temperatures and foods which had passed their use by/best before dates. Student feedback indicated that the safari was much appreciated as a practical way of learning about food safety.

The refrigerator safari is a novel method for the teaching of undergraduate students about food hygiene in the domestic setting and emphasises that consumers have important roles and responsibilities in protecting themselves from food‐borne infection.

The purpose of this paper is to study model(s) of acquiring e‐books to support: effective support of learning and teaching; and efficient use of collection budget.

The research was based on: five years of usage data from two e‐book packages: Net Library and Safari; two methods of acquisition: NetLibrary was a one‐time purchase; Safari was purchased on a subscription; usage difference or lack of difference over time between packages; and controlled for content subjects in both packages.

The research found that: Safari (with updates) showed increased usage over time; NetLibrary (without updates) showed generally declining usage over time; and controlling NetLibrary subject content showed that usage in the science and technology area declined noticeably over the years; while education, history, social sciences, literature and language usage decline was steady.

Title counts in both packages were similar; however, after isolating for matching subject areas the numbers of titles in NetLibrary were small. Therefore, one or two titles in a small population may have skewed the pattern, making the results less accurate.

Understanding whether and in which subject areas students and faculty use e‐books means effective selection decision and good use of shrinking budgets.

Usage data over five years provided evidence on which to base subscription/purchase decisions to effectively support learning and teaching and use collection funds wisely. Analyzing the usage figures will inform selection of e‐books to support learning and teaching.

This study focuses on the triadic multilevel psychic distance (MPD) between the firm, target market and bridge-maker and its consequences for firm internationalization. Specifically, it spotlights the triadic psychic distance between firms, the levels of psychic distance in the target market (country and business) and the bridge-maker. Therefore, this study examines the triadic MPD among these three entities and its impact on firm internationalization.

This study uses qualitative and case study research approaches. It is based on 8 case companies and 24 internationalization cases. Secondary data were collected, and interviews with bridge-makers and industry experts were conducted.

The study found that MPD appeared in the triad. The MPD between firms and markets is related to country-specific differences and business difficulties. The MPD between the firm and the bridge-maker is based on the latter’s lack of knowledge vis-à-vis bridging the firm’s MPD. Finally, the MPD between bridge-makers and the market is based on the former’s lack of knowledge of the home country’s business difficulties.

This is the first study to develop and adopt a triadic multilevel psychic distance conceptualization that provides evidence for and sheds light on the triadic MPD and its effect on firm internationalization. This study identifies the reasons behind triadic MPD in connection to firm internationalization. Notably, firm internationalization is interdependent on the triadic MPD setting between the firm, bridge-maker and target market. It has theoretical value and contributes to the recent advancement in the understanding of MPD in international marketing literature.

This chapter aims to shed light on the role that a sustainable orientation plays in strengthening the relationships between global consumers and online brands. Despite many previous studies about the importance of sustainability considerations for national consumers’ brand commitments and purchase intentions, there is a lack of empirical studies focussing on this relationship from a global consumer perspective. A pre-study (consisting of focus group discussions) and a widely distributed international survey with responses from 74 countries show mixed results. Whereas the results from the focus groups imply that a sustainable orientation influences both global consumers’ purchase intentions and brand commitments towards online brands, the survey results imply that global consumers’ sustainable orientations do not affect purchase intentions directly, even though they influence brand commitments. An implication of these results is that an international online brand’s possibility to portray a sustainable orientation plays an important role in strengthening the relationship with global consumers, especially regarding brand commitment.

Readability applications are the software products designed to make online text more readable. Using information foraging theory as a framework, the purpose of this paper is to study the extent, if at all, using a readability application improves skimming comprehension in a low-clutter online environment. It also seeks to identify the perceived benefits or effects of using a readability application for skimming comprehension.

Ten participants skimmed two articles each, one in a low-clutter online document presentation environment, the other using an online readability application, as a timed, information foraging exercise. After reading each article, respondents answered true/false comprehension questions and follow up questions.

There was little difference in the comprehension of respondents after skimming in the two online documentation presentation environments. The readability environment was the preferred environment.

This study suggests that since participants claimed to prefer the text presentation of the readability application interface, interface designers may wish to create library interfaces for information seeking that follow the readability application format. Because some of the participants found themselves reading rather than skimming when using the readability application, readability for tasks other than skimming may be enhanced.

This is a practical study investigating an existing online readability application and its effects on an existing online reading environment as they pertain to information seeking behavior in general and to information foraging in particular.

Globally, poverty has been a persistent problem despite decades of unprecedented growth. The purpose of this paper is to deliberate on a sustainable livelihoods and poverty eradication approach in an African context.

The paper aims to bridge the gaps in poverty eradication strategies in East Africa by examining recent literature on livelihoods approaches and poverty eradication approaches.

Safari tourism is one way of connecting poor communities in Kenya to the tourism industry. The development of community conservancies in Kenya presents yet more opportunities for communities to be integrated with the sector. The Africanization of the tourism sector in Kenya is a priority, as communities embrace tourism and poverty eradication measures.

There is a need for the Safari tourism sector to integrate the local community’s indigenous knowledge systems, community social capital and the community’s natural capital with tourism product development and diversification.

The paper draws on applied research and technical analysis of the unique opportunities for enhancing sustainable poverty eradication through the tourism sector in East Africa and, more particularly, a Kenyan context.

Using Chiang Mai Night Safari, Thailand as a case, this research is to understand the relationship between service quality, place attachment, tourist satisfaction, and tourist loyalty. A two-stage sampling approach is used while proportionate stratified sampling is applied to determine the strata sample size. A convenient sampling approach selects the participants within each stratum that involves choosing every element after a random start. Four hundred of 450 questionnaires are usable and analyzed the study. The result suggests an effective intermediary between service quality and tourist satisfaction. This study also adds managerial implications concerning service/product differentiation and competitive advantage over competitors. Meanwhile, future studies on destination personality uniqueness of destination emotions are suggested.

The purpose of this paper is to report on a research project at a safari park in Buckinghamshire, UK. The aim is to introduce lean principles to the park, to enable the park to increase profits through eliminating waste and improving the efficiency of key processes whilst concurrently increasing customer satisfaction. The research is based on a case study approach within the organisation over a period of three months. The project team worked together with management and staff to deliver tangible benefits to the park.

The research is based on a case study approach within the organisation over a period of three months. The project team worked together with management and staff to deliver tangible benefits to the park. The team adopted a three stage approach linked by two decision points and used a variety of lean tools to help map the current state of practices in the park and to identify areas for improvement in the park's processes.

The project succeeded in identifying several key areas for improvement. The current situation across a range of customer facing processes is mapped and through detailed analysis and simulations, recommendations for improvements have been delivered to the management. The scope of the project is broad and so for the purpose of this paper, only one key area will be elaborated on, feed logistics. Feed logistics is the distribution network of feed throughout the park from receipt from the suppliers, the storage locations, through to the preparation areas and ultimately the animals.

The project demonstrated that in fact the underlying philosophies and tools of lean thinking can be used with significant benefits to drive improvements in the unusual setting of a safari park. The successful application of lean thinking into a safari park proved to be an extremely unique opportunity to observe the impact of those principles in generating both tangible and intangible benefits to that organisation. In particular, as discussed in this paper, the simplification of the feed network and distribution for the park eliminated waste in the form of movement, time and inventory.