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1 – 10 of 15The impact of telefacsimile in the United States has been negligible, only three states having state‐wide telefacsimile networks. The speed of service achieved by the use of…
Abstract
The impact of telefacsimile in the United States has been negligible, only three states having state‐wide telefacsimile networks. The speed of service achieved by the use of telefacsimile to transmit journal articles is offset by high costs and the need for libraries to change their interlibrary loan operations to use the system efficiently. A better use of telefacsimile is for transmitting interlibrary loan requests and messages. An interlibrary loan form designed for transmission by telefacsimile can save time and work for the libraries involved and it is cheaper than using TWX or telephone. It is also especially good for foreign language requests. Transmission of journal articles is not yet economically feasible but if faster equipment, giving clearer copy, were produced at a reasonable price it would be. Libraries should co‐operate to decide what equipment is needed and then press manufacturers to develop it.
Telefacsimile, the technology that facilitates the fast electronic transfer of written materials between distant points, is beginning to make inroads in the library community…
Abstract
Telefacsimile, the technology that facilitates the fast electronic transfer of written materials between distant points, is beginning to make inroads in the library community. There are now more than five hundred telefacsimile machines installed in North American libraries, and more than a dozen machines are being installed each month. The recent history of facsimile use in libraries is discussed. Also detailed are the three major issues to be addressed in deciding on the adoption of telefacsimile to improve document delivery: need, copy quality, and costs.
This review covers three broad areas. Firstly, interlending statistics from West Germany and France are summarized. Secondly papers on interlending of specialist materials…
Abstract
This review covers three broad areas. Firstly, interlending statistics from West Germany and France are summarized. Secondly papers on interlending of specialist materials (microform, audiovisual materials and music) are discussed. Thirdly, the review looks at some recent applications of new technology: the use of electronic mail for request transmission in Canada, three experiments with telefacsimile transmission of documents in the USA together with a proposal for high‐speed telefacsimile transmission via satellite in Australia, and the use of microcomputers in interlibrary loan departments. A new article delivery service in the USA and the demise of the Pacific Northwest Bibliographic Center are reported. Finally, the publication of a draft version of guidelines on union catalogues of serials is mentioned.
Argyrios Loukopoulos and Dimitra Papadimitriou
The repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the organizational scaling strategies of the social impact are still under-researched and remain one of the most significant issues…
Abstract
Purpose
The repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the organizational scaling strategies of the social impact are still under-researched and remain one of the most significant issues in the social entrepreneurship field, with scarce empirical research so far. This paper aims to present the organizational growth strategies that Greek social enterprises have used to scale their social impact during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on development studies, organization theory and social movement research, this study addresses how Greek social enterprises scale their social impact following organizational growth strategies during the pandemic, based on a sample of ten social enterprises and following a qualitative method approach through a multiple case study.
Findings
Results highlight that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizational scaling of social enterprises has supported social impact through expanding services, building new interorganizational collaborations and serving additional beneficiaries. Furthermore, new and viable growth strategies include advocacy-oriented scaling for resources and local and remote markets through prompt digitalization.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first systematic attempt to explore the organizational scaling strategies undertaken by Greek social enterprises in the context of the difficulties placed by the COVID-19 crisis. What emerged from this study was a new prominent organizational scaling strategy of the social enterprises’ social impact called strategic organizational change.
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The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the importance of the current global ecological overload (GEO) for the future of work in the twenty-first century and to propose…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the importance of the current global ecological overload (GEO) for the future of work in the twenty-first century and to propose a new understanding of what work is.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve this purpose, the author uses qualitative methods to assess what is likely and what is possible. The author presents three broad-brush future scenarios, dubbed chaos, muddle and wisdom. The approach adopted depends on two basic normative principles, named Liveable Global Habitat and Necessities as of Right.
Findings
The neoliberal commitment to economic growth is a driver for GEO. A liveable future requires a decisive turn away from neoliberal values. As part of this, the author proposes a new understanding of work, disciplined useful activity, which differs radically from the current understanding. “Useful” means contributing to two basic principles: to maintain and enhance a civilised human society and a liveable global habitat for a rich variety of species; and to accord to all people, as of right, in practice and not merely in name, the basic necessities of a civilised life.
Social implications
AI and robots will probably continue to replace today’s kinds of human employment. But this need not render any humans unemployed, whose work (in the new sense) will be wanted in, for two examples, caring (including self-care) and participatory democracy.
Originality/value
This paper offers a contribution to the resolution of the current and anticipated problems of GEO and of disruptive technologies.
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Augusto Sales, Steffen Roth, Michael Grothe-Hammer and Ricardo Azambuja
The literature on Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), cultural differences between organizations have frequently been identified as one of the main challenges in the process of…
Abstract
Purpose
The literature on Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), cultural differences between organizations have frequently been identified as one of the main challenges in the process of post-merger integration (PMI). Existing research has explored a broad variety of cultural differences in perceptions, such as those relating to expectations, norms, values and beliefs within the respective organizations, and how these affect the process and success of PMI. However, less attention has been paid to the relevance of the macro-societal context to PMI. The ambition of this article is, therefore, to advance our understanding of how macro-level societal factors define organizational cultures and affect the success of PMI.
Design/methodology/approach
We draw on social systems theory as devised by Niklas Luhmann, assuming that organizations are always embedded in the macro-level societal context of distinctive realms of social reality—such as the economy, politics, religion and the arts—that make up the so-called “function systems”. Looking at the case of the integration of a Brazilian technology start-up into a market-leading corporation, we analyze the dominant orientations towards these function systems, and the changes in these orientations over time.
Findings
The results suggest that differences in organizational culture in PMI can be partly explained by differences in orientations to the function systems. Moreover, forcing dramatic changes of orientations towards the function systems within a merged entity can severely damage its raison d'etre in the first place, potentially leading to, in some sense, an account of “culture murder”.
Originality/value
This article is unique in demonstrating that organizations are multifunctional systems whose culture is defined by the highly specific and potentially varying degrees of importance they place on individual function systems and that knowledge or neglect of these functional profiles may seriously affect the success of post-merger integration. Against this backdrop, the article presents a multifunctional profiling method that may easily translate into PMI management tools.
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Dominika Latusek, Anna Pikos and Marcin Wardaszko
Distrust has been a neglected concept in public governance research, especially in comparison with the much more developed stream of studies on trust. Recently, however, there has…
Abstract
Purpose
Distrust has been a neglected concept in public governance research, especially in comparison with the much more developed stream of studies on trust. Recently, however, there has been a growing recognition of the need to better understand distrust and separate it from trust, especially given contemporary social challenges which endanger trust within societies. This study aims to propose a validated and reliable scale to measure citizen distrust in public organizations through assessment of public organizations’ untrustworthiness.
Design/methodology/approach
A rigorous three-stage scale development procedure was used to identify, operationalize, evaluate and validate the dimensions of distrust. Data obtained from a research sample of 541 Polish citizens was subject to construct validation (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses) with satisfactory discriminant and convergent validities. A homogeneity reliability analysis (Cronbach’s alpha) provided an evidence of internal consistency reliability.
Findings
The study presents a valid and reliable scale assessing distrust through three dimensions of untrustworthiness in the context of public administration. This scale was developed as a three-factor construct with 11 validated items.
Originality/value
The presented instrument allows researchers to study distrust systematically across sectors and countries. It may be useful in future research and may provide insights to design practical remedies for citizen distrust.
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Discusses collection building of contemporary German belles‐lettres and introduces 20 contemporary German‐language writers of the younger generation, presenting their…
Abstract
Discusses collection building of contemporary German belles‐lettres and introduces 20 contemporary German‐language writers of the younger generation, presenting their bio‐bibliographies. Librarians who are not already collecting these authors might consider expanding their German literature collections by adding some of the works listed.
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Kinjiro Amano, Eric C.W. Lou and Rodger Edwards
Building information modelling (BIM) is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building. Its use offers a range of benefits in terms of…
Abstract
Purpose
Building information modelling (BIM) is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building. Its use offers a range of benefits in terms of achieving the efficient design, construction, operation and maintenance of buildings. Applying BIM at the outset of a new build project should be relatively easy. However, it is often problematic to apply BIM techniques to an existing building, for example, as part of a refurbishment project or as a tool supporting the facilities management strategy, because of inadequacies in the previous management of the dataset that characterises the facility in question. These inadequacies may include information on as built geometry and materials of construction. By the application of automated retrospective data gathering for use in BIM, such problems should be largely overcome and significant benefits in terms of efficiency gains and cost savings should be achieved.
Design/methodology/approach
Laser scanning can be used to collect geometrical and spatial information in the form of a 3D point cloud, and this technique is already used. However, as a point cloud representation does not contain any semantic information or geometrical context, such point cloud data must refer to external sources of data, such as building specification and construction materials, to be in used in BIM.
Findings
Hyperspectral imaging techniques can be applied to provide both spectral and spatial information of scenes as a set of high-resolution images. Integrating of a 3D point cloud into hyperspectral images would enable accurate identification and classification of surface materials and would also convert the 3D representation to BIM.
Originality/value
This integrated approach has been applied in other areas, for example, in crop management. The transfer of this approach to facilities management and construction would improve the efficiency and automation of the data transition from building pathology to BIM. In this study, the technological feasibility and advantages of the integration of laser scanning and hyperspectral imaging (the latter not having previously been used in the construction context in its own right) is discussed, and an example of the use of a new integration technique is presented, applied for the first time in the context of buildings.
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Mohammed Sulaiman, Mohammed Sulaiman, Hexu Liu, Mohamed Binalhaj, Maha Al-Kasasbeh and Osama Abudayyeh
Current facility management (FM) practices are inefficient and ineffective, partially because of missing information and communication issues. Information and communications…
Abstract
Purpose
Current facility management (FM) practices are inefficient and ineffective, partially because of missing information and communication issues. Information and communications technologies (ICT) are asserted to provide a promising solution for managing and operating facilities. However, the impact of ICT applications on current FM practices needs to be validated and the perception of FM professionals on ICT-based FM needs to be understood. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the impacts and the perception of ICT application on FM practice and further develop an ICT-based integrated framework for smart FM practices.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve the objective, the research starts with reviewing several promising ICT for FM, including building information modeling, geographic information systems, unmanned aerial vehicle and augmented reality. On this basis, a conceptional framework was synthesized in consideration of the benefits of each technology. A survey questionnaire to FM professionals was conducted to evaluate the proposed framework and identify the challenges of adopting ICT in the FM industry. Furthermore, return on investment and strength, weakness, opportunities and threats analysis have been used in this paper as evaluation methods for ICT industry adoption.
Findings
The survey results are validated by FM professionals for the future engagement of the integrated ICT applications. Also, the proposed framework can assist the decision-makers to have comprehensive information about facilities and systematize the communication among stakeholders.
Originality/value
This research provides an integrated framework for smart FM to improve decision-making, capitalizing on the ICT applications. Apart from this, the study sheds light on future research endeavors for other ICT applications.
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