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This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a theory-driven realist evaluative research approach to better understand complex technology implementations in organizations.

An institution wide e-learning implementation of lecture capture (LC), within a UK University, was chosen, and a realist evaluation framework was used, tailored for educational technology. The research was conducted over four, increasingly focused, evaluation cycles combining engagement analytics, user interviews and theory to refine what works (or does not work), for whom, in which contexts and why.

Despite explicit demand and corresponding investment, overall student engagement is lower than expected. Increased student use appears linked to particular staff attitudes and behaviours and not to specific disciplines or course content. The main benefits of LC are providing reassurance to the majority, aiding revision and understanding for the many and enabling catch-up for the few. Recommendations for future research are based on some unexpected outcomes uncovered, including evolving detrimental student behaviours, policy development based on technological determinism and future learner-centred system development for next-generation LC technologies.

The realist approach taken, and evaluation framework used, can be adopted (and adapted) for future evaluative research. Domain specific reference models, categorizing people and technology, supported analysis across multiple contexts.

This study responds to a call for more theory-based research in the field of educational technology. The authors demonstrate that a theory-driven approach provides real and practical recommendations for institutions and allows for greater insight into the political, economic and social complexity of technology implementation.

The use of email by employees at the Danwood Group was studied and it was found that the interrupt effect from emails is more than generally believed. Employees allowed themselves to be interrupted almost as frequently as telephone calls and the common reaction to the arrival of an email is to react almost as quickly as they would respond to telephone calls. This means the interrupt effect is comparable with that of a telephone call. The recovery time from an email interruption was found to be significantly less than the published recovery time for telephone calls. It is to be concluded, therefore, that while Email is still less disruptive than the telephone, the way the majority of users handle their incoming email has been shown to give far more interruption than expected. By analysing the data captured the authors have been able to create recommendations for a set of guidelines for email usage within the workplace that will increase employee efficiency by reducing the prominence of interruptions, restricting the use of email‐to‐all messages, setting‐up the email application to display three lines of the email and to check for email less frequently. It is recommended that training should be given to staff on how to use email more effectively to increase employee productivity.

The running cost of over 300 PCs has been studied at Rolls‐Royce and Associates. The company helpdesk system was employed to provide detail of the frequency and nature of the PC component failure and the time taken for the repairs. The cost of unreliability was then calculated as the cost of replacing each faulty component plus the cost of unavailability while waiting for the repair. It was found that for most PC components there is a higher probability of failure, leading to a higher cost of unreliability, in the early part of life. The conclusion is drawn that bulk purchase of PCs will lead to higher running costs in the initial period and for many organisations a rolling replacement policy would spread costs more evenly. The helpdesk was found to be an excellent source of information for improving the quality of maintenance procedures.

This paper seeks to focus on identifying the need for education to enhance awareness of the e‐mail phishing threat as the most effective way to reduce the risk of e‐mail phishing in one of the fastest growing economies in the world, the State of Qatar.

A survey comprising a questionnaire and interviews was used to investigate the awareness of phishing among Qatari citizens, their susceptibility to phishing and their views on the best method of defence against this attack, and this was compared to other developed nations, the UK in particular.

The paper concludes that phishing is becoming common and very successful because of people's susceptibility to such attack, largely due to insufficient awareness of the threat. Comparing Qatar with the UK, there were significant differences between responses in each country in most questionnaire variables, especially those identifying the vulnerability to phishing which was found to be very high in Qatar.

The paper shows that there is a particular need for education on phishing in this fast developing country.

There is a growing threat in the use of phishing by hackers and some businesses to obtain information on individual users on the internet through e‐mail or the web. In some cases this has led to identity thefts and related illogical operations online both within and across countries. This paper has compared level of awareness of phishing in two countries and has the potential to shed light on attitudes and present status of e‐mail phishing with a view to developing ways of dealing with it and improving cyber security and international operations.

The paper adopts an innovative approach to study e‐mail phishing and compares results from two diverse countries. New ideas are advanced from the findings which are useful for understanding some operations in cyber space.

The aim of this paper is to present a holistic approach to training, that clearly demonstrates cost savings with improved effectiveness and efficiencies that are aligned to business objectives.

Extending Kirkpatrick's evaluation framework with Phillips's return‐on‐investment (ROI) concepts, the paper conveys a number of successes; including trainee satisfaction and the capturing of improved knowledge and skills.

The paper includes case studies of how, and to what extent this knowledge has been applied with examples of resulting efficiency savings. The paper shows that there is growing agreement that one of the primary drivers, if not the key driver of long‐term organisational effectiveness, is the ability of an organisation to learn effectively. The methodology requires some additional assessment and course preparation to establish a basis from which to demonstrate learning effectiveness. The financial benefits of the applied learning are far greater than the additional preparatory costs.

Learning organisations that anticipate, react to change and learn, are likely to maintain a competitive advantage. These organisations are constantly looking for more effective and efficient ways of training. Paradoxically, other organisations will often slash training budgets in times of hardship, as training departments are unable to demonstrate the effectiveness of their programmes.

The paper presents a practical example of how training should be applied to truly demonstrate its value in the workplace

To investigate and understand the reasons why internal auditing is often perceived to not add value. This paper describes the development of a new process model and approach that will improve the actual and perceived value of auditing.

Process analysis, identified areas of potential inefficiency and conflict. The literature review identified the standards and guidance that influence the way internal auditing is managed and its current trends. A questionnaire was sent to auditors and auditees at AWE Plc., to gain their views on audit effectiveness and quantify their perception of value.

Questionnaire results show variations in the perceived value of internal auditing, particularly of some key stages in the process. The management of internal auditing is too focused on programme achievement, not the resulting value from improvement action.

The new process model has yet to be tried in practice, and this identifies an area of future research. It is envisaged that some additional audit preparation would be required, and the time taken to conduct an audit may also increase slightly. The financial benefits quoted by applying the new model would be estimated and may require some justification.

The new model should improve audit effectiveness and its perceived value as the focus changes from simply undertaking an audit, to demonstrating its actual financial value. It has the potential to significantly influence the way both internal and external auditing is conducted in the future.

The improved process model and cost‐benefit audit methodology approach was found to be unique within the scope of the literature review.

The guest‐editors of the first Special Issue on E‐Collaboration provide an introduction to the issue. E‐collaboration is broadly defined as collaboration among individuals engaged in a common task using electronic technologies. A brief history of the evolution of e‐collaboration technologies is offered along with a discussion of research in the area. The paper concludes with a brief review of the contributions to the Special Issue and a look at one important future challenge for e‐collaboration researchers, the challenge of theoretical summarization.

A few years ago, in an effort to promote co‐operation between the two professional associations of librarians in Ireland, a Liaison Committee, consisting of members nominated by the Council of the Library Association of Ireland and members nominated by the Committee of the Northern Ireland Branch of the Library Association was formed. The first fruit of its endeavours was found in the establishment of an Annual Joint‐Conference of the two bodies, the first one being held at Portrush, in Northern Ireland in 1963.

A FEW years ago, in an effort to promote co‐operation between the two professional associations of librarians in Ireland, a Liaison Committee, consisting of members nominated by the Council of the Library Association of Ireland and members nominated by the Committee of the Northern Ireland Branch of the Library Association was formed. The first fruit of its endeavours was found in the establishment of an Annual Joint‐Conference of the two bodies, the first one being held at Portrush, in Northern Ireland in 1963.

The events sector is an innovative and dynamic working environment that requires a creative and diverse workforce to help it thrive. However, in the main, the events workforce is not diverse, with evidence suggesting that most leaders continue to be White and male. There has been no previous research exploring the experiences of ethnically diverse professionals in this environment. This paper aims to draw on the theory of racialised organisations to begin to address this gap and amplify the voices of ethnically diverse events professionals.

Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 ethnically diverse event managers working in the UK events industry.

Covert and overt forms of racism and discrimination remain ubiquitous within the culture of event organisations, and in a number of guises, ranging from regular racialised microaggressions to more subtle forms of exclusion. The events industry needs to do more than pay lip service to neoliberal notions of diversity and acknowledge the ways in which racial relations of power shape the industry and the experiences of individuals within it, and design interventions to address these issues.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to apply the theory of racialised organisations to the events industry, recognising the centrality of race and racism to events organisations and careers. In so doing, it offers essential insight into race and ethnicity in this sector and contributes to ongoing efforts to integrate race and racism within theorising in management and organisation studies.