This was a useful and informative introduction to the technology and its applications.
Any attempt to describe this conference cannot hope to do justice to the scope and content of the papers, some of which are being reproduced in Its News. The conference was opened…
Abstract
Any attempt to describe this conference cannot hope to do justice to the scope and content of the papers, some of which are being reproduced in Its News. The conference was opened by William Masterton from Middlesex Polytechnic who raised the debatable issue of the role of the librarian as educator. He felt we should provide ‘value‐added information’ and should not play a passive role.
Bob McKee, OCLC Principal Lecturer in the Department of Librarianship and Information Studies at Birmingham Polytechnic, got the conference off to a flying start with a lively…
Abstract
Bob McKee, OCLC Principal Lecturer in the Department of Librarianship and Information Studies at Birmingham Polytechnic, got the conference off to a flying start with a lively paper on ‘Systems astigmatism’. He warned of the dangers of ‘technofervour’ — where the technology itself becomes the predominant consideration rather than its appropriate application. He urged a re‐think of the term to describe library users, ‘user’ suggests someone without expectations, grateful for anything we can provide and ‘client’ suggests dependency, whereas ‘customer’ or ‘consumer’ suggests someone with rights to expect a good and professional service.
Roots of global Terrorism are in ‘failed’ states carved out of multiracial empires after World Wars I and II in name of ‘national self‐determination’. Both sides in the Cold War…
Abstract
Roots of global Terrorism are in ‘failed’ states carved out of multiracial empires after World Wars I and II in name of ‘national self‐determination’. Both sides in the Cold War competed to exploit the process of disintegration with armed and covert interventions. In effect, they were colluding at the expense of the ‘liberated’ peoples. The ‘Vietnam Trauma’ prevented effective action against the resulting terrorist buildup and blowback until 9/11. As those vultures come home to roost, the war broadens to en vision overdue but coercive reforms to the postwar system of nation states, first in the Middle East. Mirages of Vietnam blur the vision; can the sole Superpower finish the job before fiscal and/or imperial overstretch implode it?
Hugues Seraphin and Frederic Dosquet
The purpose of this study adopts a news media narrative approach to Yield insights on aspects of the COVID-19 impact.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study adopts a news media narrative approach to Yield insights on aspects of the COVID-19 impact.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a news media narrative approach as this method can yield insights on aspects of the COVID-19 impact.
Findings
In the post-COVID-19 lockdown context, second-home tourism and mountain tourism could play the role of placebo. The dual dimension of second-home tourism and mountain tourism reflect the Janus-faced character of the tourism industry. Beyond the fact that this study has highlighted the placebo role that both forms of tourism are probably going to play, it makes the connection between mountain tourism and second-home tourism; highlights the Janus-faced character of both forms of tourism; and highlights the mutation impacts of COVID-19 on tourism trends.
Originality/value
COVID-19 is the current concern, and this paper offers a timely perspective on a topic of significant interest.
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Adie Irwan Kusumah, Haryadi, Adi Indrayanto and Iwan Setiawan
This study aims to determine the relationship between transformational leadership, self-efficacy, gender, intrinsic motivation and employee performance in mediating and moderating…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to determine the relationship between transformational leadership, self-efficacy, gender, intrinsic motivation and employee performance in mediating and moderating roles.
Design/methodology/approach
Respondents in this study were 531 hotel employees (human resources development staff, financial, relationship) in Yogyakarta who were led by women. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses using AMOS 22.0.
Findings
The results show that transformational leadership has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, self-efficacy acts as a mediating variable on the relationship between transformational leadership and employee performance. The results also indicate that gender acts as a moderating variable by strengthening the relationship between transformational leadership and employee performance and intrinsic motivation acts as a moderating variable by strengthening the relationship between self-efficacy and employee performance.
Research limitations/implications
This study has two limitations. First, the research results cannot conclude the company in general because the sampling of this study is limited to the hotel business which is led by women only. Future research is needed to explore more deeply to compare the performance of employees in companies led by women and those led by men. Second, this study uses only one independent variable. Future research needs to be done to explore the effect of other variables on company performance, such as work culture, work environment and job satisfaction.
Practical implications
The main managerial contribution of this study is directed to companies that are interested in developing employee performance. First, self-efficacy is able to mediate transformational leadership in achieving employee performance. Besides this research offers a clear strategy for companies to stimulate their employees to strengthen leadership individually so as to improve the quality of their work. Thus, companies can carry out leadership training that is focused on being able to recognize employees who have low self-efficacy. If this is done, the company can reduce expenses that are not small but can make a significant contribution.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the mediating and moderating role of transformational leadership, employee performance, self-efficacy, gender and intrinsic motivation, especially in a hotel business led by women in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
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The study aims to understand digital transformation as a socially constructed process with multiple stakeholders, influenced by internal and external forces. This perspective…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to understand digital transformation as a socially constructed process with multiple stakeholders, influenced by internal and external forces. This perspective stresses the importance of context, human interaction and narratives in the digital transformation within public sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The author uses a case study at a Swedish university undergoing digital transformation. Through first and secondary data, the author thematically analyzes the interaction between change agents, organizational realities and the digital transformation process.
Findings
The study finds that conflicts in pace and scope in the digital transformation drive self-defense mechanisms and the formation of a feedback loop of pending action. Contrary to previous studies, technological and external forces do not make digital transformation inevitable.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations stem from the empirical selection of a Swedish university, affecting the international and intersectoral transferability of the study. The impact of digital transformation differs from previous IT changes, which has implications for the design of the digital transformation process.
Practical implications
Stakeholders should, instead of considering structural and cultural barriers as facts, pay attention to the narratives within the organization as potential excuses to avoid action.
Originality/value
This research contributes to original insights into digital transformation. It uncovers how change agents, despite longing for change, can inadvertently foster inaction in digital transformation. This finding enriches the literature by highlighting the complex dynamics between the desire for change and the social constructs that contribute to stagnation, offering an understanding of barriers to digital transformation.
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Filipa Perdigão Ribeiro and Kate Torkington
This study aims to explore the ways in which Portuguese online news reports and opinion studies have framed the discussion about overtourism in Lisbon and its impacts on the city…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the ways in which Portuguese online news reports and opinion studies have framed the discussion about overtourism in Lisbon and its impacts on the city and its inhabitants.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on critical discourse analysis applied to media texts, this paper discusses the discursive representations of overtourism by focusing on how an emerging new discourse which constructs tourism as problematic began to challenge the established discourse – in which tourism is perceived as beneficial.
Findings
As a consequence, and to maintain the status quo, many media texts deploy strong legitimating strategies focusing on the benefits of tourism growth. These are juxtaposed with de-legitimating strategies which serve to deny problems of overtourism. Findings highlight the role the media play in shaping tourism discursively and uncover the complexities of discourses on the effects of (over)tourism and the ways in which they are constructed, disseminated and discussed.
Social implications
This research is particularly relevant when newspaper opinion articles from 2021 voice the Portuguese Government’s concern in bringing back to Portugal the pre-pandemic tourist numbers as soon as possible.
Originality/value
This study attempts to reveal the conflicting interests and imbalances of power among different tourism stakeholders by taking a qualitative, critical approach to the analysis of media discourse as a social practice within the broader socio-political context. This study argues that from an analytical-methodological perspective, media discourse is an optimum research site to critically explore how conflicting interests are positioned in the mass media and how this shapes public opinion.
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Roger Clarke, Robert M. Davison and Wanying Jia
The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of “researcher perspective” in articles published in the AIS Basket of 8 journals.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of “researcher perspective” in articles published in the AIS Basket of 8 journals.
Design/methodology/approach
Purposive sampling: descriptive analysis of 659 articles published in three complete years of each of the eight leading journals (2001, 2008, 2015).
Findings
When observing phenomena, IS researchers mostly adopt the perspective of one of the stakeholders in the activities, commonly that of the sponsor of the information system that is in focus. 96% of relevant articles adopted a single-perspective approach, and 93% of those were oriented towards the system sponsor.
Research limitations/implications
The discipline has not been exploiting opportunities to deliver greater value firstly through the adoption of perspectives other than that of the system sponsor, and secondly through dual- and multi-perspective research. Further, the ignoring of the viewpoints of other stakeholders is inconsistent with the requirements of the recently-adopted AIS Code of Ethics.
Practical implications
The dominance of single-perspective/system-sponsor-viewpoint research greatly constrains the benefits that IS research can deliver to IS practitioners and to the world at large.
Originality/value
The authors are not aware of any prior investigation into the nature of researcher perspective. We contend that an appreciation of the current bias is essential if IS research is to adapt, and thereby make far more useful contributions to practice.