Jane C. Linder, Martin I. Cole and Alvin L. Jacobson
Outsourcing is rapidly evolving beyond the simple reengineering of support processes. For many companies, outsourcing partnerships are being used to achieve rapid, sustainable…
Abstract
Outsourcing is rapidly evolving beyond the simple reengineering of support processes. For many companies, outsourcing partnerships are being used to achieve rapid, sustainable improvement in enterprise‐level performance. More specifically, in addition to the baseline value of reducing costs and offloading unimportant activities, partnership with an outsourcing vendor can be used to gain access to competitive skills, improve service levels, and increase the company’s ability to respond to changing business needs. To classify an outsourcing program as truly “business transformation”, it must change the way the client company works by using outsourcing to achieve a rapid, sustainable radical improvement in performance – as measured by dramatic growth, market repositioning or rapid diversification. The resulting performance improvement can be measured in dramatic gains in share price, market position and return on capital. In short, it is a comprehensive approach that seeks to create new capabilities and then use them to achieve a clear strategic objective. Business transformation outsourcing achieves results by integrating five essential process components: top‐level leadership, bold strategic agenda, innovative financial structure, outsourcing to transform critical processes, and focus on enterprise outcomes.
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Despite a long‐time effort, at least since 1963, to enlarge the base of knowledge utilization in Educational Administration by drawing humanities content into preparation programs…
Abstract
Despite a long‐time effort, at least since 1963, to enlarge the base of knowledge utilization in Educational Administration by drawing humanities content into preparation programs for school administration, only modest progress has been made toward this end. A two‐fold explanation is offered. Most notably, it is argued, the practical value of the humanities in Educational Administration has not been projected persuasively in the discourse. The article herewith means to alter this condition and to generate a fresh momentum for blending humanities content with theoretical ideas which are central to school organization and administration.
Wilson Weixun Li, Alvin Chung Man Leung and Wei T. Yue
The anonymity of the Internet supports an increasing number of deviant behaviors such as secret affairs. This paper aims to investigate whether religiosity has a negative…
Abstract
Purpose
The anonymity of the Internet supports an increasing number of deviant behaviors such as secret affairs. This paper aims to investigate whether religiosity has a negative relationship with the incidence of secret affairs in cyberspace and how it moderates the substitution effect between the use of online and off-line channels for such deviant behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors constructed a cross-sectional county-level dataset containing data on US religious adherents' ratios and actual expenditures on a social website related to extramarital affairs. The data were analyzed by ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares regression models.
Findings
In general, religiosity has a negative relationship with secret affairs in cyberspace. It also moderates the relationship between using online (secret affairs websites) and off-line (entertainment facilities) channels for extramarital affairs. The deterrent effect of religiosity is weakened in religious communities with diversified religious teachings/structures and stricter requirements.
Originality/value
This work enriches the understanding of the role of religiosity in online deviant behaviors and provides essential insights for policymakers (e.g. in relation to spillover effects of social norms in cyberspace).
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Jakub Fázik and Jela Steinerová
The purpose of this paper is to inform on results of the study based on the dissertation project – the study of newcoming university students and their information literacy…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to inform on results of the study based on the dissertation project – the study of newcoming university students and their information literacy experience. It describes the three categories of information literacy experience as perceived by these students.
Design/methodology/approach
The document is based on a qualitative phenomenographic study of 40 first-year undergraduate students of teacher education programs from five faculties of Comenius University in Bratislava. Data were collected from each participant in two stages by three methods: written statements, drawings and interviews.
Findings
The phenomenographic analysis results in three categories of information literacy: (1) the conception of digital technologies, (2) the conception of knowledge and (3) the conception of truth. The outcome space presented by two alternative models points to a strong interrelation of all three categories. The resulting conceptions point to the diversity of the concept of information literacy in relation to other types of literacies, especially digital, reading and media literacy, as well as to intersections with other scientific disciplines such as psychology, cognitive science or philosophy.
Research limitations/implications
The most important limits of this qualitative research are the low numbers of participants and the high degree of subjectivity in data evaluation. For this reason, a verification study was carried out one-year later.
Originality/value
Although phenomenographic studies of information literacy in the educational context are quite common, the third category of this study brings a new contribution to the information literacy theory – the dimension of truth or truthfulness of information.
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While there is a huge literature devoted to information literacy (IL), much of which is devoted to course or content design and some sort of assessment. What is presented in this…
Abstract
Purpose
While there is a huge literature devoted to information literacy (IL), much of which is devoted to course or content design and some sort of assessment. What is presented in this paper is the proposition that the design of IL would benefit greatly by the infusion of the development of consciousness and conscious states. The understanding of consciousness and its place in the absorption of information, and ultimately, knowledge growth is presented.
Design/methodology/approach
Reviews of information literacy (brief) and consciousness (more extensive) are applied to the proposition that consciousness is an essential element of successful information literacy instruction. The reviews are of a critical nature.
Findings
Consciousness and its complexity are explicated to a considerable extent. While there are somewhat varied conceptions of consciousness, a relatively unified definition is suggested. The complexities of consciousness and its development render students more able to explicate the agreements and disagreements in the information landscape. In short, a developed consciousness among students makes for more critical approaches to difficult informational events. Then, the connections between IL and consciousness, which includes the awareness of informational states, conclude the paper.
Research limitations/implications
This paper offers a new mode for an inquiry into the content and structure of information literacy instruction.
Originality/value
The paper adds a heretofore unattended condition for success in information literacy for instructors and students.
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Carolyn Caffrey, Katie Perry, Tessa Withorn, Hannah Lee, Thomas Philo, Maggie Clarke, Jillian Eslami, Elizabeth Galoozis, Katie Paris Kohn, Dana Ospina, Kimberly Chesebro, Hallie Clawson and Laura Dowell
This paper aims to present recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy (IL). It provides an introductory overview and a selected annotated…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy (IL). It provides an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications organized thematically and detailing study populations, results and research contexts. The selected bibliography is useful to efficiently keep up with trends in library instruction for academic library practitioners, library science students and researchers wishing to learn about IL in other contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper annotates 374 English-language periodical articles, dissertations, theses and reports on library instruction and IL published in 2023. The sources were selected from the EBSCO platform for Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts (LISTA), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Elsevier SCOPUS and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Sources selected were published in 2023 and included the terms “information literacy,” “library instruction” or “information fluency” in the title, subject terms or author-supplied keywords. The sources were organized in Zotero. Annotations were made summarizing the source, focusing on the findings or implications. Each source was then thematically categorized and organized for academic librarians to be able to skim and use the annotated bibliography adeptly.
Findings
The paper provides a brief description of 374 sources from 159 unique publications and highlights publications that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions. Further analysis of the sources and authorship are provided such as country affiliation and institutional Carnegie classification.
Originality/value
The information is primarily of use to academic librarians, researchers and anyone interested as a convenient and comprehensive reference to literature on library instruction and IL published within 2023.