The principal criteria one needs to keep in mind when arranging laboratory power supplies are fairly obvious — but nevertheless worth stating. They can be expressed in brief as…
Abstract
The principal criteria one needs to keep in mind when arranging laboratory power supplies are fairly obvious — but nevertheless worth stating. They can be expressed in brief as: convenience in use, safety, flexibility, and economy.
IN their schemes of after‐the‐war library work those who prepare them would do well to confine themselves to a few cardinal principles. A London scheme that we have seen appears…
Abstract
IN their schemes of after‐the‐war library work those who prepare them would do well to confine themselves to a few cardinal principles. A London scheme that we have seen appears to concern itself with areas to be covered, actually picking out certain cross‐roads as centres to which traffic runs as suitable centres from which area activity might radiate. All this, as the scheme‐makers themselves rather suggest, seems to be premature and much of it, ingenious as it is, is extremely debatable local topography. We would not discourage such scheme‐making so long as its speculative character is recognized. Yet it might be better if the factors of an adequate library service were first determined. They may not be new; they may indeed be mere affirmations of approved good practice. These considerations, we are sure, have not been overlooked by those who plan, nor by Mr. McColvin in drafting his report on our needs.
ROGER FLANAGAN and LAURENCE MARSH
Information technology (IT) has been widely applied across many economic sectors in order to increase competitiveness and reduce costs. This paper identifies that uptake of IT…
Abstract
Information technology (IT) has been widely applied across many economic sectors in order to increase competitiveness and reduce costs. This paper identifies that uptake of IT within construction is low. It is argued that significant barriers preventing construction organizations from investing in IT include uncertainty concerning the identification and measurement of benefits associated with applications. In particular, it is argued that difficulties in quantifying benefits associated with improved information availability and decision making prevent effective IT cost/benefit analysis. Existing approaches to evaluating IT within construction are reviewed. A framework is presented which identifies metrics by which IT impacts both management and operational processes within construction in order to deliver value. An evaluation methodology tailored to one specific IT application, high‐density bar coding in maintenance management, is presented to illustrate the quantification of both the costs and benefits of applying IT.
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Rodney McAdam, Shirley‐Ann Hazlett and Joan Henderson
Increasing competitive pressure from global markets and technological developments has resulted in the continual demand for business improvement philosophies and methodologies in…
Abstract
Increasing competitive pressure from global markets and technological developments has resulted in the continual demand for business improvement philosophies and methodologies in operations management to address this challenge. The Six Sigma approach to business improvement has emerged in both the practitioner and academic literature as having a significant role in this area. There are many documented case studies of organizational applications of Six Sigma, where large‐scale improvements in defect and process measures have been attributed to this approach, mainly in the mass‐manufacturing sector. Moreover, there are claims, less well documented, that Six Sigma can be used as a change management approach at a strategic level and thus it can be applied to other sectors such as service industries. It is contended that there is a paucity of critical reviews of the Six Sigma literature, beyond that of descriptive accounts. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to critically review the literature of Six Sigma in relation to its effect on organizations and those that work in them. A broad theoretical perspective is used to guide the review process. The paper structure is based on the dichotomies within the Six Sigma literature, namely, what is Six Sigma — strategic change or operational methods; is Six Sigma a TQM appendage, or something new; will workers in a Six Sigma environment have more empowerment or be more controlled and is Six Sigma applicable to the service sector or only for that of the manufacturing sector?
Noreen Heraty and Michael J. Morley
Drawing upon survey data, we assess the current state of management development in Ireland and we identify policy, practice and structural contingencies that help to explain…
Abstract
Drawing upon survey data, we assess the current state of management development in Ireland and we identify policy, practice and structural contingencies that help to explain variations in the volume of management development activity undertaken at organizational level. The data show that the level of management development, as measured by the number of days per annum, has increased in recent years with 70 percent of managers in our sample now receiving between one and five days training per year. The mean number of days per annum in Ireland now stands at 4.5. With respect to those factors that appear to affect the level of management development activity, preliminary analysis points to the importance of policy and practice variables over structural ones. Materially, in the human resource domain, our data suggest that organizations with actual policies on personnel/human resource strategy and on management development have higher levels of management development activity and, given the recent tightening in the labor market, many were promulgating their use of developmental interventions as an aid to recruitment/retention. The existence of formal career plans and succession plans, the relative emphasis on the analysis of human resource development needs and the filling of senior and middle management posts via the internal labor market all emerged as predictors of higher levels of management development. Organizations using international experience schemes also ran a significantly higher number of days of management development interventions. In the structural characteristics domain, the data indicate that management development in indigenous companies is at similar levels to internationally owned enterprises in our sample. Here structural explanations such as total employment, sector and unionization did not emerge as being statistically significant.
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Peter W. Stonebraker and James E. Hazeltine
This study defines, examines, and measures the effectiveness of a corporate virtual learning program. Initially, distinctions between traditional and virtual learning and…
Abstract
This study defines, examines, and measures the effectiveness of a corporate virtual learning program. Initially, distinctions between traditional and virtual learning and university and corporate programs are defined. Then, based on the literature, an integrative model of the perceived effectiveness of a virtual learning environment is developed and examined. The demographics, perceptions, and success of participants in a practitioner certification instruction program sponsored by a Fortune 50 firm are found to be related to persistence and success in the program, as well as to the effectiveness of knowledge transfer. Conclusions and recommendations for further study are offered.
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An organizational development model is developed to measure the constructs of a learning organization. A descriptive study was conducted investigating the relationships of total…
Abstract
An organizational development model is developed to measure the constructs of a learning organization. A descriptive study was conducted investigating the relationships of total quality management, organizational culture and their impact upon a learning organization. The study investigated the attributes of a learning organization and its influence upon employee motivation. A total of 307 executives participated in the survey. The survey revealed that many executives had pursued professional development programs in TQM principles and/or in Senge’s organizational learning principles over the last four years. The executives completed a questionnaire measuring their perceptions involving the principles of a learning organization, TQM attributes, and their organizational culture. The results indicate a corporation implementing TQM principles in a supportive organizational culture has a positive and significant relationship with organizational learning compared to those executives not exposed to these constructs. Also, the findings revealed a positive and significant relationship between a learning organization and the motivational level of its business executives.
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Frederike Hennig, Jenny Sarah Wesche, Lisa Handke and Rudolf Kerschreiter
Mentoring supports children, adolescents and young adults on their career paths and presents an important extracurricular educational format. The COVID-19 pandemic created a…
Abstract
Purpose
Mentoring supports children, adolescents and young adults on their career paths and presents an important extracurricular educational format. The COVID-19 pandemic created a strong impetus for the deployment of virtual mentoring programs (VMPs), in which mentors and mentees communicate completely or predominantly through information and communication technologies (ICTs). Because it is unclear whether VMPs remain an attractive offer to mentors and mentees in post-pandemic times, this study aims to investigate the specific motivations of mentors and mentees to participate in VMPs and to draw conclusions about the effective design of VMPs.
Design/methodology/approach
In a qualitative study, the authors recruited 200 university students for an online survey, in which participants provided text responses regarding their motivations to participate in a youth or academic VMP as a mentor or mentee.
Findings
Potential mentors and mentees expect social components in VMPs. However, the results suggest that participants expect less psychosocial compared to career-related support from virtual mentoring, expect meaningful connections to be established only to a certain extent and do not expect role modeling from mentors. Furthermore, participants voiced mixed opinions about the virtual nature of mentoring programs, revealing a general field of tension (i.e. virtuality improves flexibility vs virtuality impairs relationship building). On this basis, design suggestions regarding VMPs are provided.
Originality/value
This study expands existing knowledge about VMPs by analyzing relevant factors when forming the intention to participate in a mentoring program, considering both youth and academic mentoring.
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A novel sexual adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA) based on Baldwin effect for global optimization is proposed to overcome the shortcomings of traditional GAs, such as premature…
Abstract
Purpose
A novel sexual adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA) based on Baldwin effect for global optimization is proposed to overcome the shortcomings of traditional GAs, such as premature convergence, stochastic roaming, and poor capabilities in local exploring. This paper seeks to discuss the issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed algorithm simulates sexual reproduction and adopts an effective gender determination method to divide the population into two subgroups of different genders. Based on the competition, cooperation, and innate differences between two gender subgroups, the proposed algorithm adjusts adaptively sexual genetic operators. Furthermore, inspired by the acquired reinforcement learning theory based on Baldwin effect, the proposed algorithm guides individuals to forward or reverse learning and enables the transmission of fitness information between parents and offspring to adapt individuals' acquired fitness.
Findings
Global convergence of the proposed algorithm is proved in detail. Numerical simulations are conducted for a set of benchmark functions with different dimensional decision variables. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with that of the other evolutionary algorithms published recently. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm can find optimal or closer‐to‐optimal solutions, and is more competitive than the compared algorithms.
Originality/value
The proposed algorithm introduces, integrates and simulates correctly and adequately, for the first time, the mechanisms of sexual reproduction, Baldwin effect and adaptation to GAs by referring to the latest research results of modern biology and evolution theory.
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Anastasia Mortimer, Temitope Egbelakin and Willy Sher
Policy is key for effective displacement governance in times of crises and in response and recovery. Therefore, this study assessed if Australian climate, disaster and emergency…
Abstract
Purpose
Policy is key for effective displacement governance in times of crises and in response and recovery. Therefore, this study assessed if Australian climate, disaster and emergency management policies provide effective mechanisms for governing displacement crises and areas where current approaches could be improved.
Design/methodology/approach
This study assessed 18 national and state-level disaster, emergency and climate change management frameworks to determine if best practice displacement governance themes were reflected in policy documents. Deductive thematic analysis was undertaken using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase method.
Findings
Issues of displacement are reflected in policies analysed in this study. However, current policy frameworks need to be equipped to comprehensively address the housing requirements of displaced people or provide long-term initiatives. Approaches are focused on crisis management rather than pre-emptively planning for displacement response and recovery. Therefore, Australia has not exercised national responsibility for displaced people appropriately.
Research limitations/implications
Disaster displacement is an under-researched area of Australian scholarship and disaster management policy and practice. Therefore, this paper has practical implications in so far as it draws attention to the issue of displacement in Australia. A limitation of this paper is that it only analysed policy frameworks specific to disasters. While broader engagement was outside the scope of this study, this limitation provides opportunities for further research from disciplinary perspectives of public housing and homelessness to examine displacement policy challenges in these fields. Furthermore, this study is limited to a theoretical inquiry into this topic through a desktop review of policy documents. While this is a necessary first step, empirical studies are required to determine accurate displacement rates, drivers and people’s experience of being displaced.
Practical implications
This research aims to inform policy by presenting recommendations for policy interventions for disaster displacement governance. Therefore, this research has practical implications as policy and disaster risk reduction (DRR) professionals can draw from the findings of this research when planning and initiating disaster response for displaced persons.
Social implications
This research draws attention to an area of disaster management practice and policy that has not been adequately accounted for. Highlighting gaps in current policy can assist in developing targeted strategies and solutions for internally displaced people, which protect their rights and meet their needs.
Originality/value
Displacement is a growing climate change issue. This research aims to help address this problem by drawing attention to areas where Australian disaster management approaches fail to account for displaced populations. Therefore, this research has practical implications for addressing future issues of disaster injustice that may arise if displacement continues, unacknowledged in disaster management.