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1 – 9 of 9C.Y. Cyrus Chu and Po-Ching Lee
This paper aims to highlight in particular one commercially influential but subtle constituent of China’s mercantilist stratagem – asymmetrical internet access. The wider aim of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to highlight in particular one commercially influential but subtle constituent of China’s mercantilist stratagem – asymmetrical internet access. The wider aim of the paper is to provide a solid basis of real-world facts and knowledge to the e-commerce discussions at the World Trade Organization and the ongoing plurilateral e-commerce negotiations.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses an empirical approach to reflect the general experiences of consumers connecting from China to e-commerce platform websites in other countries and vice versa consumers connecting from other countries to China’s e-commerce platform.
Findings
The empirical data show that Chinese potential customers trying to connect to the websites of foreign internet retailers in 17 other sample countries are faced with prohibitively long waiting times. In contrast, the average waiting time that it takes for customers in those other 17 countries to link up to China’s major internet retail platforms is much shorter.
Practical implications
The hard evidence presented here serves to strengthen the arguments that such internet censorship is used by China to establish unfair e-commerce advantage. This paper further argues that the General Agreement on Trade in Services is restrained from providing systemic solutions to the digital mercantilism problem. It is essential, therefore, that the ongoing plurilateral e-commerce negotiations address this issue.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to publish detailed results of a systematic survey designed to analyze the impact of asymmetrical internet access in China. It is also the first to examine the extent and effect of differing internet connection speeds in the context of international trade. The outcome of the survey provides a factual base for future rule-making at the multilateral level.
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In recent years, Asian countries have experienced rising rates of premarital cohabitation, mirroring a similar trend that could be observed in many European countries several…
Abstract
In recent years, Asian countries have experienced rising rates of premarital cohabitation, mirroring a similar trend that could be observed in many European countries several decades ago. As international differences in these trends are often attributed to institutional and societal differences, this study explores how China’s and Germany’s welfare and cultural regimes relate to national differences in the timing and prevalence of premarital cohabitation and direct marriage.
On the basis of two post-hoc harmonized surveys (pairfam for Germany; CFPS for China), descriptive analyses and logistic regressions were conducted. A higher standardization of partnership trajectories during the transition to adulthood was observed in China; this being probably related to China’s collectivist and Germany’s individualistic culture. While urban–rural differences prevail in China, and are attributable to China’s hukou system, East and West Germans differ considerably in this regard, a finding which can be traced back to regional differences in historical legacy. Discrepancies in economic modernization explain why the likelihood of experiencing these events differs for individuals in the Eastern and Western Chinese provinces.
Besides these differences, the two national contexts resemble each other in the prevalence of educational hypergamy, as well as in greater rates of cohabitation prior to first marriage, in contrast to direct marriage, seen among wealthier individuals and those with higher education. For the first time, the effects of cultural and institutional differences on the transition to adulthood were compared between a collectivistic vs. individualistic cultural regime and a productivist vs. corporatist conservative welfare regime, enabling researchers to draw conclusions about the link between cultural and welfare regime types and partnership patterns.
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Anna Marie Johnson, Claudene Sproles and Robert Detmering
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
Introduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and audiovisual material examining library instruction and information literacy.
Findings
Provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
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Narges Eskandari and Esmatullah Noorzai
Commercial building facility systems are costly, and due to the complexity of operation and maintenance (O&M), some failures can cause irreversible expensive damage. Currently…
Abstract
Purpose
Commercial building facility systems are costly, and due to the complexity of operation and maintenance (O&M), some failures can cause irreversible expensive damage. Currently, few capabilities of building information modeling (BIM) have been used in the facility maintenance operation. The purpose of this paper is to use a tool for making it easier to predict preventable defects in commercial building facility systems by examining a complete BIM.
Design/methodology/approach
To this end, a list of frequent defects in the facility system was achieved by a review of commercial building literature. Then, by examining a complete BIM model, the available methods and tools for O&M facilities during the operation period are identified and analyzed.
Findings
The results of the paper show that the solution presented based on total productive maintenance (TPM) subsets can effectively prevent facility system defects during the operation and maintenance period. An expert team assesses the validation of results.
Originality/value
The findings can help facility managers to adopt measures using TPM methods to prevent defects through an integrated BIM platform. The examination is based on case studies, surveys, expert experience and a thorough literature review.
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HyunSeung Koh and Susan C. Herring
The purpose of this paper is to provide ebook designers and researchers with design insights by promoting historical knowledge about books and reading as sources of ideas to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide ebook designers and researchers with design insights by promoting historical knowledge about books and reading as sources of ideas to implement in current and future ebooks.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors review historical features of books and practices of reading that have been implemented, weakened, or lost over time, referring to historical texts and resources, and relate them to ebook viewers (software) and readers (hardware) that are currently on the market. In particular, the review focuses on the physical form of the book and the practices of reading, annotation, and bookshelving.
Findings
While some older forms and reading practices have been implemented in ebook devices, others have been forgotten over time, due in part to physical constraints that are no longer relevant. The authors suggest that features that constrained print books and print reading in the past might actually improve the design of ebooks and e-reading in the present.
Research limitations/implications
This review is necessarily based on a limited set of existing historical sources.
Practical implications
Translating insights into novel tangible designs is always a challenging task. Ebook designers can gain insights from this paper that can be applied in a variety of design contexts.
Originality/value
No previous work on ebook design has foregrounded historical aspects of books and reading as viable sources of ideas to implement in ebooks.
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Ademola Amida, Sameera Algarni and Robert Stupnisky
This study explored graduate students' academic success by testing a hypothesized model based on the self-determination theory (SDT), which posits that motivation, time management…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explored graduate students' academic success by testing a hypothesized model based on the self-determination theory (SDT), which posits that motivation, time management and career aspiration predicts perceived success.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative methodology was employed to garner data from a population of 324 graduate students, and then analyzed using structural equation modeling in R.
Findings
Intrinsic motivation was the strongest motivation type that predicted graduate students' perceived success. Time management was another important predictor of perceived success, while career aspiration did not impact students' perception of success. Doctoral students showed significantly higher relatedness when compared to master degree students. In addition, male students showed significantly higher career aspirations than females, while female students showed significantly higher time management than their male counterparts. The results of this study support the SDT as a framework to understand graduate students' academic success.
Originality/value
Implementing the research findings may increase graduate students' academic success. This study suggests direct ways of increasing graduate students' achievement through intrinsic motivation, time management and autonomy, as well as reducing amotivation (lack of motivation) to indirectly enhance academic success.
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Hyerim Cho and Stephanie Sisco
Education-based discrimination has not received sufficient attention within the field of human resource development (HRD), which can provide practical interventions to help solve…
Abstract
Purpose
Education-based discrimination has not received sufficient attention within the field of human resource development (HRD), which can provide practical interventions to help solve the hardships of high school graduate employees (HSGEs). This paper aims to bring this issue to the forefront by framing the current marginalization of South Korean HSGEs as an individual-level issue that has repercussions to early career development, and also as an organizational-level issue that has implications on workplace learning and development.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper used an integrative literature review method by analyzing studies that have focused on the challenges faced by HSGEs. The objective was to identify patterns of their experiences and call attention to strategies they utilize to cope with the marginality they face in the workforce. The Korea Citation Index (KCI), a database that manages Korean domestic journals, was used. In total, 187 articles were found, and 15 articles succinctly matched the research criteria.
Findings
HSGEs struggled with employment unreadiness and faced discrimination based on their academic background, young age and low-rank position within organizations. In turn, they were vulnerable to poor working conditions (e.g., high work intensity, long working hours, etc.). These challenges led HSGEs to pursue a college degree and/or engage in workplace learning.
Originality/value
The use of critical human resource development (CHRD) has typically been limited within a South Korean context. We deliberately applied a critical perspective to raise awareness about how contemporary forms of marginality have gone unchecked, specifically by interrogating the exclusion and disempowerment experienced by HSGEs.
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