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Article
Publication date: 1 December 2001

Diana Ramirez and Suzanne D. Gyeszly

Texas A&M University (TAMU) Libraries is a member of two consortiums that include academic and public libraries. Both consortiums purchased access to netLibrary e‐books for their…

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Abstract

Texas A&M University (TAMU) Libraries is a member of two consortiums that include academic and public libraries. Both consortiums purchased access to netLibrary e‐books for their members. Approximately 92 libraries within the Amigos Library Services consortium jointly purchased roughly 10,000 e‐books. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), which oversees a consortium of approximately 700 state‐supported libraries, purchased roughly 9,000 e‐books. TAMU purchased an additional 193 e‐books for its own collection. The purpose of this project was to explore the use of netLibrary as an electronic collection development tool. The Library Extranet, netLibrary’s data‐gathering software, provided information necessary to compare usage based on subject categories. Data was cumulated for a total of 270 days comparing TAMU’s usage to that of the combined consortiums. Final analysis and results are provided. Collection development librarians will use these results to fine‐tune the future growth of TAMU and consortium collections.

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Collection Building, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0160-4953

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Article
Publication date: 22 August 2023

Art T. Weinstein, Christopher Alegria, Daniela Araujo, Diana Ramirez Carvallo, Luz Helena Cubides and Annmarie Salinas

Chewy, Inc. is a direct-to-consumer seller of pet food and supplies. Their approach involves a deep understanding of pet owners’ needs and behaviors to provide personalized…

495

Abstract

Purpose

Chewy, Inc. is a direct-to-consumer seller of pet food and supplies. Their approach involves a deep understanding of pet owners’ needs and behaviors to provide personalized product recommendations and exceptional customer service. This case study aims to describe Chewy’s growth strategies and how the company can remain a market leader.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the customer value assessment tool, the authors examine Chewy’s value proposition, including service, quality, image and price strategies.

Findings

Chewy has built a loyal customer base that values the company’s commitment to their pets’ health and well-being. Future opportunities include focusing on pet wellness products and services, collaborating with veterinary providers in telemedicine and international expansion.

Research limitations/implications

This work is largely conceptual and presents a descriptive case study which reviews Chewy’s marketing strategy based on industry research as well as a customer value assessment via the service-quality-image-price framework.

Practical implications

Corporate leaders must adapt to market change and create business strategies to deliver superior value for customers. This requires innovative products, services and processes. The strategic insights are applicable to retailers, service and technology firms and entrepreneurial companies seeking to scale their businesses.

Originality/value

Chewy’s highly competitive market includes Amazon, e-commerce pet supply companies and big-box pet stores. But it has dominated the online sector and has substantial growth prospects. This paper concludes with recommendations for management and questions for consideration.

Details

Journal of Business Strategy, vol. 45 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0275-6668

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Article
Publication date: 29 May 2023

Diana L. Ramírez-Gutiérrez, Enrique Cuan-Urquizo and Rita Q. Fuentes-Aguilar

Demanding applications could benefit from the mathematical parametrization of lattice structures as this could lead not only to the characterization of structure–property relation…

190

Abstract

Purpose

Demanding applications could benefit from the mathematical parametrization of lattice structures as this could lead not only to the characterization of structure–property relation but also facilitates the tailoring of the effective mechanical properties. This paper aims to characterize the mechanical performance of sine-based lattices. The characterization includes the results of in-plane Poisson’s ratio plates models, and the stiffness of additively manufactured lattice plates when loaded in the out-of-plane direction, with the objective of obtaining a relation with their geometrical parameters.

Design/methodology/approach

The geometrical parameter–Poisson’s ratio relationship was characterized via finite element (FE) simulations. The stiffness was also measured on additively manufactured polylactic acid lattice plates and contrasted with FE computations.

Findings

The characterization of auxetic lattice plates performed using in-plane and out-of-plane loading leads to key properties when deciding the geometry specific for applications: relative density, auxetic behavior and stiffness. Approximately 26% reduction of stiffness was observed between the square lattice and sine-based lattices of the same volume fraction.

Originality/value

Auxetic metamaterials are potential candidates for applications in biomedical engineering, smart sensors, sports and soft robotics. This paper aims to contribute to the existing gap in the study of auxetic metamaterials subjected to complex loading conditions, other than simple tension and compression, required for the mentioned applications.

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Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 29 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 1997

Candace R. Benefiel, Jeannie P. Miller and Diana Ramirez

“What basic competencies—body of knowledge, skills, and tools—are needed to work at a centralized reference desk in an academic library?” asked reference staff of Texas A&M…

735

Abstract

“What basic competencies—body of knowledge, skills, and tools—are needed to work at a centralized reference desk in an academic library?” asked reference staff of Texas A&M University’s Sterling C. Evans Library. Their goal was to identify skills and areas of knowledge with which a reference staff member should be familiar in such areas as reference desk procedures, electronic resources, and the three major subject groups of humanities, sciences, and social sciences. This article presents an overview and discussion of the concept of subject baseline competencies, approaches to organizations of subject‐related baseline competencies, and the documents resulting from discussions with senior subject specialists in those three groups to develop subject lists for baseline competencies as training tools for new librarians and staff.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

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Article
Publication date: 23 January 2007

Michael Levine‐Clark

To identify levels of awareness and patterns of usage of electronic books by scholars in the humanities.

2980

Abstract

Purpose

To identify levels of awareness and patterns of usage of electronic books by scholars in the humanities.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of the University of Denver community assessed knowledge about and usage of electronic books. The results for humanists are presented here.

Findings

Scholars in the humanities have a higher level of awareness of e‐books than their colleagues across campus but use e‐books at the same rate. Their patterns of use are different, with humanists using less of the e‐book than do other groups. Humanists still prefer printed books to electronic texts at a higher rate than do other groups and care less about added features, such as searchability, than they do about content.

Originality/value

Humanists conduct research differently than do most other scholars, using the library catalog and browsing as primary means of finding information, and valuing the book more than other resources. No previous research has assessed whether humanists have similarly unique patterns of usage for electronic books.

Details

Collection Building, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0160-4953

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Article
Publication date: 29 October 2024

Raúl Trujillo-Cabezas

The study explores the connection between foresight and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods in a community within an environment of social instability in Colombia. It aims to…

52

Abstract

Purpose

The study explores the connection between foresight and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods in a community within an environment of social instability in Colombia. It aims to contribute to research on aligning these methods for future-shaping, with the goal of enhancing shared governance, peer learning and collective learning among traditional decision-makers and local communities in emerging countries. The study seeks to foster a community of social actors who are likely to engage constructively in strategic dialogues. To enhancing shared governance and learning a hybrid model is synthesized, combining foresight and computational intelligence.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study explores the integration of computational intelligence and foresight through Gaston Bachelard's (Bachelard, 1936) phenomenology concept of ante-perception. The mathematical representation of the cone of scenarios provides a structured way to explore multiple future pathways, allowing communities to visualize and compare different trajectories and make informed decisions amid uncertainty. The model facilitates critical reflections on present assumptions, deepening insights into future scenarios. Ante-perception challenges traditional approaches to foresight by encouraging a break from established experiences, allowing for novel insights into possible futures. When enriched by computational intelligence, this reflective process is further strengthened by quantitative approach scenario modeling.

Findings

This research develops and tests a proposal that includes the logic and methods for constructing a mathematical representation of the cone of scenarios. This process, which is interactive and deliberative, is driven by anticipation and combines qualitative and quantitative approaches within a context of high uncertainty. By combining the critical reflection facilitated by ante-perception with the predictive power of computational intelligence, the model allows communities to transcend established thought patterns and explore innovative future possibilities. This integrative approach helps them envision and work toward social self-transformation.

Research limitations/implications

The article aims to identify the creation of scenarios in contexts of high uncertainty, to respond to the needs of communities in emerging countries to manage change.

Practical implications

This article explores a novel approach to using foresight for address collective intelligence by developing a shared future vision in high-uncertainty contexts within local communities in emerging countries. The application of the hybrid model demonstrates that foresight is a key innovative social tool for developing long-term strategic reflection and planning for territories.

Social implications

In developing long-term reflective processes, explaining phenomena, mechanisms and correlations requires the use of value judgments. This set of value judgments requires a representation that facilitates their treatment, helps to account for their behavior during the inference process to form a shared future vision. Consequently, ensuring the recognition of the opinions of local communities through participatory discussion spaces and their subsequent refinement, from a technical perspective, aims to illustrate the development of this social construction process. While similarities exist, differences add value through a transfer process, often subconscious. This process stimulates collective learning and builds capacities as knowledge is developed through inquiry, evaluation, interpretation and generalization.

Originality/value

This research provides a unique hybrid model that fosters collective learning and engagement by integrating local community perspectives with advanced computational intelligence methods. By facilitating both reflective and quantitative approach future-shaping, it offers a practical framework for addressing uncertainty while empowering communities to shape their own futures. It underscores the importance of recognizing local community views through bottom-up participatory discussions, thereby widening the stakeholder community to active engagement in addressing broader societal issues. The case study focuses on community collaboration in Puerto Gaitán, a Colombian municipality.

Details

foresight, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-6689

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 December 2022

Giuseppe Nicolò, Diana Ferullo, Natalia Aversano and Nadia Ardito

The present study aims to extend the knowledge of intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) disclosure practices in the Italian Healthcare Organisations (HCOs) context. The ultimate…

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Abstract

Purpose

The present study aims to extend the knowledge of intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) disclosure practices in the Italian Healthcare Organisations (HCOs) context. The ultimate goal of the study is to provide fresh insight into the possible explanatory factors that may drive the extent of ICD provided by Italian HCOs via the web.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study applies a manual content analysis on the websites of a sample of 158 HCOs to determine the level of voluntary ICD. A multivariate regression model is estimated to test the association between different variables – size, gender diversity in top governance positions, financial performance and indebtedness – and the level of ICD provided by sampled HCOs through their official websites.

Findings

Content analysis results reveal that – in the absence of mandatory requirements – Italian HCOs tend to use websites to disclose information about IC. Particular attention is devoted to Structural and Relational Capital. The statistical analysis pinpoints that size and indebtedness negatively influence the level of ICD. In contrast, the presence of a female General Manager (GM) positively drives ICD. Also, it is observed that Research and University HCOs and those located in the Italian Northern Regions are particularly prone to discharge accountability on IC through websites.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examines voluntary ICD practices through websites in the Italian HCOs' context. Also, since prior studies on IC in the healthcare context are mainly descriptive or normative, this is the first study examining the potential determinants of ICD provided by HCOs in terms of size, gender diversity in top governance positions, financial performance and indebtedness.

Details

International Journal of Public Sector Management, vol. 36 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3558

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Article
Publication date: 2 December 2022

Jairo Salas-Paramo, Diana Escandon-Barbosa and Agustin Ramirez-Urraya

A large part of the most recent studies in innovation focuses on the need to investigate the cultural differences between countries. Many of the approaches used focus on Hofstede…

303

Abstract

Purpose

A large part of the most recent studies in innovation focuses on the need to investigate the cultural differences between countries. Many of the approaches used focus on Hofstede as the most recognized perspective in international business. The Hofstede perspective requires a deeper analysis of the most profound components in the countries, such as values and beliefs. The purpose of this study is identify the drivers in creating innovation trajectories over time, focusing on different values that influence the innovation processes. These trajectories allow investigating the comparability in the innovation performance of the countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Time-series analysis is performed to achieve the research’s goal, considering the innovation inputs and people’s values and influence on innovation output. The Global Innovation Index and the World Value Survey (WVS), which comprise data from countries on different continents, were used in this investigation. The trajectories analysis technique examines differences in innovation trajectory among countries with cultural orientations toward traditional, secular, survival and self-expression values.

Findings

In the literature, it can be found that in more socially open societies, the results in innovation are higher than in societies with opposite values, as is the case of traditional vs secular rationale. On the other hand, societies with a tendency toward self-expression will be characterized by a constant search for individual liberties that promote the search for scientific and technological alternatives for problem-solving, contrary to those with survival characteristics.

Research limitations/implications

Considering the results obtained in the study about the values and their relationship with innovation at the country level, the main limitation is the WVS information. This limitation is based on the need to complement the information obtained with other sources of information that allow comparisons to be made from the different cultural approaches that exist.

Practical implications

The findings allow us to contemplate a more general vision of the cultural factors that affect the social dynamics and, therefore, the industrial and commercial dynamics of a country. The managers can use this type of results in the design of strategies that allow them to contemplate adaptation processes that are more appropriate to the cultural contexts in which they operate are worked on in this research.

Social implications

One of the main contributions is related to the possibility of understanding the relationship between the cultural dynamics of a country and the results in innovation, especially in the time.

Originality/value

The trajectory analysis, specifically Inglehard’s perspective concerning cultural dimensions and innovation, has not been used in the literature. This type of analysis will make it possible to have studies that allow subsequent comparisons to be made with other perspectives, especially at the country level.

Details

International Journal of Innovation Science, vol. 15 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-2223

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Article
Publication date: 6 August 2019

Álvaro Hernán Galvis, Angélica Avalo, Alexandra Ramírez, Diana Carolina Cortés and Helmman Cantor

The REDINGE2 – Reengineering Engineering Teaching, version 2 – project seeks to transform engineering education practices at the University of los Andes (UNIANDES) by using…

334

Abstract

Purpose

The REDINGE2 – Reengineering Engineering Teaching, version 2 – project seeks to transform engineering education practices at the University of los Andes (UNIANDES) by using technology-based active learning strategies in courses from different disciplines that are to be reformed using a Big-ideas approach. Studies from this two-year project (2017-2018) seek to solve three main questions: What changes in engineering teaching conceptions, methods, tools and practices could be generated by reengineering courses using a Big-ideas approach? What changes in key conditions of learning environments have the students perceived in courses that use a Big-ideas approach? What lessons can be derived from the initial studies of REDINGE2’s pilot experiences?

Design/methodology/approach

The REDINGE2 project was conceived as a technology-based educational transformation initiative. It is the Faculty of Engineering at UNIANDES’ explicit intention to move engineering teaching from being content-focused to being big-ideas focused. It also wants to migrate from teacher-centered teaching strategies to student- and group-centered approaches. Additionally, this project intends to enrich engineering education ecologies with digital resources by integrating experiential, flexible and collaborative digital learning environments with traditional classroom/workshop/library/home/work learning settings. To promote this organic change, the project implemented a facilitation-from-the side strategy, which redesigned 14 engineering courses: each was given a two-year grant from the Office of the Dean of Engineering to rethink teaching practices and redesign the course. A cybernetic evaluation system was embedded in the life cycle of the transformation process that could support decision-making through each of the project’s stages (Stufflebeam, 1971). Questions of interest in this study are provided with information using triangulation of data at different times during each course’s redesign process.

Findings

After a year and half of the two-year REDINGE2 project (2017-2018), it is possible to say the following three research questions are fully solved. Concerning Question #1: What changes in engineering teaching conceptions, methods, tools and practices contribute to reengineering courses when using a Big-ideas approach? Participating teaching staff have demonstrated changes in their teaching conceptions, methods and resources, which can be attributed to their exposure to active-learning strategies supported by digital technologies. In fact, each one has redesigned and pilot tested at least one restructured learning unit for one of their courses according to the proposed Big-ideas approach; in addition, most admit to already having adjusted their teaching practices by changing their mindset regarding learning and how to promote it. Concerning Question #2: What changes in key conditions of learning environments have the students perceived in courses that have been redesigned using a Big-ideas approach? Data collected from students and participating staff members, both before the redesign and throughout this process, have provided teachers and students with feedback concerning perceived changes in learning environments. This has had positive results and provided opportunities for improvement. Concerning Question #3: What lessons can be derived from REDINGE2’s pilot experiences? Lessons from this project are multi-dimensional and there are organizational, pedagogic, technological and cultural considerations. A decalogue of critical success factors was established, which considered the things that must go right to successfully accomplish proposed educational transformations.

Research limitations/implications

This study is a good case of educational transformations in engineering teaching. No generalizations should be made, but it shows that similar processes of planned change can be made in tertiary science, math, engineering and technology (SMET) education.

Practical implications

The lessons learned from this experience are very valuable for higher education decision-makers who want to innovate by using learning ecologies in their institutions. In addition, theoretical considerations that illuminate the innovation process become very useful to help provide a foundation to similar interventions.

Originality/value

A non-conventional approach to integrate digital technologies in higher education teaching is the most significant contribution this experience has made. Its focus has been to transform educational practices with pedagogically sound uses of digital technologies instead of just integrating technologies in current SMET teaching practices. Facilitation-from-the-side and embedded cybernetic evaluation through the transformation process are key ideas that add value to organic change processes.

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Article
Publication date: 9 May 2016

Elena-Mădălina Vătămănescu, Andreia Gabriela Andrei, Diana-Luiza Dumitriu and Cristina Leovaridis

The paper aims to investigate the standpoints and practices of university members from European developing countries regarding the harnessing of the intellectual capital (IC…

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to investigate the standpoints and practices of university members from European developing countries regarding the harnessing of the intellectual capital (IC) within online academic social networks.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire-based survey with 210 university members was conducted, with the indicators adopting prior measurement scales which were further adapted to a network framework.

Findings

The organizational policies and practices relate positively and highly significantly with the valuation of the network-based IC components. Moreover, 63 per cent of the professional and organizational competitiveness of higher education institutions is determined by the exploitation of the IC embedded in online academic networks.

Research limitations/implications

All survey respondents were from the European developing countries, which may limit the general applicability of the findings. Also, the emphasis is laid solely on online academic networks.

Practical implications

This paper brings to the fore both the potential and the state-of-the-art in leveraging the IC of online specialized networks which are indicative of the academic field. When acknowledged as such, the network-based IC is liable to generate substantial competitive advantages at the professional and organizational levels at the same time.

Originality/value

This research adds to the extant literature in two main ways. First, it advances a new construct – network-based IC – in the context of the online academic social networks. Second, it proposes a research model for addressing the network-based IC from a competitive advantage perspective.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

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