Eithne Cotter and Emily McCarty
The Kurzweil Reading Machine, which uses a special camera and a computer to transform printed matter into synthetic speech, is described. The author explains the machine's…
Abstract
The Kurzweil Reading Machine, which uses a special camera and a computer to transform printed matter into synthetic speech, is described. The author explains the machine's mechanism and how it is operated. Several of the limitations of the machine are mentioned. Problems associated with the Kurzweil machine are far outweighed by the services it provides for the visually impaired.
Citations are presented to recent sources, both books and articles, dealing with the problems of providing library services to the disabled, especially to the visually impaired…
Abstract
Citations are presented to recent sources, both books and articles, dealing with the problems of providing library services to the disabled, especially to the visually impaired, and to sources which describe technological equipment in detail. Also suggested are ways to identify libraries which use the equipment, in order to obtain evaluative information.
Cortney Norris, Scott Taylor and D. Christopher Taylor
This research aimed to fill several gaps in the tipping literature which has overlooked the server's perspective in identifying and understanding variables that influence a tip…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aimed to fill several gaps in the tipping literature which has overlooked the server's perspective in identifying and understanding variables that influence a tip amount and therefore where they concentrate their efforts during the service encounter. Furthermore, the extant literature has theorized how or why certain variables influence the tip amount, but these studies fail to capture insight from server's which would supplement the theory and provide a more in-depth understanding of the mechanisms at play.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a grounded theory approach using semi-structured one-on-one interviews with tipped restaurant employees who were identified and selected using snowball sampling. Content analysis is employed to code and categorize the data.
Findings
The content analysis revealed five categories where servers focus their time and effort to earn tips: service quality, connection, personal factors, expertise and food quality. The server's personality was identified as a variable the tipping literature has largely ignored as a determinant of the tip amount. Server's shift their style of service for groups of eight or more people, and for regular customers, who must dine in the restaurant at least once per week. Lastly, despite the many drawbacks associated with working for tips, servers would not want to replace it with any other method of compensation.
Originality/value
This is the first qualitative study focused on understanding the server's role in the service exchange relationship since McCarty et al. (1990) study. The results provide new insights on the often-studied variables from the tipping literature.
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Matthew E. Brashears and Laura Aufderheide Brashears
Balance Theory has accumulated an impressive record of empirical confirmation at both the micro- and macro-levels. Yet, it is unclear why humans consistently prefer balanced…
Abstract
Purpose
Balance Theory has accumulated an impressive record of empirical confirmation at both the micro- and macro-levels. Yet, it is unclear why humans consistently prefer balanced relations when imbalance offers the opportunity to reap material rewards. We argue that balance is preferred because it functions as a “compression heuristic,” allowing networks to be more easily encoded in, and recalled from, memory.
Methodology/approach
We present the results of a novel randomized laboratory experiment using nearly 300 subjects. We evaluate the independent and joint effects of degree of balance/imbalance and presence/absence of kin compression heuristics on network recall.
Findings
We find that memory for relationship valence is more accurate for balanced, rather than imbalanced, networks and that relationship existence and relationship valence are separable cognitive elements. We also use comparisons between kin and non-kin networks to suggest that humans are implicitly aware of the conditions under which imbalanced networks will be most durable.
Research limitations/implications
We show that the tension/strain postulated to generate mental and behavioral responses to increase balance likely stems from cognitive limitations. More broadly, this connects balance theory to models of human cognition and evolution and suggests that human general processing ability may have evolved in response to social, rather than physical, challenges.
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By reconstructing the genealogy of digital humanities through examining digital humanities projects and evaluative writings, this paper aims to identify core arguments related to…
Abstract
Purpose
By reconstructing the genealogy of digital humanities through examining digital humanities projects and evaluative writings, this paper aims to identify core arguments related to disciplinary transformation and pedagogy in the humanities fields. It also seeks to consider knowledge production and transformation of a general humanistic attitude (the Humanities Program) in relation to digital tools. The paper also seeks to examine its perceived impact on disciplinary development, pedagogy, and forms of digital text.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a literature‐based conceptual analysis of distinct and diverse aspects of the enterprise of digital humanities, by identifying their main foci together with implications of these preoccupations within larger discourses. The analysis is grounded in a close reading of 45 exemplary texts published from the 1980s to date, and 14 exemplary projects and initiatives. The analysis highlights several concepts with their underlying assumptions.
Findings
The perceived epistemological advantage of digital technology for new forms of reasoning is that community development has produced theoretical frameworks and shaped practical directions. The paper identified three distinct formations characterized by associated digital artifacts: prominent opinion leaders, foundational projects, and document forms (morphs).
Research limitations/implications
Research data are not comprehensive. Selected texts and projects are exemplary. The results and findings are relevant for the English‐language context and limited by a selective corpus.
Originality/value
The paper outlines a historical trajectory of digital humanities and the formative stages of development from the discourses of that evolving field. It also identifies constructions of technological advantage with implications for knowledge production in the writing of humanities scholars. The paper contributes to practitioner awareness of the history of digital humanities practice.
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Sherrill L. Gregory and Brian H. Kleiner
With the feminist movement of the late 1960‘s and early 1970’s, “fast track” women eagerly sought advancement within male‐dominated Corporate America. By 1990 women succeeded in…
Abstract
With the feminist movement of the late 1960‘s and early 1970’s, “fast track” women eagerly sought advancement within male‐dominated Corporate America. By 1990 women succeeded in entry‐level and middle‐manager positions, but failed, with few notable exceptions, to make substantial gains in upper echelons. Many reasons for the failure exist, including family considerations, stubborn cultural and gender biases, and a lack of adequate training and educational opportunities. In response, and in frustration, many women have turned to entrepreneurship as a way to succeed at the top. Changing demographics, such as the new cultural and ethnic diversity, will open the upper level corporate doors for women as white males become the new minority entrant to the work force. The fast track derailment experienced by women over the past twenty years is temporary, and will begin to change by the end of the 1990's.
Claire McCarty Kilian, Dawn Hukai and C. Elizabeth McCarty
Interventions that have been successful in removing barriers to the success of women and people of color in corporate environments have not been afforded the same attention as the…
Abstract
Purpose
Interventions that have been successful in removing barriers to the success of women and people of color in corporate environments have not been afforded the same attention as the barriers themselves. This paper goes beyond the barriers to focus on successful interventions.Design/methodology/approach – Research on leadership issues is reviewed to determine the skills needed to pursue diversity in executive development successfully. Practical application is discussed.Findings – Common barriers to minority advancement include stereotypes about roles and abilities, the scarcity of mentors and personal networks, the lack of significant line experience and visible assignments, and, particularly for women, family responsibilities. Successful intervention methods include holding managers accountable for progress on diversity metrics, and training about diversity and associated attitudes and behaviors. Formal networks, mentoring programs, high potential talent identification and development, and work‐life supports can also help an organization's diversity efforts. The creation of a strong business case linking the desired managerial changes to business outcomes is necessary, but research indicates that this may not be enough. A sense of social responsibility and distributive justice – eliminating inequities and stereotypes as the right thing to do – may also have to play a role.Originality/value – Although the number of women and people of color are increasing in the executive ranks of corporate America, the numbers are quite small. Senior leadership and anyone charged with developing executive talent will benefit from comparing their current practices with those discussed in this paper. Without active leadership from senior executives, existing cultural norms and managerial attitudes will not change.
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Xingzhong Jin, Stuart Alistair Kinner, Robyn Hopkins, Emily Stockings, Ryan James Courtney, Anthony Shakeshaft, Dennis Petrie, Timothy Dobbins, Cheneal Puljevic, Shuai Chang and Kate Dolan
This paper aims to determine whether a single session of a motivational interview (MI) reduces smoking relapse amongst people released from smoke-free prisons.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to determine whether a single session of a motivational interview (MI) reduces smoking relapse amongst people released from smoke-free prisons.
Design/methodology/approach
This study sought to recruit 824 ex-smokers from 2 smoke-free prisons in the Northern Territory, Australia. Participants were randomised to receive either one session (45–60 min) face-to-face MI intervention 4–6 weeks prior to release or usual care (UC) without smoking advice. The primary outcome was continuous smoking abstinence verified by exhaled carbon monoxide test (<5 ppm) at three months post-release. Secondary outcomes included seven-day point-prevalence, time to the first cigarette and the daily number of cigarettes smoked after release.
Findings
From April 2017 to March 2018, a total of 557 participants were randomised to receive the MI (n = 266) or UC (n = 291), with 75% and 77% being followed up, respectively. There was no significant between-group difference in continuous abstinence (MI 8.6% vs UC 7.4%, risk ratio = 1.16, 95%CI 0.67∼2.03). Of all participants, 66.9% relapsed on the day of release and 90.2% relapsed within three months. On average, participants in the MI group smoked one less cigarette daily than those in the UC within the three months after release (p < 0.01).
Research limitations/implications
A single-session of MI is insufficient to reduce relapse after release from a smoke-free prison. However, prison release remains an appealing time window to build on the public health benefit of smoke-free prisons. Further research is needed to develop both pre- and post-release interventions that provide continuity of care for relapse prevention.
Originality/value
This study is the first Australian randomised controlled trial to evaluate a pre-release MI intervention on smoking relapse prevention amongst people released from smoke-free prisons.
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Keith E. Niedermeier, Emily Wang and Xiaohan Zhang
The purpose of this study is to explore the role of social media usage among business-to-business sales professionals in China. Specifically, the authors seek to define and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the role of social media usage among business-to-business sales professionals in China. Specifically, the authors seek to define and explore the unique ways in which Chinese salespeople use social media, with a special emphasis on the role of guanxi. Guanxi is a complex cultural construct that revolves around the exchange of favors to build trust and connection for business purposes.
Design/methodology/approach
Three in-depth interviews of sales managers from two industries along with survey data from 42 pharmaceutical sales representatives were collected to gain an understanding of the general usage and attitudes toward social media in the sales process in China.
Findings
Results indicated that virtually all the salespeople in the sample were highly familiar with social media and integrated it into the sales process. Furthermore, all participants indicated that their companies were highly supportive of the use of social media with their customers. More importantly, salespeople in China view social media as a critical tool in building guanxi with their customers. Findings from this exploratory study are used to create a conceptual framework for understanding the important role of social media in building guanxi in China.
Research limitations/implications
While the sample is limited to three managerial interviews and 42 survey responses, the data indicated a near universal acceptance and use of social media among Chinese salespeople. Most importantly, social media appears to be the modern gateway to the ancient and culturally unique construct of guanxi that is absolutely indispensable to successful business-to-business sales performance in China.
Practical implications
The structural challenges within China make trust and emotional connection essential to any potential business relationship. Trust is at the core of guanxi. Any firm hoping to succeed in China must understand guanxi and the use of Chinese social media to help build it. This study adds to the knowledge and understanding of guanxi and begins to elucidate the uses of social media as a tool to build and maintain it.
Social implications
Social media appears to be the modern gateway to the ancient and culturally unique construct of guanxi that is absolutely indispensable to successful business-to-business sales performance in China. This study deepens our understanding of not only guanxi but also how the modern phenomenon of social media is affecting it.
Originality/value
This is one of very few studies to investigate the use of social media among salesforces in China. More importantly, the authors know of no other study linking social media with guanxi.