Search results

Most studies in information behaviour have focussed on information behaviour aspects such as environmental uncertainty, scanning behaviour of top management executives, student and women information behaviour, information source and credibility, while little is known about the information behaviour of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) when the need for emerging information and communication technology (EICT) adoption decision-making arises. This paper, therefore, aims to explore the major determinants of perceived information need for EICT adoption by UK small service-oriented businesses.

The study adopted qualitative method to explore 13 key determinants of SME managers’ information behaviour for EICT adoption decision-making by using both unstructured and semi-structured interviews at two different stages with 20 participants drawn purposeful from Luton directories.

The study developed an extended technology, organisation and environment (TOE) framework by identifying and incorporating the information context which helped to unveil 13 key determinants of perceived information need and their impact on EICT adoption decision-making in SMEs. This further provided insight into understanding SMEs’ information behaviour. While the determinants associated with TOE and information contexts influence SMEs’ perceived information need for EICT adoption, the extent at which these four constructs shape SMEs’ perceived information need for EICT adoption decision-making differs.

The limitation of this study emerged because of the use of qualitative methodologies in relation to the research design, rigour in the collection and management of the large volume of the raw data, the data analysis and the credibility of the findings. This may lead to unforeseen respondent – and research – bias in the data analysis, which may lead to limited understanding of alternatives and insights into the key determinants of perceived information need for EICT adoption decision. Hence, other measures and approaches such as case study and mix-method could be deployed to further validate the findings. Also, one of the limitations of qualitative study has been the issue of theoretical generalizability of the framework. The generalizability of the formwork needs to be established across a wider range of population. Future studies may apply a confirmatory statistical techniques to test and ascertain the validity and reliability of the framework across a wider population. Such studies may be used as a benchmark for the theoretical constructs and the factors that may lead to success or failure of mobile marketing technology adoption.

The study has further enriched TOE framework and provided an analytical dimension for exploring key determinants of SMEs’ perceived information need for EICT adoption decision-making. It also demonstrates the capacity to provide a reliable explanation of the determinants and serves as a tool for evaluating the benefits or challenges of SMEs’ information behaviours when the need for EICT adoption arises.

‘As soon as I moved into my new house, I wanted to paint something, to put my signature on the walls, to make it my own.’ Most of us feel a bit like this, and we like to stake our claim on a house, take some ownership, get a sense of power over our space. When we can't do this we are guests in someone else's property, obliged forever to keep our shoes off the furniture. Lots of mental health projects believe in empowering users and they believe that the people who live in the hostel, attend the day centre or work in the employment project have a right to a stake in the place. But who picks up the paintbrush and who drills holes in the walls for new shelving? Finding a path through the rolls of wallpaper, the regulations and responsibilities leads to empowerment ‐ it is one of the keys to power.

The proliferation or information, created and sustained with the help of technology, has placed increased pressure on librarians to teach/assist library patrons to use the information efficiently and effectively. With decreasing budgets and resulting smaller staffs, academic libraries have been hard pressed to meet the demand. In response to this need, the Ohio State University (OSU) Libraries has developed a microcomputer program that enables library users to identify, locate, evaluate, and select information independently. With the support of three federal grants and one private grant, the OSU Libraries has designed The Gateway to Information in order to guide users to the best information for their needs, regardless of format. The Gateway's evaluations demonstrate that it is an effective and user‐friendly information tool for a wide range of library patrons. The Gateway is now available on all of the Libraries' terminals.

This paper traces the emergence of a social movement that has attempted to transform the fundamental character of organizations in Australia. Unlike many other such social movements, this worldwide social movement has been largely unresearched and even unnamed. We refer to it as the organizational renewal movement. The story we tell here demonstrates how this new social movement gained momentum and influence and eventually contributed to today’s prevailing management orthodoxy. We present the case that change initiatives moved from being heresies to orthodoxies. In particular we trace the movement through three phases. The first phase traces the foundations and acceptance of humanistic change interventions. The second phase traces the challenges to the humanistic agenda and the emergence of new directions. The third phase demonstrates the process of strategic alignment, where heresies became accepted as orthodoxies. The paper concludes with some observations on future directions for the movement.

This two-part case illustrates the use of economic order quantity to manage conflicting performance measures across different siloed functions in an organization. Part A requires students to assess the costs of various order quantities and quantify the concept of “robustness.“ Part B emphasizes managing the variables of annual demand, ordering cost, inventory carrying cost, and unit price to achieve strategic goals. The student must determine how to lower ordering costs to compensate for increases in the other variables as well as to help guide Just-In-Time implementation efforts.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the development and application of marketing theory and practice over time and its current status. The terms “brickbats” and “bouquets” are used as metaphors to extend praise or criticism for marketing. In doing so, the authors draw upon the views of leading theorists over time and apply these in the current environmental context.

The approach adopted is discursive, critical and conceptual.

Following literature review, and drawing upon current examples, marketing as a discipline is subject to both kudos and criticisms. Nonetheless, it is concluded optimistically in that marketing can be an even greater source for societal good. That “goodness” is partly based upon the added impetus of social media adoption and use by consumers, the need for growth and accelerative innovation in the digital age coupled with the democratisation of consumption. Nonetheless, the authors offer the caveat that free competitive markets lead to market failures, and the need for market regulation by governments is becoming more evident.

The implications of the paper are profound. Academics should be concerned in and involved with marketing theory. Questions need to be raised concerning non-robust definitions of marketing and its application. The authors wait for a consumer-led approach to marketing to add depth to the marketing theory.

Marketers need to be made more accountable for their actions. Consumers need to become part of the marketing process. Marketing claims need to be verified by delivered benefits. Companies need to take steps to ensure that the marketing process does not end at purchase. Satisfaction needs to be made manifest. Likewise, dissatisfactions need to be managed well as part of the marketing process.

Too much marketing currently is relatively unregulated in the sense that there are so few opportunities to evade its myriad reach and – despite social media – little chance of changing marketing practice for the good of societies. Many criticisms of marketing practice are not being addressed in the literature.

Marketing is a vibrant force in all nations and markets. It is deeply rooted in business practice. It is contemporaneous and relevant. It is global and national. But, it is not entirely all good news. There are caveats and criticisms as well as kudos and praise. While both are addressed here, the topic needs to be considered for marketing and its accompanying theory and practice to change.

Those of us in our mid‐thirties can just barely remember the tourist homes, guesthouses, small hotels, and “mom and pop” tourist cabins which once dotted the two‐lane highways of this country, roads like Route 66 which spanned the country east to west and U.S. I which ran from Maine to Florida. However, aided by the developing interstate highway system, Holiday Inn, Best Western, and several other major chains spread themselves all over the landscape in the 1960s and 1970s and won a large part of the growing leisure and business travel dollar. Indeed, Holiday Inn's ubiquitous qualities were so thoroughly standardized that the company adopted the slogan, “The best surprise is no surprise.” The trouble is some people like to be surprised, especially if the surprise is a pleasant one. Until a few years ago, the traveler looking for a more interesting or cheaper accommodation than a typical chain motel had few guidebooks to choose from. Country Inns and Back Roads and Farm, Ranch and Country Vacations were about all that were available. Since the late 1970s, however, a steady stream of alternative accommodation books has appeared, and now any library faced with choosing guidebooks for the reference collection finds a bewildering number of them. In this review I will examine and evaluate what is available to guide the traveler to alternative accommodations in the United States and Canada. I'll look at bed and breakfast guides, guides to country inns, farm vacations, and college campus accommodations, but not camping guides.