Thoah Kim Thi Ninh, Kerry Tanner, Graeme Johanson and Tom Denison
Higher education reform in Vietnam has recently required university libraries to improve their quality, to evaluate their performance, and to be accountable for the purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Higher education reform in Vietnam has recently required university libraries to improve their quality, to evaluate their performance, and to be accountable for the purpose of quality assessment and accreditation. Systematic performance measurement is an integral part of this process. The aims of this paper are: to provide an overview of the current state of performance development in Vietnamese university libraries; to address issues related to the measurement of library performance; and to propose an approach to evaluation for university libraries in Vietnam.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews the literature on library performance measurement, with particular focus on university libraries in Vietnam. Relevant documents relating to performance measurement were examined, and two case studies of performance measurement in university libraries in Vietnam were carried out.
Findings
It is critical that university libraries in Vietnam develop systematic performance measures and apply different methods and tools for performance measurement. To succeed, cooperation between the administering authority, university administration and library management is essential.
Research limitations/implications
This paper reports on the first phase of a doctoral research project at Monash University. Further research is being undertaken to develop a framework for quality assurance and performance measurement for Vietnamese university libraries. The efficacy if this framework is yet to be tested through its deployment in practice.
Originality/value
While performance measurement is well established in Western countries, it is less so in Vietnam. The current research is seeking to develop a performance measurement framework for university libraries that is attuned to the Vietnamese context. The paper stresses the urgent need for the development of effective performance measures and systematic performance measurement systems amongst this sector.
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Gary Hardy and Graeme Johanson
Provision of public Internet access has been viewed by governments as a key step towards encouraging uptake among people who do not have access to information communication…
Abstract
Provision of public Internet access has been viewed by governments as a key step towards encouraging uptake among people who do not have access to information communication technologies, and as an important means of building an equitable information society. The Victorian Public Library network has led Australia in providing this access, at no small cost. However, little substantial data is available about the users of this public access, little is known of what they use the access for, nor how well it meets their needs. Through a wide‐scale survey, and through focus groups this study explores the demographic characteristics of public library public access Internet users, the extent to which public access Internet provision meets the needs of those users, and users' planned/future use of public access Internet. The role of public access and the policy implications of this data are discussed.
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Five years after the deregulation of New Zealand′s telecommunicationsand broad‐casting markets, the country′s two state‐owned broadcastershad achieved widely differing levels of…
Abstract
Five years after the deregulation of New Zealand′s telecommunications and broad‐casting markets, the country′s two state‐owned broadcasters had achieved widely differing levels of internationalization and financial performance. Television New Zealand, the more active international marketer, was continuing to develop and expand its international business, while Radio New Zealand, which had adopted a more passive, reactive stance, earned negligible returns from its offshore interests and de‐internationalized. Shows that internationalization is best viewed as an experiential process, with international marketing investment decision making directly influenced by managerial characteristics, particularly levels of international business experience, orientation and commitment, and that environmental factors are also important influences on managers′ aspirations and expectations, the policies and strategies adopted and the levels of company internationalization and performance achieved.
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Christopher Richardson and Morris John Foster
The data for this case were obtained primarily through a series of in-person interviews in Penang between the authors and Pete Browning (a pseudonym) from 2017 to early 2019. The…
Abstract
Research methodology
The data for this case were obtained primarily through a series of in-person interviews in Penang between the authors and Pete Browning (a pseudonym) from 2017 to early 2019. The authors also consulted secondary data sources, including publicly available material on BMax and “Company B”.
Case overview/synopsis
This case examines a key decision, or set of decisions, in the life of a small- to medium-sized management consultancy group, namely, whether they might expand their operations in Southeast Asia, and if so, where. These key decisions came in the wake of their having already established a very modest scale presence there, with an operating base on the island of Penang just off the north western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The initial establishment of a Southeast Asian branch had been somewhat spontaneous in nature – a former colleague of one of the two managing partners in the USA was on the ground in Malaysia and available: he became the local partner in the firm. But the firm had now been eyeing expansion within the region, with three markets under particular consideration (Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand) and a further two (Vietnam and China) also seen as possible targets, though at a more peripheral level. The questions facing the decision makers were “was it time they expand beyond Malaysia?” and “if so, where?”
Complexity academic level
This case could be used effectively in undergraduate courses in international business. The key concepts on which the case focuses are the factors affecting market entry, particularly the choice of market and the assessment of potential attractiveness such markets offer.