Since many, if not most, libraries and librarians have already delved into the world of social networking, the purpose of this paper is to serve strictly as an examination of the…
Abstract
Purpose
Since many, if not most, libraries and librarians have already delved into the world of social networking, the purpose of this paper is to serve strictly as an examination of the functionality of these tools for reference.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides a brief overview of each site, focusing on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Ning.
Findings
Social networking sites are not equal in their reference utility, but possibilities exist and should be explored and implemented accordingly in a manner that best suits each library and the needs of its users.
Originality/value
The paper offers insight into the reference utility of social networking sites, providing an overview of their functionality.
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The purpose of this paper is to discuss merging the virtual learning environment of online students with the traditionally face‐to‐face, physical service of research consultations…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss merging the virtual learning environment of online students with the traditionally face‐to‐face, physical service of research consultations in the form of virtual research consultations (VRCs).
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review discusses the importance of instruction in virtual reference, how to combat inherit challenges and foster an instructional experience during virtual reference interactions, and the value of research consultations. The case study then examines how the Distance Learning Librarian at Norwich University implemented a VRC service.
Findings
Based on the ease of maintenance, number of appointments made and verbal feedback from students, VRCs are a valuable addition to virtual reference services for online students. They facilitate instruction in reference, foster relationship building, and also prove a considerable tool for outreach.
Practical implications
The case study provides an example of a service that can be implemented at other institutions. The author also discusses alternative technology options.
Originality/value
There is little discussion in the literature of research consultations being incorporated into virtual reference services. With the growing focus in academia on online education and increasing accessibility of tools to foster a rich virtual learning environment, research consultations are a natural next step in virtual reference.
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As the usage of virtual reference services continues to increase, libraries must consider ways to remedy the lack of ability to visually demonstrate during teaching moments when…
Abstract
Purpose
As the usage of virtual reference services continues to increase, libraries must consider ways to remedy the lack of ability to visually demonstrate during teaching moments when conducting reference transactions over e‐mail, instant messaging or chat, and text messaging. This paper seeks to address these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides a brief overview of a selection of free tools for screencasting and screen sharing, including Jing, Screencast‐o‐matic, Screencastle, Screenjelly, Dimdim, Yuuguu, and ShowMyPC.
Findings
The paper finds that each free tool has its positive and negative features, but with so many accessible options available, most libraries should be able to find a tool that will work for their needs.
Originality/value
The paper offers insight into the strong availability of free tools, many web‐based, for screencasting and screen sharing, providing an overview of the functionality of each.
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Alexey Zhukovskiy, Heidi Falkenbach and Ranoua Bouchouicha
This paper aims to examine the relationship between the use of public debt and investment activity of European listed real estate companies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the relationship between the use of public debt and investment activity of European listed real estate companies.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a hand-collected sample of debt structures of 102 European public real estate companies, and using European Central Bank lending standards survey as a proxy for bank credit availability, the authors test a conditional hypothesis on the relationship between investment rates and the use of public debt during period of constrained bank lending environment in Europe.
Findings
The results show that ex ante diversification of debt allows retaining higher investment rates when the main source of debt, bank lending, is shrinking. The effect is statistically and economically significant and increases during times of tight bank lending constraints. The authors find no support to debt capacity explanation of the effect. They neither find support of the higher investment rates to be indicative of overinvestment problem. The results are robust to alternative model specifications and estimators.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical analysis is limited to Europe.
Practical implications
Investments and the growth of real estate companies depend on their ability to seize value-increasing opportunities that arise in the competitive markets. This paper evaluates the role of a diversified debt structure in this context. The results suggest that debt structure can have material importance for the investment activity of European listed real estate companies and issuance of public debt can help companies to counterbalance the negative effects of restricted bank loan supply on the investment levels.
Originality/value
The paper extends the literature on debt structures of listed real estate firms by considering the effect of debt diversification on investments.
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The significant contribution and relevance of Comparative and International Education (CIE) mainly depends on how closely it studies the interplay between society and education…
Abstract
The significant contribution and relevance of Comparative and International Education (CIE) mainly depends on how closely it studies the interplay between society and education, considering what is dubbed as the global and the local. Many CIE studies including critical reviews seems to dwell on the topic, purpose, conceptual, and methodological aspects of the field, magnifying what appears to be the global. Our understanding of the role particular sociocultural, economic, and political contexts play in education seems inconclusive. Using appropriate analytical frameworks that delineate society–education dynamics, this study further problematizes the comparative and international elements of CIE area studies, with a focus on context analysis. The critical review considers area studies published over the last seven years in leading CIE journals and answers this question: How and to what extent do CIE area studies operationalize context analysis? The aim is not so much to bring consensus but to further highlight tensions and issues in conducting context-sensitive comparative and international education studies. The findings indicate that CIE research over the last seven years does not seem to live up to the expectation of producing meaningfully contextualized knowledge. The role of context analysis in CIE research seems ill defined and practiced. Alternative explanations for this and considerations for further scholarship are discussed.
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This opening chapter sets a frame for the chapters of this volume, dealing with how the dynamic dialectic interplay between forceful global societal forces and context shape…
Abstract
This opening chapter sets a frame for the chapters of this volume, dealing with how the dynamic dialectic interplay between forceful global societal forces and context shape humanity’s education response in various parts of the world. “Context” as a perennial threshold concept in Comparative and International Education is explicated. It will then be explained how, during its long historical evolution, scholars in the field each time had to contend new contexts, or reconceived the notion of “context” in a new way. Subsequently the problems of an overly fixation on the historical and the present, to the detriment of the future, and inertia are extant in the field, will be explained. The unprecedented, seismic changes currently impacting on the societal context worldwide, will then be enumerated. These changes can be subsumed under the collective name of globalization. The concept globalization is then clarified, and the take of the scholarly community on the impact of globalization on education is then mapped and interrogated. The authors’ stance on this is stated, namely that a dynamic interplay between global focus and contextual realities shape education in various parts of the world. It is in this theoretical frame that the remainder of the chapters of the volume is presented, combing out the main features of education development in each part of the world, as a dialectic between global forces and contextual imperatives.
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Michael Jay Polonsky, Heidi Cameron, Sara Halstead, Angela Ratcliffe, Pietro Stilo and Gillian Watt
Examines whether respondents’ attitudes towards companion selling (i.e. suggesting the purchase of a related good) varies based on two hypothetical situations. The results suggest…
Abstract
Examines whether respondents’ attitudes towards companion selling (i.e. suggesting the purchase of a related good) varies based on two hypothetical situations. The results suggest that overall there are some differences in attitudes based on the selling context. However, overall respondents believe that companion selling is generally an appropriate activity and might even contribute to better customer service levels.
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The study of (post)socialism has always had a complicated relationship with comparative education. Tracing the changing emphases of research on (post)socialism during and after…
Abstract
The study of (post)socialism has always had a complicated relationship with comparative education. Tracing the changing emphases of research on (post)socialism during and after the Cold War, this chapter highlights how (post)socialist studies moved from being highly politicized during the Cold War, to becoming subsumed by convergence and modernization theories after the collapse of the socialist bloc, to reemerging as a part of broader “post” philosophies reflecting the uncertainties and contradictions of social life. This chapter proposes to treat post-socialism not only as a geographic area, but also as a conceptual category that allows us to engage in theorizing divergence, difference, and uncertainty in the context of globalization. It is a space from which we can further complicate (not clarify) our understanding of ongoing reconfigurations of educational spaces in a global context, and ultimately challenge the evolutionary scheme of thought and established concepts of Western modernity. For comparative education and social theory more broadly, post-socialism can thus become a challenge (or an agenda) for future debates – whether theoretical or methodological – about global processes and their multiple effects on education and societies today, in the past, and in the future.
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P. Christopher Earley and Heidi K. Gardner
This chapter develops a conceptual framework to explain variance in the functioning of multinational work teams. We draw upon existing theories of multinational teams (MNTs…
Abstract
This chapter develops a conceptual framework to explain variance in the functioning of multinational work teams. We draw upon existing theories of multinational teams (MNTs) looking at the core internal dynamics that provide critical building blocks for understanding team functioning. These dynamics are then examined in terms of the cultural intelligence of team members and how it interacts with the core features of an MNT. We discuss the ramifications of these results for structuring and running global teams in the field.