Anastasia Thyroff, Jennifer Siemens and Brandon McAlexander
Drawing from a life course theory, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between material reliance and quality of life for consumers going through a life transition…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing from a life course theory, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between material reliance and quality of life for consumers going through a life transition, with attention given to individual differences and transition-specific characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach
Study 1 uses qualitative interviews with transitioning consumers, while Study 2 tests a survey-based conditional mediation model.
Findings
For liminal consumers, perceived personal control mediates the effect of material reliance on quality of life, but having negative expectations of the transition can override this effect.
Originality/value
Although previous research has given attention to material reliance, personal control and quality of life in various combinations, the impact of their combined effect has not been examined. Furthermore, these constructs have not been examined within the context of life transitions.
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Chris Hopkins, Charles Wood, Jennifer Siemens and Mary Anne Raymond
– This research aims to investigate how individuals' perceptions and reallocation of resources due to a life transition uniquely affect their responses to marketing activities.
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to investigate how individuals' perceptions and reallocation of resources due to a life transition uniquely affect their responses to marketing activities.
Design/methodology/approach
A multi-method approach is undertaken, with Study 1 being qualitative in nature and Study 2 consisting of a quantitative experimental design. Study 1 consists of in-depth interviews with both newlyweds and empty nesters. Study 2 incorporates a survey design with 412 respondents; data is analyzed via structural equation modeling, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and post hoc multiple comparison tests.
Findings
Findings reveal that consumer appraisal of a transition event is a key predictor of response to marketing activities, and that consumers have an inverted-U shape response to advertising across three transition stages (anticipatory, liminal, re-established).
Practical implications
Because appraisal is not generally captured by market research, companies may be able to estimate appraisal by combining resource availability information with existing demographic data. Because resources are found to be a significant predictor of appraisal, by anticipating resource levels, a firm may be able to estimate appraisal and thus be able to forecast advertising responsiveness.
Originality/value
Researchers have not investigated how changes in the availability of time and other resources during life events affect consumers' appraisal of products, adaptation to new roles, or response to marketing efforts. As such, examining the influence of resources and transition stage on attitudes toward marketing activities during life transitions makes a meaningful contribution to the literature.
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Olatunde Julius Otusanya and Sarah Lauwo
In addition to contributing to the supply side of corruption in Africa, the West has historically played a major role in laundering the proceeds. The Offshore Financial Centres…
Abstract
Purpose
In addition to contributing to the supply side of corruption in Africa, the West has historically played a major role in laundering the proceeds. The Offshore Financial Centres (OFCs) are characterised as jurisdictions that attract a high level of non‐resident financial activity. The purpose of this paper is to examine how senior political figures, their relatives and close associates have used OFCs in moving funds that may be a product of foreign corruption into Western countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper locates the role of OFCs within the political economy theory of globalisation to argue that mobility of capital has been promoted by a number of advanced countries and micro‐states that use their sovereignty and law‐making powers to create an environment conducive to anti‐social practices by the major corporations and the political elite. The paper uses publicly available evidence to illuminate the role played by offshore financial centres in facilitating elite money laundering practices.
Findings
The evidence shows that, in pursuit of organisational and personal interest, the offshore financial centres create enabling structures that support illicit activities of the political and economic elite from developing countries. The paper concludes that the establishment of money laundering laws and the creation of anti‐money laundering agencies had not brought about ethical conduct within the global banking systems.
Practical implications
It is impossible to quantify the volume of money laundered, but it has been estimated that money laundering may account for as much as 5 per cent of the world economy.
Social implications
Substantial amounts of illicit money undoubtedly flow out of developing countries. Combating money laundering is a key goal in all democracies, due to its corrosive efforts on the rule of law, economic development, democratic principles, and its serious consequences for people everywhere.
Originality/value
The paper examines predatory practices of the international financial industry in money laundering activities.
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Shreeranga Bhat, E.V. Gijo, Jiju Antony and Jennifer Cross
This study aims to present Lean Six Sigma (LSS) deployment and sustainment strategies for the healthcare sector from a multi-level perspective. The objective is to present LSS…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present Lean Six Sigma (LSS) deployment and sustainment strategies for the healthcare sector from a multi-level perspective. The objective is to present LSS implementation insights to enable policymakers, practitioners and academicians to test and develop an LSS framework for healthcare sectors.
Design/methodology/approach
The strategies identified are the result of a multi-method research design involving literature review, action research (AR) and Delphi study. Further, the AR portion of the study involved more than 10 years of projects focused on the deployment of LSS in the healthcare sector.
Findings
The strategies include a holistic view from the multi-level perspective, considering the Top Management Level, Middle Management Level and Operational Level. The authors ascertained 27 strategies across the three levels of organizational structure for the effective deployment of LSS. Further, the authors present a customized LSS “pocket guide” from the healthcare perspective for quick reference.
Research limitations/implications
The strategies delineated in this study are based on the Indian healthcare section only; thus, further research in additional geographic contexts is needed. Also, further research is necessary to provide additional empirical validation of the effects of the identified strategies on LSS program outcomes and to verify that the strategies operate at the proposed organizational levels. Future research should also focus on identifying the interrelationships between strategies within and across levels, developing a “road map” for LSS implementation in hospitals and designing the LSS curriculum for medical schools and other medical training programs.
Practical implications
Observations of this study can contribute to developing a holistic framework for successful LSS implementation in the healthcare sector for academicians, practitioners and policymakers. This, in turn, ensures an enhanced value proposition, improved quality of life and reduced healthcare operational costs. Thus, it ensures a win-win situation among all the stakeholders of the healthcare sector.
Originality/value
The strategies put forth will enable the LSS researchers, academicians and, more particularly, practitioners to delve deeper into specific enablers and safeguard the LSS deployment from backlash. The research has two significant benefits. Firstly, it enhances the understanding of LSS from the healthcare perspective. Secondly, it provides direction for future studies with specific components for hospitals’ LSS framework, which can be further tested, refined and improved.
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Olatunde Julius Otusanya and Gbadegesin Babatunde Adeyeye
This paper aims to assess the role of secrecy jurisdictions in providing supply-side stimulants for illicit financial flows from developing countries and how the tax havens…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to assess the role of secrecy jurisdictions in providing supply-side stimulants for illicit financial flows from developing countries and how the tax havens structures shape the role of actors. Specifically focussing on decades of trade liberalisation and markets, and of increasingly rapid movement of people, capital and information across regions and around the globe, the paper draws on the political economy theory of globalisation to illuminate the connections between capital flight, money laundering and global offshore financial centres (OFCs).
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses publicly available evidence to shed light on the role played by tax havens in facilitating money laundering, capital flight and corruption. The issues are illustrated with the aid of case studies.
Findings
The evidence shows that, in pursuit of organisational and personal interest, the tax havens create enabling structures that support illicit activities of the political and economic elites from developing countries. The paper further argues that the supply-side of corruption severely limits the possibilities of preventing corruption in developing countries.
Research limitations/implications
The paper uses publicly available evidence to illuminate the role played by OFCs in facilitating elite corruption and money laundering practices.
Practical implications
It is impossible to quantify the volume of money laundered, but it has been estimated that money laundering may account for as much as 5% of the world economy.
Social implications
The paper, therefore, suggests that unless this supply-side of corruption is tackled there is little prospect for an end to aid dependency and the creation of economically stable and democratic states in developing countries.
Originality/value
The paper examines predatory practices of the international financial industry in tax havens and OFCs in facilitating money laundering, corruption and capital flight and the challenges posed for the economic development of developing countries.
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Margie Jantti and Jennifer Heath
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the development of an institution wide approach to learning analytics at the University of Wollongong (UOW) and the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the development of an institution wide approach to learning analytics at the University of Wollongong (UOW) and the inclusion of library data drawn from the Library Cube.
Design/methodology/approach
The Student Support and Education Analytics team at UOW is tasked with creating policy, frameworks and infrastructure for the systematic capture, mapping and analysis of data from the across the university. The initial data set includes: log file data from Moodle sites, Library Cube, student administration data, tutorials and student support service usage data. Using the learning analytics data warehouse UOW is developing new models for analysis and visualisation with a focus on the provision of near real-time data to academic staff and students to optimise learning opportunities.
Findings
The distinct advantage of the learning analytics model is that the selected data sets are updated weekly, enabling near real-time monitoring and intervention where required. Inclusion of library data with the other often disparate data sets from across the university has enabled development of a comprehensive platform for learning analytics. Future work will include the development of predictive models using the rapidly growing learning analytics data warehouse.
Practical implications
Data warehousing infrastructure, the systematic capture and exporting of relevant library data sets are requisite for the consideration of library data in learning analytics.
Originality/value
What was not anticipated five years ago when the Value Cube was first realised, was the development of learning analytic services at UOW. The Cube afforded University of Wollongong Library considerable advantage: the framework for data harvesting and analysis was established, ready for inclusion within learning analytics data sets and subsequent reporting to faculty.
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Soohyung Joo, Jennifer Hootman and Marie Katsurai
This study aims to explore knowledge structure and research trends in the domain of digital humanities (DH) in the recent decade. The study identified prevailing topics and then…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore knowledge structure and research trends in the domain of digital humanities (DH) in the recent decade. The study identified prevailing topics and then, analyzed trends of such topics over time in the DH field.
Design/methodology/approach
Research bibliographic data in the area of DH were collected from scholarly databases. Multiple text mining techniques were used to identify prevailing research topics and trends, such as keyword co-occurrences, bigram analysis, structural topic models and bi-term topic models.
Findings
Term-level analysis revealed that cultural heritage, geographic information, semantic web, linked data and digital media were among the most popular topics in the recent decade. Structural topic models identified that linked open data, text mining, semantic web and ontology, text digitization and social network analysis received increased attention in the DH field.
Originality/value
This study applied existent text mining techniques to understand the research domain in DH. The study collected a large set of bibliographic text, representing the area of DH from multiple academic databases and explored research trends based on structural topic models.
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Jennifer Sparrow and Susan Whitmer
This chapter focuses on the challenges and the possibilities that exist for College and University leadership, academic planners, instructional technologists, campus planners…
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the challenges and the possibilities that exist for College and University leadership, academic planners, instructional technologists, campus planners, architects, and others involved in building the transformative student experience that has been the underpinning of education since the Raphael’s School of Athens. Students need to engaged in the learning and have meaningful interactions with the faculty and classmates.
Economic and societal influences during the first decade of the 21st century have illuminated the demand for access to education through emerging technologies in both physical and virtual spaces. These new opportunities have not developed without painstaking disruptions to conventional models for academic and campus planning. The disruptions have led to opportunities to pilot new modalities for curriculum development that blend both online and on ground learning. Parallel opportunities exist for piloting learning spaces that support blended learning.
Academics and campus planners alike have realized that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to planning effective formal and informal learning spaces. What is clear is moving the student experience from one that is transactional to transformational requires adhering to grounded best practices in teaching, learning, and campus planning, establishing a team of informed and engaged stakeholders, and developing empathy and authenticity in the planning process for both the spaces and the pedagogies.
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The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and implementation of an open access, graduate education course where openness, connectivism, and social learning are guiding…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and implementation of an open access, graduate education course where openness, connectivism, and social learning are guiding principles. The described experience aims to offer insight into developing courses that respond to changes in the manner in which individuals learn, connect, and form knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
The course implements Web 2.0 and open source software within the learning environment. Pedagogical processes are also congruent with philosophies inherent in the open source movement, especially group collaboration and transparency.
Findings
The facilitation of this course is complex and would likely be difficult for many instructors. However, student satisfaction is high and long‐term, social learning benefits are perceived to be positive.
Originality/value
This course is one of the first of its kind, and one that inspired other explorations into open teaching/pedagogical course formats.
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Jennifer Edmond and Francesca Morselli
This paper proposes a new perspective on the enormous and unresolved challenge to existing practices of publication and documentation posed by the outputs of digital research…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper proposes a new perspective on the enormous and unresolved challenge to existing practices of publication and documentation posed by the outputs of digital research projects in the humanities, where much good work is being lost due to resource or technical challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper documents and analyses both the existing literature on promoting sustainability for the outputs of digital humanities projects and the innovative approach of a single large-scale project.
Findings
The findings of the research presented show that sustainability planning for large-scale research projects needs to consider data and technology but also community, communications and process knowledge simultaneously. In addition, it should focus not only on a project as a collection of tangible and intangible assets, but also on the potential user base for these assets and what these users consider valuable about them.
Research limitations/implications
The conclusions of the paper have been formulated in the context of one specific project. As such, it may amplify the specificities of this project in its results.
Practical implications
An approach to project sustainability following the recommendations outlined in this paper would include a number of uncommon features, such as a longer development horizon, wider perspective on project results, and an audit of tacit and explicit knowledge.
Social Implications
These results can ultimately preserve public investment in projects.
Originality/value
This paper supplements more reductive models for project sustainability with a more holistic approach that others may learn from in mapping and sustaining user value for their projects for the medium to long terms.