JoAnne Sparks, Linda O'Brien, Joanna Richardson, Malcolm Wolski, Sanja Tadic and Joanne Morris
The purpose of this paper is to report on “turning a new page” (TNP), a business improvement initiative undertaken by Scholarly Information & Research (SIR). The aim is to embed…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report on “turning a new page” (TNP), a business improvement initiative undertaken by Scholarly Information & Research (SIR). The aim is to embed innovation and integrate e‐research and library services. SIR is part of the Information Services (INS) division at Griffith University, one of the top research universities in Australia. SIR provides library services, publication support and eResearch services to over 43,000 students and staff at five campuses and online.
Design/methodology/approach
TNP combines methods from best practices around continuous improvement, change management and business planning to achieve better alignment operationally and to prioritise potential improvements to services. The focus is on services required in three to five years for the “new generation” of users who will need them.
Findings
Existing services were unevenly delivered and resources unevenly distributed. A key initial step is restructuring to collocate similar capabilities and redistribute resources, and provides a framework for developing future capacity. The integrated staffing approach nurtures innovation and skills development.
Originality/value
Integrating e‐research services with library services to this extent has not been achieved in an Australian context before. The combination of methods applied and the progress achieved to date illustrates the value of the approach and may be relevant for other research‐intensive universities.
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This paper challenges readers to reflect on the terms ‘dual diagnosis’ and ‘recovery’ and to consider how the language and concepts that inform practice and policy shape the way…
Abstract
This paper challenges readers to reflect on the terms ‘dual diagnosis’ and ‘recovery’ and to consider how the language and concepts that inform practice and policy shape the way we think about our work and relate to service users.
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Estimates of relapse in management training efforts range as high as 90 per cent. Management trainers predict 40 per cent of training content is applied immediately after training…
Abstract
Estimates of relapse in management training efforts range as high as 90 per cent. Management trainers predict 40 per cent of training content is applied immediately after training and only 15 per cent is used 12 months later. These estimates suggest that managers acquire skills, implement them briefly and then fail to maintain them at work. In the face of limited management support for skill retention, training personnel must consider other options for skill retention that are trainee/trainer controlled. The “Relapse Prevention Model” is proposed as a methodology to enhance skill retention and as a data‐based diagnostic tool to alert individuals and organisations to circumstances that sabotage training efforts.
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This paper presents a mathematical programming model to reduce bias for both aggregate demand forecasts and lower echelon forecasts comprising a hierarchical forecasting system…
Abstract
This paper presents a mathematical programming model to reduce bias for both aggregate demand forecasts and lower echelon forecasts comprising a hierarchical forecasting system. Demand data from an actual service operation are used to illustrate the model and compare its accuracy with a standard approach for hierarchical forecasting. Results show that the proposed methodology outperforms the standard approach.
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Joanne Zaida Taylor and Luke Budworth
The purpose of this paper is to examine trends in safety and quality culture, using quantitative data gathered from food companies who have taken the Culture Excellence…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine trends in safety and quality culture, using quantitative data gathered from food companies who have taken the Culture Excellence assessment. It is the fourth paper in a theme issue of Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, discussing the importance of measuring food safety and quality culture.
Design/methodology/approach
The quantitative elements of the Culture Excellence assessment were analysed, exploring the differences between different dimensions of culture and the potential variation between managers, supervisors and operators.
Findings
Managers were found to generate higher scores for the culture of their company than operators, and to have particularly higher scores in certain dimensions of culture (e.g. Empowerment). Operators however reported receiving food safety training more frequently. Operators were also more likely to have a positive result on practical elements of the assessment (e.g. targets) than psychological ones (e.g. reward). All of the above findings were statistically significant at p < 001 with small to medium effect sizes.
Originality/value
This paper introduces quantitative data on food safety culture from the food industry with quantitative analysis to highlight issues and trends. It will be of value to food safety and quality practitioners, trainers, auditors and other stakeholders involved in the food industry.
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James Melitski, David Gavin and Joanne Gavin
Organization culture and technology adoption are two of the most critical issues facing organizations in a global society. Increasingly, organizations operate in uncertain…
Abstract
Organization culture and technology adoption are two of the most critical issues facing organizations in a global society. Increasingly, organizations operate in uncertain, networked, decentralized environments, where adoption and use of information technology has become central to fulfilling organizational missions. To examine the influence of organization culture on individual willingness to adopt technology, this work began by examining theories of behavioral intent, technology adoption, and organization culture and then proposed a model for examining technology adoption in public organizations. The research was based on the responses from an online survey of government, nonprofit, and social service workers from around the United States. The study found that there is a relationship between individual perception of organization culture and individual willingness to adopt technology. Finally, we addressed the limitations of the study design and propose future research.
Jennifer E. van Bekkum, Joanne M. Williams and Paul Graham Morris
This study aims to provide an in‐depth individual level understanding of the psychological factors that affect cycle commuting.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide an in‐depth individual level understanding of the psychological factors that affect cycle commuting.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 15 participants (eight cycle commuters and seven potential cycle commuters) from a “cycle‐friendly” employer based in a Scottish city took part in the study. Semi‐structured interviews and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) were used to collect and analyse data.
Findings
The present study found that cyclists are more aware of the benefits of cycle commuting than potential cyclists. Those who did not currently cycle to work displayed a heightened awareness of the challenges of cycling to work, whereas cyclists reported more coping strategies for negotiating or overcoming the challenges involved in cycle commuting. These individual cognitions are potentially modifiable through psychological interventions.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should be carried out on samples in different contexts to examine whether some of the findings would be supported in other populations.
Practical applications
The findings from this paper suggest that psychological interventions based on challenging perceptions of the benefits of and barriers to cycling may have a valuable role to play in enhancing cycle commuting rates.
Originality/value
This study uses IPA to explore the complexities of perceptions in relation to cycle commuting. It also brings to light the types of coping strategies used to enable cyclists to overcome some of their challenges associated with cycle commuting.
Jennifer E. van Bekkum, Joanne M. Williams and Paul Graham Morris
The aim of this study is to investigate perceptions of cycle commuting barriers in relation to stage of change, gender and occupational role. Stage of change is a key construct of…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to investigate perceptions of cycle commuting barriers in relation to stage of change, gender and occupational role. Stage of change is a key construct of the transtheoretical model of behaviour change that defines behavioural readiness (intentions and actions) into five distinct categories.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross‐sectional online questionnaire was completed by staff and PhD students (n=831) based in cycle‐friendly buildings in a large UK university. The questionnaire included questions relating to demographics, stages of behaviour change and 18 potential barriers. Data were analysed using t‐tests, one‐way ANOVAs and two‐way ANOVAs.
Findings
Overall, environmental factors were perceived as the biggest barriers to cycle commuting. However, perceptions of cycle commuting barriers significantly differed between stages of change, genders and occupational roles. Precontemplators, females and support staff commonly perceived greater barriers to cycle commuting compared to maintainers, males and academic staff.
Practical implications
The results indicate that tailored individual‐level behaviour change interventions focusing on reducing perceptions of barriers that take into account stage of change, gender and occupational differences may play a role in encouraging people to cycle to work.
Originality/value
The study reveals evidence of a significant subjective element involved in perception formation of some potential barriers associated with cycle commuting. Women not only hold stronger perceptions compared to males of risk‐orientated barriers but also of more general barriers associated with cycle commuting. The findings also suggest that occupational roles may influence an individual's perceptions of cycle commuting barriers.
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Alexandra L. Ferrentino, Meghan L. Maliga, Richard A. Bernardi and Susan M. Bosco
This research provides accounting-ethics authors and administrators with a benchmark for accounting-ethics research. While Bernardi and Bean (2010) considered publications in…
Abstract
This research provides accounting-ethics authors and administrators with a benchmark for accounting-ethics research. While Bernardi and Bean (2010) considered publications in business-ethics and accounting’s top-40 journals this study considers research in eight accounting-ethics and public-interest journals, as well as, 34 business-ethics journals. We analyzed the contents of our 42 journals for the 25-year period between 1991 through 2015. This research documents the continued growth (Bernardi & Bean, 2007) of accounting-ethics research in both accounting-ethics and business-ethics journals. We provide data on the top-10 ethics authors in each doctoral year group, the top-50 ethics authors over the most recent 10, 20, and 25 years, and a distribution among ethics scholars for these periods. For the 25-year timeframe, our data indicate that only 665 (274) of the 5,125 accounting PhDs/DBAs (13.0% and 5.4% respectively) in Canada and the United States had authored or co-authored one (more than one) ethics article.