Joachim Schopfel, Julien Roche and Gilles Hubert
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the development of academic libraries, by the introduction of the concepts of co-working and innovation to the learning…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the development of academic libraries, by the introduction of the concepts of co-working and innovation to the learning centres.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper builds on published case studies and French initiatives.
Findings
The proposal of this paper is that the academic library can meet its social responsibility on the campus and in society by drawing on the model of the co-working spaces and communities, by the support of innovation and the transfer of knowledge to the world of work. Moreover, the proposal is to include these new functions into the concept of learning centre, i.e. to develop the work-related aspects of the learning centre.
Research limitations/implications
Future research on academic libraries should focus on social responsibility and their contribution not only to students’ academic success but also to students’ employability and to the transfer of technology.
Practical implications
The paper contributes to the development and marketing of new academic library services and to its strategic positioning on the campus.
Originality/value
Co-working and innovation are relatively new but promising concepts for academic libraries. Except for some recent case studies, conceptual papers are still missing that combine empirical experience with a theoretical approach.
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Willpower is a quality that predicts positive outcomes in many areas of life and it is the greatest human strength which can make people go a step further (Baumeister & Tierney…
Abstract
Willpower is a quality that predicts positive outcomes in many areas of life and it is the greatest human strength which can make people go a step further (Baumeister & Tierney, 2011; Karp, 2015). Brunch and Ghoshal (2004) indicate that leaders need more than motivation to spur their actions. This is because difficult challenges underscore the limitations of motivation, and therefore leaders would need to rely mostly on their personal willpower. In leadership research, willpower is a capacity that is less studied and overlooked by researchers, in spite of the fact that many researchers strongly argue that willful leaders achieve more results and are perceived to be more determined in their thoughts and actions. Bearing this fact in mind, and being myself a great believer in this personal quality, enticed me to delve into the importance of willpower in acts of leadership. This chapter is a short account of the present phase of the author’s study which is being conducted with leaders who work in the educational field but who come from different countries, thus embracing diverse cultural backgrounds. The aim is to try to establish if cultural background gives a different perspective to the phenomenon of willpower. Results show that albeit culture has an impact on expected leader behaviour, and national cultures adopt different views on desired leadership qualities, willpower is still a strong phenomenon among educational leaders no matter what their cultural background is.
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Mark Julien, Karen Somerville and Jennifer Brant
The purpose of this paper is to examine Indigenous perspectives of work-life enrichment and conflict and provides insights to better support Indigenous employees.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine Indigenous perspectives of work-life enrichment and conflict and provides insights to better support Indigenous employees.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews were conducted with 56 Indigenous people from six Canadian provinces. In total, 33 of the respondents were female and 23 were male. The interview responses were transcribed and entered in NVivo10. Thematic analysis was used.
Findings
The authors’ respondents struggled with feeling marginalized and felt frustrated that they could not engage in their cultural and family practices. The respondents spoke of putting family needs ahead of work and that many respondents paid a price for doing so.
Research limitations/implications
The results are not generalizable to all Indigenous peoples, however these results do fill a void in the literature.
Practical implications
Employers must consider revising policies including providing more supervisor support in the form of educating supervisors on various Indigenous cultural practices and examine ways of providing more flexibility with respect to cultural and family practices.
Social implications
Indigenous peoples have been marginalized since the advent of colonialism. This research addresses a gap in the literature by presenting how a group of Indigenous respondents frames work-life enrichment and conflict.
Originality/value
Very few studies have examined Indigenous perspectives on work-life enrichment and conflict using a qualitative research design. It also aligns with one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s calls to action.
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Cristiano Codagnone, Athina Karatzogianni and Jacob Matthews
Anna Marie Johnson, Claudene Sproles and Robert Detmering
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper introduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and audiovisual material examining library instruction and information literacy.
Findings
The paper provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
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Anna Marie Johnson, Claudene Sproles and Latisha Reynolds
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper introduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and audiovisual material examining library instruction and information literacy.
Findings
The findings provide information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
Details
Keywords
Little attention has been given to the preparedness of academic staff for their role as research trainers or supervisors. In addition, limited work has been done on this topic in…
Abstract
Purpose
Little attention has been given to the preparedness of academic staff for their role as research trainers or supervisors. In addition, limited work has been done on this topic in developing countries such as the Philippines. The Philippines is an important case, as it is a national priority to develop university research and improve research training practices, and there is a graduate skill deficit (in terms of critical thinking, academic writing, and data analysis skills). The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges confronting the government and universities that relate to academic staff development, research supervision, and staff and student support, involving 53 government and university executives and academics from the Philippines.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey involved the participation of selected government and university executives, including the zonal research centre directors, via interviews; and survey of academic staff via a questionnaire.
Findings
Results indicate that the most critical challenges for government and universities in the Philippines relate to effectively meeting the dual demands of teaching and research, building a critical mass of researchers, and developing excellent research skills and competences among staff and students.
Originality/value
The paper is the first to study research training and supervision in Philippine universities, providing a case for the Philippines internationally, which is less featured in research.
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Albert Lwango, Régis Coeurderoy and Gabriel A. Giménez Roche
The purpose of this paper is to provide a better assessment of the positive impact of family influence (FI) on the performance of SMEs and investigate a possible shift with firm…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a better assessment of the positive impact of family influence (FI) on the performance of SMEs and investigate a possible shift with firm size (FS) and age.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based upon a large sample of 4,240 firms representative of small businesses operating in the USA. It focuses on active ownership, i.e. direct involvement of owners alongside employees as an important factor of FI and conducts hierarchical regression models with profitability as the dependent variable, FI as the independent variable, and FS/age as moderating variables. It also includes other firm characteristics as control variables.
Findings
The results show that even though active family ownership is positively associated with the profitability of SMEs, the relationship between FI and profitability is negatively moderated by FS and firm age (FA).
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of this study are mainly related to the definition of family SMEs and to the cross-sectional data used to understand the variations in economic performance. However, the results show the great importance of this kind of study; more attention must be paid to heterogeneity due to the size and age of family businesses as well as the level of owners’ involvement alongside employees.
Practical implications
Practitioners are encouraged to maintain a higher degree of family ownership combined with a higher degree of active ownership in the initial stages, when family businesses are young and small. However, the level of active ownership should be reduced when family businesses increase in age and size. According to this study, practitioners should open up businesses to external human resources other than the owners’ family as the firm increases in size/age to avoid the risks associated with family members lacking talent and/or expropriating benefits.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to give evidence on not only a direct (and positive) relationship between FI and economic performance, but also an indirect (and negative) moderating effect of FS and FA on this relationship.