Abstract
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Abstract
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Kieran Cronin and Terry O'Brien
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate that in increasingly financially constrained times, libraries do not require prerequisite specialised marketing expertise to promote…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate that in increasingly financially constrained times, libraries do not require prerequisite specialised marketing expertise to promote their institution and its services successfully by engaging in cost effective marketing initiatives. It also aims to highlight the potential and importance of marketing to enhance services, communicate services and improve library visibility.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study is undertaken of the marketing experiences of Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) Libraries, a small to medium‐sized, publicly funded education institute in South‐East Ireland. The paper details a series of low‐cost, practical marketing measures undertaken by WIT Libraries over the period 2007‐2008, and contextualises them for a collective audience.
Findings
WIT Libraries are engaged in a wide range of marketing initiatives, adopting traditional means and Web 2.0 technologies where possible to increase the library's exposure and the services it offers. Predominantly these marketing initiatives do not require a significant financial investment and can be implemented utilising existing library resources in terms of staff expertise and facilities. A “one size fits” all approach does not work for all libraries. Specific marketing techniques can be tailored to suit individual libraries and their users' needs. The authors contend that a range of low‐cost initiatives can be used to successfully promote library services amongst users and the wider community. Further mid‐term evaluation may be necessary.
Originality/value
The paper illustrates with concrete examples how a library with no specialised marketing expertise can adapt to the prevailing financial climate, to engage in cost effective initiatives and promote itself and its services successfully. The article will be of value to similar sized and similarly resourced libraries as a basis for engaging in low‐cost effective marketing initiatives.
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To outline and explain the importance of strategies for marketing academic libraries.
Abstract
Purpose
To outline and explain the importance of strategies for marketing academic libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
Case study of Waterford Institute of Technology Libraries.
Findings
Libraries have existing resources available to them to initiate highly effective and affordable marketing strategies.
Practical implications
The retention of existing patrons, attracting new patrons, streamlining and updating resources, and generating revenue.
Social implications
Re‐confirming the relevance of academic libraries as the primary source and repository of information services.
Originality/value
Outlining of achievable strategies for success in difficult financial times for library staff and academic communities.
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Mary Cece Young and Carrie Anna Courtad
In the United States, students with disabilities have moved from learning in a segregated environment to being included in the general education classroom. Legislative mandates…
Abstract
In the United States, students with disabilities have moved from learning in a segregated environment to being included in the general education classroom. Legislative mandates have encouraged this shift to occur in public schools in order to equal the playing field for students with disabilities. Both general and special education students with learning disabilities (LD) have been affected from inclusion. This chapter describes the legal, historical, psychological, and instructional concepts shaping the way students with LD are educated today.
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Cedwyn Fernandes, Kieran Ross and Mohammad Meraj
The purpose of this paper is to verify and estimate the impact of the antecedents of Programme satisfaction and to explore its link with student loyalty in the higher education…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to verify and estimate the impact of the antecedents of Programme satisfaction and to explore its link with student loyalty in the higher education (HE) sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Design/methodology/approach
A Programme Experience Questionnaire (PEQ) was developed, based on the National Student Survey (NSS), which surveyed 187 graduates at a British university based in the UAE. Cronbach alpha tests were conducted to test the reliability of the variables and correlation and regression analysis were used to estimate the relationship and significance of the variables.
Findings
Teaching quality and variables directly associated with the students’ programme of study had the most significant impact on student satisfaction; thus emphasizing the need for recruitment and development of high quality academic faculty members. Academic feedback, library and IT resources did not have a significant impact. The link between Programme satisfaction and satisfaction with non‐academic services and facilities had a positive impact on student loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
In the competitive UAE HE sector, it is important to identify the antecedents and their variable impact on student satisfaction with their programme and its impact on loyalty. A comparison of results of the PEQ across a number of years and across other universities within the UAE, would help validate the results obtained in this paper.
Originality/value
Studies of this kind, whilst in their infancy within the UAE context, are important given the UAE HE market is attracting more entrants and becoming very competitive. The results may provide valuable insights for universities in developing appropriate strategies to improve student satisfaction and thus enhance their competitiveness.
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This conference, in the series being run by the National Physical Laboratory to help the electronics assembly industry consider the problems of CFC phase‐out, was essentially an…
Abstract
This conference, in the series being run by the National Physical Laboratory to help the electronics assembly industry consider the problems of CFC phase‐out, was essentially an updated repeat of the event held on 30 April, which had been a complete, standing‐room‐only sell‐out. Surprisingly, this repeat performance also attracted a full house and the format used has proved to be the most popular of all the NPL non‐CFC options conferences.
Kieran Taylor-Neu, Abu S. Rahaman, Gregory D. Saxton and Dean Neu
This study aims to examine whether senior Enron executive emails celebrated, or at least left a space for, corporate irresponsibility. Engaging with prior organizational-focused…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine whether senior Enron executive emails celebrated, or at least left a space for, corporate irresponsibility. Engaging with prior organizational-focused research, we investigate how corporate emails sent by senior executives help constitute Enron by communicating to employees senior management’s stance about important topics and social characters.
Design/methodology/approach
The study analyzes the 527,356 sentences contained in 144,228 emails sent by Enron senior executives and other employees in the three-year period (1999–2001) before the company’s collapse. Sentences are used as the base-level speech unit because we are interested in identifying the tone and emotions expressed about specific topics and stakeholders. Tone is measured using Loughran and McDonald’s (2016) financial dictionary approach, and emotion is measured using Mohammad and Turney’s (2013) NRC word-emotion lexicon. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regressions are used to explore the determinants of senior management tone and emotions.
Findings
The analysis illustrates that while both senior executives and other employees utilized email to help accomplish task-related activities, they employed different evaluative tones to talk about key topics and stakeholders. Also important is what is left unsaid, with a “spiral of silence” emanating from senior management that created a space for corporate irresponsibility.
Originality/value
Combining advanced computerized textual analysis with qualitative techniques, we analyze a unique dataset to explore micro details involved in using email to communicate a tone at the top. The findings illustrate how what is said or not said by senior management contributes to the constitution of an organization.
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Diarmaid Addison Smyth and Kieran McQuinn
The Irish fiscal position was significantly affected by the recent financial crisis. Budgetary surpluses quickly gave way to significant deficits post 2007, culminating into a…
Abstract
Purpose
The Irish fiscal position was significantly affected by the recent financial crisis. Budgetary surpluses quickly gave way to significant deficits post 2007, culminating into a lengthy excessive deficit procedure and entry into a formal EU/IMF assistance programme in 2010. Much of the deterioration in the public finances was caused by a sharp decline in property-related taxes because the Irish housing market rapidly contracted. In this paper, the authors quantify the extent to which disequilibria in the housing market can affect the tax take, finding significant implications over an extended period.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors attempt to quantify the extent of housing-related tax windfall gains and losses in Ireland over a 30-year period as a result of disequilibrium in the housing market. This involves a three-step modelling approach where we relate property-dependent taxes to the housing market while estimating equilibrium in the latter before solving for the tax take consistent with that equilibrium. In so doing, the authors find that the fiscal position compatible with equilibrium in the housing market has at times diverged greatly from actual outturns.
Findings
This paper confirms the significant role played by the housing market in influencing both the tax-take and the overall fiscal position. The authors find that there have been a number of instances where excesses in the housing market have spilled over into fiscal aggregates, notably in the housing bubble period between 2003 and 2008. However, with the on-going adjustments in the housing market, it would appear that prices and volumes have overcorrected in recent years. Overall, much greater emphasis should be given to the role of the housing market in forecasting key taxation aggregates.
Originality/value
The recent crisis highlighted how domestic policy mistakes (both in terms of budgetary planning and financial market regulation) can greatly amplify economic shocks. Irish budgetary policy in the run up to the financial crisis of 2008/2009 was clearly based on unsustainable levels of housing-related tax receipts. This paper highlights the need for a much more granular approach in framing tax forecasts and in assessing the public finances by more explicitly factoring in housing market developments.
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Dilip S. Mutum, Ahmad Hata Hussein and Ezlika M. Ghazali
This study investigates the antecedents of student loyalty towards universities. This study offers new insights into postgraduate loyalty in the context of the Malaysian higher…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the antecedents of student loyalty towards universities. This study offers new insights into postgraduate loyalty in the context of the Malaysian higher education industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Partial least squares structural equation modelling is used to analyse data obtained from a survey of 231 postgraduate students in Malaysia.
Findings
The findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between price value and both student satisfaction and student loyalty. There are also strong relationships between learning environment and student satisfaction and between student satisfaction and student loyalty. While university prestige showed a significant relationship with student satisfaction, it is not related to student loyalty. Another important finding is that price value has a strong and direct relationship with both student satisfaction and student loyalty.
Originality/value
This study presents an updated empirical model of student loyalty. Contrary to previous studies, the results indicate that service quality is not related to student satisfaction. However, it is found to influence student loyalty towards the University. The results also indicate the important mediating effect of student satisfaction. This is the first study to look specifically at student satisfaction and loyalty of postgraduate students in Malaysia.