Lalith Liyanage, Rebecca Strachan, Roger Penlington and Biddy Casselden
Information and communication technologies have transformed higher education providing e‐mechanisms to support the delivery of content, communication and interaction. One example…
Abstract
Purpose
Information and communication technologies have transformed higher education providing e‐mechanisms to support the delivery of content, communication and interaction. One example is the widespread adoption of virtual learning environments (VLEs) by higher education institutions to provide a key interface among learners, the content and tutors. The aim of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of the design of educational systems for work based learning (WBL) from the learner's perspective. The study includes consideration of the use of technology to support the work based learning process for the learner.
Design/methodology/approach
Case studies from four postgraduate programmes and one undergraduate programme within the School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences (CEIS) at Northumbria University are presented. Key results from a survey of students on these programmes are discussed.
Findings
The results demonstrate that there are different motivations for this type of provision when compared with more conventional higher education programmes. In this digital age, technology should be a key enabling factor and students expect its adoption to support the learning process. However, academic institutions and staff are still not fully exploiting the possibilities of new media technologies through adapting their approaches to learning.
Originality/value
Traditionally the WBL concept has focused on two of the stakeholder contexts, namely the learner and the academic environment. Consideration of the other two important stakeholder contexts: the workplace and the external environment could significantly enrich the student experience and overall effectiveness of WBL delivery. The current study aims to address this deficit by considering all four stakeholders contexts in one model in order to evaluate the effectiveness of design of educational systems for WBL. This paper presents the first of these stakeholder contexts, the learner experience.
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Dilusha Madushanka Liyanage and Arosha Adikaram
The purpose of this paper is to understand how gay employees, as labeled deviants, cope with heterosexist harassment at work in an Asian culture of hegemonic heterosexual…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand how gay employees, as labeled deviants, cope with heterosexist harassment at work in an Asian culture of hegemonic heterosexual masculinity, using the modified labeling theory.
Design/methodology/approach
Using qualitative research approach, in-depth interviews were carried out with 16 self-identified gay employees.
Findings
Results revealed how the coping strategies of gay employees, in the face of harassment, are entwined with the labeling and stigma leading to diverse and complex coping strategies. Several broader coping strategies were thus identified based on whether the participants accepted the label of deviance and stigma and whether they were open about their sexuality. These broader coping strategies are support seeking, confrontation, inaction, quitting and, stigma and labeling avoidance strategies. Under these broader strategies, there were also sub strategies such as seeking social support, organizational support, legal support the support of the wise, as well as secrecy and social withdrawal.
Originality/value
These findings will advance the knowledge in coping strategies of heterosexist harassments at work as well as knowledge in harassment of gay employees, in hegemonic heterosexual cultures.
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Abdul Wahid Mohamed Safith and Lalith De Silva
Vertical alignment in high-rise building is a very important aspect. The architects are nowadays interested in improvising untypical complicated morphology in building designs…
Abstract
Purpose
Vertical alignment in high-rise building is a very important aspect. The architects are nowadays interested in improvising untypical complicated morphology in building designs which increase the difficulty in surveying for vertical alignments. Although the GNSS survey techniques are widely applied in constructions, there is a lack of data sources to explicitly expose their applicability in high-rise buildings and the challenges to be considered. This study has been oriented to find out the best suitable GPS survey technique for the vertical alignment in high-rise buildings and the practical challenges to be considered.
Design/methodology/approach
The findings have been attained by analyzing the reliable data gained through experts' comments through structured questionnaire survey, case studies and experiments on different GPS survey techniques.
Findings
The findings express that the GPS techniques can be used for vertical alignments in high-rise buildings except for direct setting out for which only RTK GPS can be used. There are some practical challenges to be considered in such GPS applications.
Research limitations/implications
The findings encourage the research community to further focus on the GNSS survey applications in the constructions of high-rise buildings.
Practical implications
The research expresses applicability of easier and less time-consumed modern GNSS survey techniques instead of traditional survey methods for expediting building constructions.
Social implications
The knowledge on such modern rapid survey techniques with accuracy, efficiency and reliability highly affects the process of infrastructure development.
Originality/value
The research presents a useful new knowledge on applying GNSS survey techniques for precise survey requirements in the construction industry and exposes the gateways for further researches and development.
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Rashmi Ranjan Panigrahi, Avinash K. Shrivastava and Sai Sudhakar Nudurupati
Effective inventory management is crucial for SMEs due to limited resources and higher risks like cash flow, storage space, and stockouts. Hence, the aim is to explore how…
Abstract
Purpose
Effective inventory management is crucial for SMEs due to limited resources and higher risks like cash flow, storage space, and stockouts. Hence, the aim is to explore how technology and know-how can be integrated with inventory practices and impact operational performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The basis of the analysis was collecting papers from a wide range of databases, which included Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. In the first phase of the process, a search string with as many as nine related keywords was used to obtain 175 papers. It further filtered them based on their titles and abstracts to retain 95 papers that were included for thorough analysis.
Findings
The study introduced innovative methods of measuring inventory practices by exploring the impact of know-how. It is the first of its kind to identify and demonstrate how technical, technological, and behavioral know-how can influence inventory management practices and ultimately impact the performance of emerging SMEs. This study stands out for its comprehensive approach, which covers traditional and modern inventory management technologies in a single study.
Research limitations/implications
The study provides valuable insights into the interplay between technical, technological, and behavioral know-how in inventory management practices and their effects on the performance of emerging SMEs in Industry 5.0 in the light of RBV theory.
Originality/value
The RBV theory and the Industry 5.0 paradigm are used in this study to explore how developing SMEs' inventory management practices influence their performance. This study investigates the effects of traditional and modern inventory management systems on business performance. Incorporating RBV theory with the Industry 5.0 framework investigates firm-specific resources and technological advances in the current industrial revolution. This unique technique advances the literature on inventory management and has industry implications.