Lori K. Long and Patricia A. Meglich
The proliferation of inexpensive and accessible internet communication tools coupled with an increasingly geographically dispersed workforce has increased the use of virtual…
Abstract
Purpose
The proliferation of inexpensive and accessible internet communication tools coupled with an increasingly geographically dispersed workforce has increased the use of virtual collaboration in the workplace. To prepare students for a virtual work environment, educators must provide classroom‐related opportunities to build students’ virtual collaboration skills. The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of virtual collaboration in the workplace, the implications for today's college graduates, and the need to provide students with experience in virtual collaboration. Finally, the paper provides a case study example of a course assignment to build virtual collaboration skills.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper explores preparing students to collaborate virtually through a literature review that builds an understanding of the challenges of virtual collaboration in today's workplace and the skills students must develop in order to effectively collaborate virtually. The paper then provides a case study example of a course assignment to help students build these skills.
Findings
This paper finds that virtual collaboration skills are needed for today's college graduates. Further the case study presented provides evidence that authentic course‐based assignments can help build those skills.
Originality/value
While research has started to explore the effective use of virtual collaboration in the workplace, the current literature lacks direction for educators to help build the skills of future workers to prepare them for virtual collaboration.
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Deborah Erdos Knapp, Robert H. Faley and Lori K. Long
Important Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)‐related issues that derive from the case law are described and analyzed with the aim of providing guidance both for those…
Abstract
Purpose
Important Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)‐related issues that derive from the case law are described and analyzed with the aim of providing guidance both for those responsible for establishing organizational policies, procedures, and practices.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 50 influential court cases spanning the past ten years are reviewed and synthesized to better understand the current and future impact of the ADA.
Findings
Better understanding of ADA can help employers both avoid costly litigation and take advantage of a segment of the US labor market that has not yet been fully utilized.
Originality/value
This paper helps practitioner and researchers better understand the organizational implications of the ADA. Better understanding the current case law should lead to employer policies, procedures, and practices that facilitate the better utilization of the qualified disabled work force without compromising employer concerns related to productivity and other job‐related outcomes.
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Lori K. Long and Robert D. Smith
Advances in computer technology facilitate innovative methods for delivering training in organizations. The Internet enables the delivery of computer‐based training across time…
Abstract
Advances in computer technology facilitate innovative methods for delivering training in organizations. The Internet enables the delivery of computer‐based training across time and distance. This medium, known as Web‐based distance learning, provides opportunities to develop human resources to support creating a competitive advantage for an organization. This article discusses principles of WBDL design, measuring the effectiveness of training delivered through that design. Further, the relationship between WBDL and human resource development is provided. Suggestions for organizations planning to implement WBDL are included.
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Lori K. Long, Cathy Z. DuBois and Robert H. Faley
Despite years of advice from researchers that trainee reactions provide training evaluation information that is of very limited use, trainee reactions remain the most commonly…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite years of advice from researchers that trainee reactions provide training evaluation information that is of very limited use, trainee reactions remain the most commonly used measure of training effectiveness. Because the technology that supports online training facilitates the collection of trainee reaction information during and after training, organizations will likely expand their use of trainee reactions in training evaluation. Thus, the need to understand the utility of trainee reactions in online training is significant. The purpose of this study is to propose a model of trainee reactions based upon the theory of reasoned action and the technology acceptance model.
Design/methodology/approach
The model was tested using students participating in online training courses provided by a large landscaping company based in the USA.
Findings
Analyses provided partial support for the model. Findings include a negative relationship between computer anxiety and pre‐training motivation, a positive main effect on perceived effort for both pre‐training motivation and trainee reactions, and a positive relationship between trainee reactions and intent to take future online courses.
Research limitations/implications
The generalizability of the results of this study is limited due to the use of student subjects. Also, a small sample size limited the ability to test the full model using path analytic testing.
Originality/value
These results provide meaningful guidance both for researchers and for practitioners responsible for the design and implementation of online training courses.
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To study the impact on human resource development of the advances in computer‐based distance learning, and whether organizations that could benefit are taking the opportunities…
Abstract
Purpose
To study the impact on human resource development of the advances in computer‐based distance learning, and whether organizations that could benefit are taking the opportunities offered.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have studied the growth of web‐based distance learning (WBDL), which they describe in its different forms, and discuss its implementation.
Findings
The authors advocate the benefits to organizations of training their employees by the use of computer‐based knowledge delivery, but not to the total exclusion of the more traditional classroom‐based training. Advances in computer‐based technologies have facilitated many innovative methods of training, which can increase the value of employees as a strategic asset to the organization in building and maintaining competitive advantage. The authors emphasize the flexibility of WBDL, but caution that it might not be the right solution for all situations.
Practical implications
To ensure that WBDL is a worthwhile investment for an organization, it is important to have an implementation plan that is specifically tied to an organization's business strategy. The authors emphasize the flexibility of WBDL, but caution that it might not be the right solution for all situations.
Originality/value
An organization could use WBDL in the right circumstances as shown as a flexible medium for teaching in the organization.
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Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
For the vast majority of organizations, training is crucial to their prospects of achieving and sustaining competitive advantage. According to American writer Thomas J. Peters, training is so important that firms can never “overspend” in this area. Maybe so. But against an increasingly tougher economic background, company leaders are naturally looking to make employee development as cost‐effective as possible. To this end, a mounting number of organizations are turning towards online training to provide the solution. And why not? The mechanism permits a flexible approach that enables training to be supplied exactly when and where it is required. These just‐in‐time capabilities can mean a hefty saving on the distribution costs associated with the more conventional training courses. Any satisfaction at cutting the budget will, however, be short‐lived unless the format proves effective.
Practical implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.
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This research examined how moving to a residential care home, a specific form of long‐term care facility, influences the quality of the relationship between seniors and their…
Abstract
This research examined how moving to a residential care home, a specific form of long‐term care facility, influences the quality of the relationship between seniors and their family members and how policies in these homes can facilitate relationships between residents and their family members. In this exploratory study, a total of five non‐spousal family members participated in a focus group discussion, and an additional 10 family members participated in face‐to‐face interviews. The two main themes that emerged identified that admission to a long‐term care facility had no influence on family relationships, or it had a positive influence on family relationships. The respondents identified how policies in the home can maintain or enhance family relationships. In particular, they appreciated very flexible policies that included few restrictions on when and where they could interact with their relatives and appreciated facilities providing private spaces to accommodate family interaction. The results of this study, and future research, will aid administrators in long‐term care facilities to develop policies that most support and enhance the experience of seniors and their ongoing relationship with their family members.
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Loris Nanni, Alessandra Lumini and Sheryl Brahnam
Automatic anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) classification is progressing at a rapid pace because of its potential in drug development. Predicting an unknown compound's…
Abstract
Purpose
Automatic anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) classification is progressing at a rapid pace because of its potential in drug development. Predicting an unknown compound's therapeutic and chemical characteristics in terms of how it affects multiple organs and physiological systems makes automatic ATC classification a vital yet challenging multilabel problem. The aim of this paper is to experimentally derive an ensemble of different feature descriptors and classifiers for ATC classification that outperforms the state-of-the-art.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed method is an ensemble generated by the fusion of neural networks (i.e. a tabular model and long short-term memory networks (LSTM)) and multilabel classifiers based on multiple linear regression (hMuLab). All classifiers are trained on three sets of descriptors. Features extracted from the trained LSTMs are also fed into hMuLab. Evaluations of ensembles are compared on a benchmark data set of 3883 ATC-coded pharmaceuticals taken from KEGG, a publicly available drug databank.
Findings
Experiments demonstrate the power of the authors’ best ensemble, EnsATC, which is shown to outperform the best methods reported in the literature, including the state-of-the-art developed by the fast.ai research group. The MATLAB source code of the authors’ system is freely available to the public at https://github.com/LorisNanni/Neural-networks-for-anatomical-therapeutic-chemical-ATC-classification.
Originality/value
This study demonstrates the power of extracting LSTM features and combining them with ATC descriptors in ensembles for ATC classification.
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Lori Holcomb, Candy Beal and John K. Lee
This article seeks to demonstrate how social studies has come to be an all-inclusive subject: it has become supersized. When supported by Web 2.0 technology, social studies…
Abstract
This article seeks to demonstrate how social studies has come to be an all-inclusive subject: it has become supersized. When supported by Web 2.0 technology, social studies enables students to address multifaceted problems that require the deep understanding necessary to arrive at both wise and timely solutions. We discuss how curriculum integration and emerging technology applications can support the supersizing of social studies. Two instructional projects and two instructional tools are presented as examples of how social studies can be supersized through the use of Web 2.0 technologies.