Martin Killeen and Michele Shoebridge
The Birmingham University Library contains over 1.7 million items and has 26,000 registered borrowers. It has a staff of over 130 and serves a user population of over 10,000 full…
Abstract
The Birmingham University Library contains over 1.7 million items and has 26,000 registered borrowers. It has a staff of over 130 and serves a user population of over 10,000 full time students and 1,500 academic and research staff. Around 26,000 new volumes are added to the collection annually. Current periodical subscriptions number over 4,000.
Describes a number of experiments with electronic documentdelivery, and the copyright problems that are affecting its use.Considers the inadequacies of interlending for the user…
Abstract
Describes a number of experiments with electronic document delivery, and the copyright problems that are affecting its use. Considers the inadequacies of interlending for the user, the interlending in Eastern Europe and Australia. Outlines the impact of CD‐ROM on document supply and suggests that interlending can be a social, cultural and economic measure.
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The local property tax is the oldest tax in the United States, as well as being the only substantial tax on landed wealth, a major part of the housing expense of most American…
Abstract
The local property tax is the oldest tax in the United States, as well as being the only substantial tax on landed wealth, a major part of the housing expense of most American families, and the most important revenue source for local governments. It is also increasingly limited by state law. This chapter presents a synthetic review of the literature on property tax limitation laws. Property taxation is a crucial resource for local governments because it is primarily a tax on real estate, and land is the least mobile tax base. A tax on the market value of real estate may have the effect of transmitting real estate price shocks to individual land users. Property tax limitation laws provide some homeowners with social protection from such market-induced economic shocks, but they do so at the price of a substantial reduction in state capacity. A meta-regression analysis of published studies finds that property tax levy limitations, on average, reduce local government budgets by as much as 5%. The potential implications for provision of other public goods, including social protection for other groups, are discussed.
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Yeongjoon Yoon and Sukanya Sengupta
The current research investigates the gender difference in the attitudes of current employees and job seekers (or “future” employees) to payroll cost reduction methods (downsizing…
Abstract
Purpose
The current research investigates the gender difference in the attitudes of current employees and job seekers (or “future” employees) to payroll cost reduction methods (downsizing vs cutting pay).
Design/methodology/approach
Two studies were conducted. In Study 1, we analyzed a secondary dataset (survey data) of 2,139 employees in Ireland. In Study 2, we conducted an online experiment on 384 people in the US.
Findings
Study 1 reveals that, for males, downsizing survivors' commitment and job satisfaction levels are higher than those of employees whose pay is cut. In contrast, there were no differences in the commitment and job satisfaction levels between survivors of downsizing and pay-reduced employees for females. The analysis in Study 2 indicates that females are more attracted to organizations that utilize pay cuts over downsizing to overcome financial difficulties. In contrast, males demonstrated no differences in job-seeker attraction outcomes to organizations that chose either of these two payroll cost reduction methods. Thus, the results of the two studies indicate that females, compared to males, form less negative (or more favorable) attitudes toward pay cuts over downsizing.
Practical implications
The findings urge organizations to consider gender differences and develop relevant mitigation plans when one method must be chosen to reduce payroll costs.
Originality/value
The outcomes of this research indicate that the selection of a payroll cost reduction method may lead to a disparate impact on gender composition in an organization.
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Yochai Eisenberg, Erin D. Bouldin, Nancy Gell and Dori Rosenberg
The size of the population classified as people with disabilities or older adults is increasing globally. The World Health Organization estimates that the average prevalence of…
Abstract
The size of the population classified as people with disabilities or older adults is increasing globally. The World Health Organization estimates that the average prevalence of disability is around 18% among adults age 18 and older. People with disabilities and older adults have lower levels of physical activity and experience significant barriers to walking in local neighbourhoods. A new perspective is needed that views disability in the context of the built environment and across the lifespan. The purpose of this chapter is to examine walking as an activity that is inclusive of any age, ability or assistive device used for mobility. Through a literature review, we illustrate the complex relationship that exists between individuals with disabilities/older adults and the built environment. We describe environmental and social factors, which have been found to be associated with walking among people with disabilities and older adults as well as factors perceived to be barriers to walking. Factors cited in the literature include aspects that fall into the environmental domains of the International Classification of Functioning. We conclude by highlighting key factors needed for planning supportive walking environments for people with disabilities and older adults. Recommendations include the use of walking audits to gain information on detailed aspects of the built environment, developing inclusive walking initiatives, including people with disabilities and older adults in the planning process and planning for maintenance.
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Lynn Shaw, Lubna Daraz, Mary Beth Bezzina, Amy Patel and Gillian Gorfine
The objective of this paper was to identify and analyze barriers to hiring persons with disabilities from the perspective of employers and persons with disabilities.
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this paper was to identify and analyze barriers to hiring persons with disabilities from the perspective of employers and persons with disabilities.
Methodology
A scoping review was used to evaluate both evidence and grey literature. An integrative analysis was employed to explicate the most salient macro and meso level barriers that limit the hiring of persons with disabilities.
Findings
A total of 38 articles from 6,480 evidence literature and 19 documents from grey literature were included in data extraction. Barriers included: negative attitudes in society, by employers and coworkers (macro and meso); workplace barriers (meso) were about lack of employer knowledge of performance skill and capacity of persons with disabilities, and the lack of awareness of disability and the management of disability-related issues in hiring and retention; and service delivery system barriers (macro) were focused on the lack of integration of services and policies to promote hiring and retention.
Social implications
Knowledge gained furthers the understanding of the breadth of social, workplace and service delivery system obstacles that restrict the entry into the labor marker for persons with disabilities.
Originality/value
Barriers to employment for persons with disabilities at the macro and meso level are evident in the literature and they remain persistent over time despite best efforts to promote inclusion. Findings in this review point to the need for more specific critical research on the persistence of social, workplace and service delivery system barriers as well as the need for pragmatic approaches to change through partnering and development of targeted information to support employers in hiring and employing persons with disabilities.
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Shuqin Wei, Tyson Ang and Nwamaka A. Anaza
Crowding in service environments is a constant concern for many firms due to the negative consequences it has on consumers and companies alike. Yet, scant empirical research…
Abstract
Purpose
Crowding in service environments is a constant concern for many firms due to the negative consequences it has on consumers and companies alike. Yet, scant empirical research exists on firm-generated initiatives aimed at improving customer service experiences in crowded situations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how information, a managerially actionable variable, influences social interactions (in the form of customer social withdrawal and citizenship behavior) and service experience.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experimental studies were conducted using an extended service context.
Findings
This research demonstrates that receiving information about crowds in advance results in heightened social withdrawal, which improves customer service experience. However, providing consumers with a platform to share crowding information increases customers’ citizenship behavior toward service employees and other customers, which, in turn, improves customer service experience.
Practical implications
For extended service encounters (e.g. air travel) where social interactions are inevitable, companies should encourage customers to share their real-time experiences with other customers in hopes of creating more positive social interactions (e.g. citizenship behavior) within the crowded environment.
Originality/value
Existing investigations of crowding stem from an overemphasis on the physical and atmospheric aspects of the environment by treating crowds as a “fixture” in the servicescape, rather than as “active participants” involved in the crowding environment. While the mere presence of crowds alone has negative effects, this research takes it a step further by examining interactions among and between customers and service employees within the crowded service environment.
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Giuliana Galli Carminati, Federico Carminati, Rachel Lehotkay, Erica Nora Lorincz, Viviane Subirade-Jacopit, Elisa Rondini and Marco O. Bertelli
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between some main characteristics of different living arrangements and the quality of life (QoL) of their users with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between some main characteristics of different living arrangements and the quality of life (QoL) of their users with severe intellectual disability and low-functioning autism spectrum disorders.
Design/methodology/approach
Study participants were assessed for ASD severity through the Childhood Autism Rating Scale or the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS): for behavioral problems with the aberrant behavior checklist (ABC); for perception of efficacy and satisfaction with care, through an adapted Visual Analogue Scale; and for QoL with the QoL inventory in residential environments (validated in French as Inventaire de la Qualité de Vie en Milieu Résidentiel). Because the goal was to define a “residential profile (RP),” the authors evaluated each participating residence with the Working Methods Scale and the questionnaire on residential parameters.
Findings
The RP allowed for the classification of the residences into three clusters. The authors found no clear relationship between QoL and the RP clusters, but the authors found the RP clusters to be significantly correlated with ABC factors F1 (irritability, agitation, crying) and F2 (lethargy, social withdrawal), and VABS scores for living, socialization, and motor skills.
Originality/value
RPs were more strongly correlated with ABC items and the ability to cope with everyday life than with QoL. The authors hypothesize that RP is correlated with both aberrant behavior and the autonomy of residents and that QoL remains relatively stable. Therefore, RP is correlated with the status of the residents; however, this appears not to be correlated with their QoL.
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Studies comparing the consequences of payroll cost reduction methods (i.e. cutting pay and downsizing) have been limited, with no studies comparing these methods' impact on…
Abstract
Purpose
Studies comparing the consequences of payroll cost reduction methods (i.e. cutting pay and downsizing) have been limited, with no studies comparing these methods' impact on job-seeker attraction. The current research tries to close this gap by comparing the effects of cutting pay and downsizing on job-seeker attraction outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Two studies are conducted. The first study compares the effects of the two payroll cost reduction methods (i.e. cutting pay vs downsizing) on job-seeker attraction through a within-subject design experiment of people in the United States. The second study analyzes secondary data in South Korea to compare the two methods' effects on the number of job applicants applying for job openings.
Findings
The results demonstrate that organizations with a history of pay cuts yield more favorable job-seeker attraction outcomes than organizations with a history of downsizing.
Practical implications
Although firms that choose to downsize may better maintain the morale of surviving employees, the decision of downsizing can have long-term costs, such as having a worse capability to attract job-applicants than firms that choose to cut pay and share the pain as a group.
Originality/value
The research provides an insight into which payroll cost reduction method yields better outcomes in terms of job-seeker attraction. The research responds to the call in the payroll cost reduction method literature of identifying a feasible alternative to downsizing in terms of various outcomes other than the morale of current (or remaining) employees.