Graeme Baxter, Rita Marcella and Mary O'Shea
The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of Twitter by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) for the provision of constituency-related information, or in support of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of Twitter by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) for the provision of constituency-related information, or in support of their constituency service work.
Design/methodology/approach
Content analysis of 10,411 tweets sent by the 105 MSPs on Twitter during four weeks in early-2014.
Findings
While there was some evidence of MSPs on Twitter acting as a promoter of local community interests and as a conduit for information on local policy issues and events, their tweets were dominated by the wider, national, political agenda and by the Scottish independence debate. Compared with their online behaviour as parliamentary candidates three years earlier, MSPs placed an even greater emphasis on the one-way broadcast of information to their followers. They were reluctant to respond to contentious local policy questions, or to enter into any visible, meaningful, political debate with their constituents.
Research limitations/implications
Although the research was conducted seven months before the Scottish independence referendum on 18 September 2014, the independence debate still dominated proceedings on Twitter. It might, therefore, be appropriate to revisit MSPs’ use of Twitter at some point during a truer “peacetime” period.
Originality/value
This is the first systematic content analysis of tweets sent by all MSPs on Twitter. It allows the authors to compare their actual Twitter use with that envisaged by the Scottish Parliament, as a way of MSPs communicating about their work and engaging with their constituents.
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Zawiyah M. Yusof and Robert W. Chell
This article examines the various definitions accorded to the two key terms in records management ‐ the records and records management. Variations in their definition have lead to…
Abstract
This article examines the various definitions accorded to the two key terms in records management ‐ the records and records management. Variations in their definition have lead to confusion which affects the formulation of theory to underpin the discipline. This problem is to be discussed in two separate parts. Part 1 discusses the changing definition of the ‘record’ as it evolves from an archives perspective, through a management perspective to an information technology perspective. These changes have lead to changes in the status of records. This is discussed as records as objects vs records as electronic objects. However, this is not a new issue. It was recognised by Jenkinson as early as 1922. The debate on the definition of records concludes that any new definition needs to take account of the component parts of a record: the information, the medium and the function. Part 2 will discuss the various definitions of records management.
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There are three obvious lessons to be learned from the Texaco saga now unfolding on the American stage. First, there is a wide gulf between the official policies of an…
Abstract
There are three obvious lessons to be learned from the Texaco saga now unfolding on the American stage. First, there is a wide gulf between the official policies of an organization and how its people behave in the trenches and executive offices. Second, diversity in its U.S. context is the unfortunate prisoner of EEO definitions at a time when such language no longer fits the reality of global economics. Third, best‐practice management is gaining ground and damage‐control exercises are fast becoming a high art form. Not so obvious is a prescription for what the private sector can do in the next five years to leverage human equity.
Rachel Gabel Shemueli, Mary F. Sully de Luque and Danae Bahamonde
To examine the effects of leadership style on in-role performance through feedback seeking behavior (FSB) and engagement using the job demands resource theory (JD-R).
Abstract
Purpose
To examine the effects of leadership style on in-role performance through feedback seeking behavior (FSB) and engagement using the job demands resource theory (JD-R).
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consisted of 152 employees working in a Peruvian call center. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the research hypotheses.
Findings
Transformational leadership was significantly related to in-role performance, with FSB and engagement sequentially mediating the relationship.
Originality/value
This study highlights the motivational processes that can lead to employee engagement and performance within a call center and identifies the contribution of feedback seeking within this environment.
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Martin Power and Mary Jo Lavelle
In response to the challenge of the ageing of societies and concerns over recruitment and quality of service delivery, many nations have introduced new educational and training…
Abstract
Purpose
In response to the challenge of the ageing of societies and concerns over recruitment and quality of service delivery, many nations have introduced new educational and training pathways, as well as national standards that set a minimum qualification level for residential care staff. In Ireland, national standards were introduced in July 2009 and, against this backdrop this study aimed to explore the level of qualification held or being pursued by non‐nursing care staff.
Design/methodology/approach
An email/postal survey was conducted.
Findings
This survey revealed that while vocational qualifications were most common, more than 50 per cent of care staff neither held nor were pursuing the minimum qualification set by the standards.
Research limitations/implications
While the introduction of standards may address this situation, the workforce appears currently ill‐prepared for increasing professionalisation. Moreover, given Ireland's poor economic circumstances, training or supports are likely to be limited, with the burden of training liable to fall on staff, undermining morale and increasing already tense industrial relations. Limitations of this study include variations in the roles of non‐nursing care staff, with many staff classified as “multi‐task” staff that perform a range of duties from personal care through to more general domestic duties and, in the context of a mixed economy of provision, the abundance of responses from the public sector relative to the private sector.
Originality/value
Nonetheless, this study provides a timely snapshot and a reference point for further research around the impact of standards on quality of care or workforce professionalisation and it will be of particular interest to policymakers, regulators, employers and care staff.
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Norah Jones and Alice Lau
The aim of this paper is to explore e‐learning’s potential as a change agent for higher education using an e‐learning project, E‐College Wales (ECW), as a case study. E‐College…
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to explore e‐learning’s potential as a change agent for higher education using an e‐learning project, E‐College Wales (ECW), as a case study. E‐College Wales was a large scale, four‐year, longitudinal project which provided a good opportunity to evaluate the potential of e‐learning as an institution‐wide change agent in higher education practices. The findings of this case study are reported via the five dimensions for sustainable implementation of e‐learning, namely learning and teaching, organisation, technology, culture, and strategy and management. The methodology used was qualitative and the data collection methods included interviews and focus groups with the tutors and management of the University at both the beginning and the end of the project. These included looking at their attitudes in their own teaching and learning practice, as well as the way e‐learning was managed as part of the University’s strategy, in order to compare their expectations with what they experienced. The findings from the ECW project showed that e‐learning triggered some initial but vital changes to the University – such as pedagogical discussion that has long been absent – and introduced a more student‐centred learning model, new organisational structure and procedures to support technology‐enhanced learning, and a clear vision and culture that are more responsive to change.
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THE College of Librarianship is best considered on its own terms, as an institution unique in the history and present pattern of British library education, but its significance…
Abstract
THE College of Librarianship is best considered on its own terms, as an institution unique in the history and present pattern of British library education, but its significance and probable future development can best be assessed if two external factors are kept in mind.