To give a quick and easy approach to library advocacy, with regard to the ongoing needs of keeping in touch with stakeholders due to poor or reducing government funding for public…
Abstract
Purpose
To give a quick and easy approach to library advocacy, with regard to the ongoing needs of keeping in touch with stakeholders due to poor or reducing government funding for public libraries, librarians are in the situation of having to advocate in new and different ways.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the state of New York and federal funding, this approach explores the best practices that anyone can apply to approach stakeholders and policy makers for more funding.
Findings
Funding for libraries in the USA is often tied to “who” the library knows and this article gives a direct “how to” approach that can be used throughout the local, state or federal lobbying process. Especially in meeting the sophisticated demands of library users, this approach ties funding to patron activities, such as reading, electronic resources and programming.
Originality/value
This snapshot on advocacy can give those in the front lines or new to the advocacy process a way to start thinking in new ways to getting an advocacy action plan in place. A web resource of state activities in the State of New York offers resources on advocacy, specifically targeted to library advocates. Other benefits include developing messages and building coalitions.
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Barbara de Lima Voss, David Bernard Carter and Bruno Meirelles Salotti
We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in…
Abstract
We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in the construction of hegemonies in SEA research in Brazil. In particular, we examine the role of hegemony in relation to the co-option of SEA literature and sustainability in the Brazilian context by the logic of development for economic growth in emerging economies. The methodological approach adopts a post-structural perspective that reflects Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The study employs a hermeneutical, rhetorical approach to understand and classify 352 Brazilian research articles on SEA. We employ Brown and Fraser’s (2006) categorizations of SEA literature to help in our analysis: the business case, the stakeholder–accountability approach, and the critical case. We argue that the business case is prominent in Brazilian studies. Second-stage analysis suggests that the major themes under discussion include measurement, consulting, and descriptive approach. We argue that these themes illustrate the degree of influence of the hegemonic politics relevant to emerging economics, as these themes predominantly concern economic growth and a capitalist context. This paper discusses trends and practices in the Brazilian literature on SEA and argues that the focus means that SEA avoids critical debates of the role of capitalist logics in an emerging economy concerning sustainability. We urge the Brazilian academy to understand the implications of its reifying agenda and engage, counter-hegemonically, in a social and political agenda beyond the hegemonic support of a particular set of capitalist interests.
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Shihanah Almutairi, Michael Heller and Dorothy Yen
This paper addresses the clustering of several Arab states on Hofstede's national culture dimensions and its implications for international firms targeting the Middle East and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper addresses the clustering of several Arab states on Hofstede's national culture dimensions and its implications for international firms targeting the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. It is imperative to distinguish the region's various national cultures, in order to enable enhanced segmenting strategies. The authors argue that reexamining the Arab states' national cultures can provide interested firms with a better understanding of their differences and similarities, so as to appropriately adjust their products and services to better serve their consumers.
Design/methodology/approach
Hofstede's Values Survey Module 2013 (VSM 13) questionnaire is employed. In total, 1400 surveys were disseminated to all the Arab states, 200 for each country.
Findings
find evidence that national cultural differences do exist for Arab states and discuss implications toward international firms expanding in the region.
Originality/value
Empirical contributions include the dissemination and translation of Hofstede's national culture survey, the VSM 13, on seven Arab states: Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Lebanon, Iraq, Libya and Egypt. Second, the VSM 13 survey measured the Arab states on two more dimensions which had not been previously measured before the present study's investigation. Last, the theoretical contribution of the present study offers empirical evidence that the MENA region's national culture profiles differ on all dimensions, and as such its findings are seen as an extension and validation of Hofstede's national culture theory.
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Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are…
Abstract
Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.
Karolin Kelm and Michael Johann
This study investigates the determinants of artificial intelligence (AI) acceptance in and AI-driven transformations of corporate communications. From a technology adoption…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the determinants of artificial intelligence (AI) acceptance in and AI-driven transformations of corporate communications. From a technology adoption perspective, the study explores the dual influence of individual and organizational factors on AI acceptance.
Design/methodology/approach
Employing a qualitative research design, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 AI experts in large-scale companies in Germany.
Findings
The study reveals micro-level determinants of AI acceptance related to AI’s perceived usefulness and ease of use. It also identifies macro-level determinants, including organizational awareness and frameworks. Corporate communications is expected to gain relevance due to the organizational integration of AI.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed model integrates crucial factors influencing AI adoption and offers a starting point for quantitative validation. The study serves as a benchmark for future research, particularly given its timing right before the extensive adoption of ChatGPT.
Practical implications
Organizations are encouraged to develop strategies that enhance both individual and organizational AI readiness. By reflecting both micro- and macro-level determinants of AI acceptance, a more holistic understanding of effective change management initiatives related to AI integration can be fostered.
Originality/value
By proposing an extension to the technology acceptance model, which incorporates both micro- and meso-level determinants, this study provides a novel framework for holistically understanding AI acceptance in corporate communications.
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The author explores questions of authenticity in the media industry by showing how right-wing media figures look to present their views as authentic by defining themselves as…
Abstract
The author explores questions of authenticity in the media industry by showing how right-wing media figures look to present their views as authentic by defining themselves as citizen journalists and positioning themselves in opposition to mainstream media. Looking at two case studies from the United States, Andrew Breitbart and Mike Cernovich, the author shows how the language of citizen journalism (amateurism, independence, immediacy) is co-opted by such figures to appeal to increasingly distrustful and antagonistic conservative media audiences.
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“A knowledge of different literatures is the best way to free one's self from the tyranny of any of them.” Jose Marti, Cuban writer, poet and statesman.
Gary P. Radford and Marie L. Radford
Explores the relevance of structuralism and post‐structuralism to the field of library and information science (LIS).
Abstract
Purpose
Explores the relevance of structuralism and post‐structuralism to the field of library and information science (LIS).
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a literature‐based conceptual analysis of the two philosophical movements, structuralism and post‐structuralism, as represented by the seminal figures of Ferdinand de Saussure and Michel Foucault.
Findings
The principles of structuralism and post‐structuralism have significant implications for how the role of the modern library can and should be viewed.
Originality/value
Provides insights into LIS by drawing on philosophical perspectives that are beyond the LIS literature.
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Thirty men from the maximum-security Jessup Correctional Institution (Maryland), and Drew Leder, Professor of Philosophy, through small-group discussion, envision an alternative…
Abstract
Thirty men from the maximum-security Jessup Correctional Institution (Maryland), and Drew Leder, Professor of Philosophy, through small-group discussion, envision an alternative and authentically constructive institution. Uncomfortable with the notion of a truly “beautiful” prison, the group develops ideas of an “enlightened” prison, designed in counterpoint to the de-habilitating and destructive features of the existing prison. The enlightened prison would embody five core virtues: hope, growth, recognition of merit, individuality, and community. In the absence of these attitudes – all too often a characteristic of current-day institutions – there persists the “endarkened” prison, marked by despair, stasis, recognition of demerits, class-ification, and isolation.