Search results

The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges presented by search engine visibility for public libraries. The paper outlines the results of a pilot study investigating search engine visibility in two Canadian public libraries.

The study consists of semi-structured interviews with librarians from two multi-branch Canadian public library systems, combined with quantitative data provided by each library, as well as data obtained through site-specific searches in Google and Bing. Possible barriers to visibility are identified through thematic analysis of the interviews.

The initial findings of this pilot study identify a complex combination of barriers to visibility on search engines, in the form of attitudes, policies, organizational structures, and technological difficulties.

This paper describes a small, preliminary pilot study. More research is needed before any firm conclusions can be reached.

A review of the literature shows the increasing importance of search engine visibility for public libraries. By delving into the underlying issues which may be affecting libraries’ progress on the issue, this paper may help inform libraries’ decision-making processes and practices.

There has been little original research investigating the reasons behind libraries’ lack of visibility in search engine results pages. This paper provides insight into a previously unexplored area by exploring public libraries’ relationships with search engines.

The ever present need for the miniaturization of electronic assemblies has driven the size of passive components to as small as the 01005 package size. However, the packaging standards for these components are still under development. The purpose of this work is to report results from experiments designed to establish optimum process parameters, pad sizes and component clearances for the surface mounting of 01005 passive components.

The experiments were designed using MODDE, an experimental design software tool, and were carried out with both 01005 capacitors and resistors. All the assembled components were examined under microscope and judged according to industrial workmanship standards.

It was found that a viable solder paste printing process for the assembly of 01005 components can be achieved with a 75 μm thick stencil. Type 5 solder paste achieved a similar printing performance to type 4. Under the experimental conditions used, the optimum pad dimensions for the 01005 capacitors were 210 μm length, 220 μm width, 160 μm separation and for the resistors were 190 μm length, 220 μm width, 160 μm separation. The smallest component clearance to reliably avoid bridging was found to be 100 μm. A high placement force of 3.5 N was found to cause cracking of 01005 resistors.

From this work, a surface mount process for 01005 passive components is established and it is concluded that electronics packaging density can be increased through the assembly of these small components. In the near future, the widespread use of them will definitely facilitate a further reduction in the size of electronic assemblies, especially in handheld and portable devices.

This paper examines data protection related ex ante transaction costs borne by the private sector in the context of smart city service (SCS) public tendering in the European Union after the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation. This study aims to establish the determinants of ex ante transaction costs related to data protection as well as to determine their relevance toward (tender) competition.

A statistical analysis of a survey sample of 72 SCS tender bids.

The potential of relationship management to foster more private sector investment in data protection for SCSs is established, i.e. stronger ties between parties lead to higher private sector investment. Furthermore, it is found that investing more in data protection can further boost both internal capabilities and the organizational reputation of tendering organizations. Finally, the analysis exposes a potential problem concerning the market for data protection originating from the dominant approach concerning SCS tender bid evaluation.

SCS tender bid evaluation is not perceived by the evaluated companies as having data protection as a (core) component. As a consequence, there is no strong competition in that specific area. To induce the private sector to structurally develop SCSs that can be expected to safeguard the fundamental rights of citizens, a more thorough evaluation of data protection aspects of bids imposes itself. Such an overhaul is likely to demand additional public sector resources and expertise.

This paper constitutes an early investigation into data protection related ex ante transaction costs borne by private sector actors. Incentives for data protection investment in the context of public procurement procedures are discussed.

The mathematical science approach to the study of social affairs has been much debated not least among scholars of international relations. Wight (2002, p. 37) reviews the current debate – discussing the views of Michael Nicholson and Steve Smith quite extensively – and comments:all of this adds up to a very confused picture in terms of the philosophy of science. IR has struggled to incorporate an increasingly diverse set of positions into its theoretical landscape. In general, the discipline has attempted to maintain an unsophisticated and outdated two-category framework based on the science/anti-science issue.…Currently there are three continuums that the discipline seems to consider line up in opposition to each other. The first of these is the explaining/understanding divide (Hollis & Smith, 1990). The second is the positivism/post-positivism divide (Lapid, 1989; Sylvester, 1993). The third is Keohane's distinction between rationalism and reflectivism (Keohane, 1989). The newly emerging constructivism claims ‘the middle ground’ in between. (Adler, 1997; Price & Reus-Smit, 1998; Wendt, 1999)

This interview with the authors of Strategy – Beyond the Hockey Stick offers their insights into a major problem which has bedevilled the strategy process in too many companies over the years - the combination of bold but delusional “hockey-stick” forecasts and timid strategic moves – a coupling that severely limits the impact of any strategy.

The McKinsey authors examined publicly available information on the world’s 2,393 largest companies, and plotted their average annual economic profit

They found that the curve is extremely steep at the both ends: those in the top quintile average some 30 times as much economic profit as those in the middle three quintiles.

One of the biggest pitfalls in the strategy process is this very human propensity for bold forecasts and timid actions. Strategy requires confronting uncertainly head-on by embracing the notion of probability by calibrating the odds of a strategy succeeding, building in explicit trigger points to re-examine decisions as we learn more. 10;

What has been largely missing from the literature is a study of the average-to-top transition based on an extensive data set, one that encompasses a greater range of performance profiles and average-to-top transition trajectories. This is the knowledge gap that Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick: People, Probabilities, and Big Moves to Beat the Odds fills.

Destination management organizations deliver travel-related information through visitor guides to build destination awareness and attract potential tourists. Therefore, this research aims to investigate how people read such a guide, understand their attitudes and to provide recommendations on enhancing its design.

This research used eye-tracking technology in tandem with surveys and in-depth interviews. Eye-tracking technology uncovered the elements of a visitor guide that attracted particular attention, whereas surveys and interviews provided deeper insights into people’s attitudes toward them.

People do not spend attention equally on each page of a visitor guide. Instead, they look at the reference points (i.e. photo credits, photos, headings and bolded words) and then read the adjacent areas if the information triggers their interest. The characteristics of the attractive components of a visitor guide were discussed and suggestions on designing a more appealing guide were provided.

The triangulated approach not only generated objective and insightful results but also enhanced research validity. This exploratory sequential mixed method can usefully be applied to test other stimuli and assess attention.

To be deemed appealing, a visitor guide should avoid ads unrelated to the destination, include more photos, use the list format and bolded words, add stories or selected comments from social media and provide well-designed maps.

This research fills a gap in the literature by using a triangulated approach including eye-tracking, survey and interviews to examine a 68-page visitor guide. The concept of reference-point reading behavior is proposed. Practical implications are discussed to improve the design of a visitor guide.

What is the future of work going to look like? The aim of this paper is to show how the sociology of expectations (SE) – which deals with the power of visions – can make important contributions in terms of thinking about this issue by critically evaluating the dominant expert positions related to the future-of-employment- and artificial intelligence (AI) debate.

After providing a literature review regarding SE, an approach based on the latter is applied to interpret the dominant ideal-type expert positions in the future of work debate to illustrate the value of this perspective.

Dominant future scripts can be characterized by a focus on the effects of AI technology that give agency to technology and to the future, involve the hype of expectations with polarized frames, and obscure uncertainty. It is argued that these expectations can have significant consequences. They contribute to the closing off of alternative pathways to the future by making some conversations possible, while hindering others. In order to advance understanding, more sophisticated theorizing is needed which goes beyond these positions and which takes uncertainty and the mutual shaping of technology and society into account – including the role expectations play.

The study asserts that the dominant positions contain problematic assumptions. It makes suggestions for helping move beyond these current framings of the debate theoretically. It also argues that scenario building and backcasting are two tools that could help move forward thinking about the future of work – especially if this is done in a way so as to build strongly on SE.

The arguments presented herein enhance sense-making in relation to the future-of-work debate, and can contribute to policy development.

There is a lack of adequate exploration of the role of visions related to AI and their consequences. This paper attempts to address this gap by applying an SE approach and emphasizing the performative force of visions.

Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Tenn. 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.

This paper aims to provide a first overview of important implications of payment models for next‐generation mobile service platforms (NextGen MSPs).

The starting point of the paper is an existing set of mobile payment models. These models are modified and expanded on in order to be able to highlight implications for NextGen MSPs.

The paper identifies two different types of payment models for mobile environments: carrier centric models and payment service provider (PSP)‐centric models. Instantiations of both categories are already being applied, although not necessarily always in the mobile environment. Both types come with a number of advantages as well as disadvantages. This paper argues that combining different models or introducing intermediaries yields solutions that satisfy the requirements of NextGen MSPs for offering a compelling value proposition to their users.

This paper is the first to analyse the suitability of existing mobile payment models in the specific context of NextGen MSPs. It also proposes alternative models that provide a better fit with the potential business models for such platforms.