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1 – 10 of 226Rafiq Ahmad and Muhammad Rafiq
The purpose of the paper was to outline the
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper was to outline the
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on the review of relevant literature.
Findings
The study provides a broader overview of the role community libraries (CLs) can play in extending their role to a more vibrant perspective.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper is the first of its kind that provides an overview regarding extension of the role of CLs towards digital preservation.
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Rafiq Ahmad and Muhammad Rafiq
The purpose of this study is to present some critical digital preservation strategies that are important for the preservation of digital information.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to present some critical digital preservation strategies that are important for the preservation of digital information.
Design/methodology/approach
From review of the related studies, this paper presents critical digital preservation techniques that are vital for small libraries to ensure the accessibility of the digital collections of enduring value.
Findings
This paper comprehends major digital preservation strategies and possibilities for small libraries through which they can overcome the financial, technological, expertise and policy constraints to implement their digital preservation program.
Originality/value
This paper covers the major strategies that were collated during literature review and instrumentation process for the PhD study of the first author on this topic.
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Muhammad Arif, Kanwal Ameen and Muhammad Rafiq
The delivery of information services in higher education is increasingly relying on Web-based systems. The low adoption and underutilization of information systems have been major…
Abstract
Purpose
The delivery of information services in higher education is increasingly relying on Web-based systems. The low adoption and underutilization of information systems have been major problems for developing countries such as Pakistan in terms of realizing their full benefits. This study aims to investigate factors affecting student use of Allama Iqbal Open University’s (AIOU) Web-based services by using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) from the perspective of Pakistani distance education.
Design/methodology/approach
This study has adopted quantitative research design with the UTAUT model as a theoretical framework. A self-completion structured questionnaire-based survey has been administered to 388 master’s level students, selected through systematic sampling from the target population. The response rate was 82 per cent (318). All statistical tests have been performed using IBM SPSS (version 20.0) and Process macro for SPSS.
Findings
Findings of the model’s hypotheses reveal that performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence are significant predictors of student behavioural intention to use AIOU Web-based services, whereas actual student use is dependent on facilitating conditions and student behavioural intention to use. The impact of moderating variables with respect to age, gender and experience did not influence the actual use of the Web services. However, the research model significantly measured (62.1 per cent) the actual use of AIOU Web-based services by the students.
Research limitations/implications
This study is delimited to the UTAUT model to investigate the phenomena. Besides this, the context of the study is the voluntary instead of mandatory usage of Web services. A study conducted in mandatory settings, in which students are bound to use Web services, may have different results.
Originality/value
This is the first attempt to apply the UTAUT model to investigate the factors affecting student use of Web-based services from the perspective of distance education and the findings prove strong support for the model.
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Muhammad Rafiq, Kanwal Ameen and Munazza Jabeen
The purpose of this study is to identify barriers that are hindering digitization initiatives in university libraries of Pakistan.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify barriers that are hindering digitization initiatives in university libraries of Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
The study opted a mixed-methods research design based on quantitative (QUAN) and qualitative (QUAL) strands by using a survey research method. The subjects of the study were central libraries of the universities (both public and private sector) of Pakistan. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used for QUAN data collection in the QUAN strand. In the QUAL phase, in-depth interviews of purposely selected 25 library experts from different parts of the country were conducted.
Findings
Meta-inferences were drawn from the findings of both QUAN and QUAL strands. Both of the research designs provided the requisite data to answer research questions of the study. The finding revealed the barriers which were hindering the digitization activities in university libraries of Pakistan.
Originality/value
The findings of the study are helpful for funding bodies, university libraries and university administration. The findings are also helpful for other developing countries with similar economic and/or social landscapes.
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Faheem Akbar, Muhammad Arif and Muhammad Rafiq
This study aims to examine the research productivity of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council’s (PARC’s) researchers published during 2001–2020 by using scientometric indicators…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the research productivity of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council’s (PARC’s) researchers published during 2001–2020 by using scientometric indicators. The study explored the growth and collaborative trends along with authorship and institutional collaborative patterns at the national and international levels.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted in four phases. Firstly, a search strategy was designed to retrieve reliable data sets. During the second phase, data from PARC research was retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science (WoS). In the third phase, the data were combined, and duplications were removed. Finally, the data were analysed using RStudio and VOSviewer.
Findings
The study identified 2,868 research publications from 16 communication channels spanning over the period of 2001–2020. The growth rate varied during the study period and the year 2020 was the most productive year of the organization. Most of the research was produced in multi-authorship and five authors were dominant. Pakistan Journal of Botany was the most preferred and cited source. Moreover, PARC research collaboration with Pakistani researchers was more than their international counterparts.
Research limitations/implications
Like other research, this research has some limitations. For example, this research is based on secondary data extracted from WoS and Scopus databases, world-renowned online academic. However, researchers should keep in mind while interpreting the results of this study. Secondly, the research publications published by PARC researchers during 2001–2020 were considered. Finally, this research considered English language literature only.
Practical implications
The study’s key theoretical contribution is its strategy for merging WoS and Scopus in RStudio, while its findings could assist agriculture research stakeholders in identifying new areas of research, awards, promotions and identification of research gaps.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to use scientometric indicators to evaluate PARC’s research productivity. This detailed analysis provides a deeper understanding of PARC’s contribution to agriculture research and its potential implications.
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Muhammad Arif, Kanwal Ameen and Muhammad Rafiq
Universities across the globe are spending an increasing amount of their budgets to offer web-based services to cater information need especially off-campus students. However, the…
Abstract
Purpose
Universities across the globe are spending an increasing amount of their budgets to offer web-based services to cater information need especially off-campus students. However, the success of web-based services depends on how well the target users are satisfied with the use of the web services. The purpose of this paper is to assess students’ satisfaction with the use of the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) web-based services.
Design/methodology/approach
Pilot tested questionnaire-based survey was administered to collect data from a sample of 388; selected through systematic sampling technique from the study’s population consisted of master level students belonged to 11 different academic departments of the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at the AIOU from all over Pakistan.
Findings
Based on 318 useful questionnaires, response rate 82 percent, the results show that majority of the students were satisfied with the use of at the AIOU web-based services except for online mailing books tracking system, library web OPAC and web radio service. However, t-test analysis shows that no difference was found in the opinion of male and female respondents in terms of their satisfaction with the use of the web services. ANOVA results indicate that there was no significant difference depicted in satisfaction with the use of the web services among the respondents enrolled in different disciplines of the faculty. Similarly, no significant difference was found among different age groups. Moreover, the respondents belonging to all five provinces; Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Baluchistan, Gilgit Baltistan, and Federal Capital territory showed the same level of satisfaction with the use of the services. The results of regression analysis (R2=0.226) denote that both perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly predicted, 22.6 percent, in students’ satisfaction with the use the web services.
Practical implications
The study provides valuable recommendations which may be helpful for web administration of the university to improve AIOU web-based services.
Originality/value
To the best knowledge, this is the first study conducted to investigate the satisfaction with the use of the university web-based services in distance education’s perspective of Pakistan.
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Muhammad Zahid Raza, Muhammad Rafiq and Saira Hanif Soroya
This study was designed to discover the readiness of the higher education commission (HEC)-recognized journals of Pakistan in terms of human, financial and technological…
Abstract
Purpose
This study was designed to discover the readiness of the higher education commission (HEC)-recognized journals of Pakistan in terms of human, financial and technological resources, technical expertise, institutional support, availability of open access (OA) policy, availability of guidance and training, willingness, motivation and so on for OA journal publishing and to expose the challenges in OA journal publishing.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research approach was used and a structured questionnaire was developed to meet the objectives of this study. A survey method was used to collect data from the editors of all 329 HEC-recognized journals in Pakistan.
Findings
The respondents of all the HEC-recognized journals of Pakistan are neutral and are not of the view that they have sufficient financial, human, technological/infrastructural resources and technical expertise to continue/initiate an OA journal publishing. ‘No academic reward’; and ‘no monetary reward for the editorial staff’ are both enormous challenges for OA journal publishing. The perceived challenges of OA have a negative impact on readiness for OA publishing. The readiness level of the respondents of the OA journals is higher as compared to the readiness level of the respondents of non-OA journals.
Research limitations/implications
This study covered the lists of HEC-recognized journals of 2019. More studies may be conducted based on updated lists of HEC-recognized journals. Qualitative studies may also be conducted to discover the readiness of the HEC-recognized journals of Pakistan for OA journal publishing.
Originality/value
This study is the first comprehensive study on this phenomenon and is an effort to fill this gap to invigorate scholarly literature. It may attract the attention of policymakers, funding bodies, parent institutions of the journals and the HEC regarding the readiness of journals in terms of financial, human, technological/infrastructural resources, technical expertise of the journals and challenges of journals to prompt the OA journal publishing paradigm.
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Muhammad Zubair Alam, Muhammad Rafiq, Adnan Alafif, Sobia Nasir and Jawad Bashir
Research in the field of intrapreneurial behaviour (IB) is developing in terms of the personality results of employees in various occupations. An important developing field is the…
Abstract
Purpose
Research in the field of intrapreneurial behaviour (IB) is developing in terms of the personality results of employees in various occupations. An important developing field is the study of how personality traits (PTs) influence occupational results. While previous theories like situationism focus on the impact of situations, the role of situations as a catalyst for personality in the context of IB has not been explored. Theories like person-job fit have also established the personality-job resemblance for performance measures. This paper aims to conceptualize the activation of PTs for IB responses from employees using trait activation theory (TAT).
Design/methodology/approach
The TAT explains the personality-triggering effect in diverse situations for performance measures. Plenty of research studies have established IB of employees as a performance measure at the individual level that further rejuvenates organisational performance measures. The current study aims to conceptualise how personality and situational factors interact to affect IB outcomes in firms using the TAT. Employees in different occupations utilise personality coherent conflict handling styles (CHS) to manage conflict situations, which might serve as situational cues to activate personality effects in employees engaged in IB.
Findings
A theoretical framework for understanding how situational cues activate PTs for IB development has been proposed in this study.
Practical implications
The findings of the study have repercussions for pedagogy and the practices that are currently used in human resource management.
Originality/value
The study concludes with a series of propositions by arguing and supporting literature on existing conceptions of the trait activation process. Attempting to advance the conceptualisation of TAT, the study also offered implications for theory, pedagogy and practice regarding the relationship between PTs, CHS and IB.
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Muhammad Zubair Alam, Muhammad Rafiq, Adnan Mohammed Alafif, Sobia Nasir and Jawad Bashir
Using trait activation theory (TAT), this paper aims to empirically assess that work drive (WD) personality characteristics of employees will express better towards…
Abstract
Purpose
Using trait activation theory (TAT), this paper aims to empirically assess that work drive (WD) personality characteristics of employees will express better towards intrapreneurial behaviour (IB) outcomes in higher levels of job autonomy (JA) at the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
Using cross-sectional design, a total of 258 engineering employees from the automotive industry of Pakistan were surveyed. The partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) statistical method was used to evaluate the hypothesised theoretical model.
Findings
Statistical results revealed a significant and positive relationship between WD and IB. WD personality was also found to be activated with its interplay with JA for personality expression towards IB.
Practical implications
The present study offers a deeper insight into the interplay of organisational and individual factors as determinants of IB of employees. The study's findings suggested the importance of the rightful application of organisational situational cues in person–situation interaction for positive workplace behaviours by employees. Personality assessment of employees and their interplay with situational cues, as per conceptualisation of TAT, can assist the corporations towards enhanced levels of employees' behavioural tendencies towards intrapreneurship.
Originality/value
The application of TAT from the present study's perspective is novel theoretically as the literature on the activation of personality traits towards IB outcomes is non-existent. Also, the assessment of situational cues in JA will open avenues for organisational behaviour researchers to seek more organisational situational moderators for their assessment of various personality–outcome relationships in diverse contexts to activate personality traits.
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Muhammad Zubair Alam, Muhammad Rafiq, Adnan Alafif and Sobia Nasir
The determination of human behaviours due to individual characteristics (personality traits) or situational factors has long remained inconclusive. Although the literature stream…
Abstract
Purpose
The determination of human behaviours due to individual characteristics (personality traits) or situational factors has long remained inconclusive. Although the literature stream on personality as the determinants of behaviour is voluminous, the interest of researchers is also growing towards organisational situational cues as the determinant of behaviours. According to situation strength theory (SST), behaviours are determined by situations in strong situations and by personality in weak situations. This study aims to propose a theoretical model of intrapreneurial behaviour (IB) emanation from empowering leadership (EL) by extending the epistemology of SST under the influence of organisational strong situations of job autonomy (JA) and perceived organisational support (POS).
Design/methodology/approach
Using SST, the present study argues that strong situations play a key role in determining human behaviours, and the same can be viewed deductively to assess IB.
Findings
The study attempts to propose whether EL is capable of predicting IB under the strong situation effect of JA and POS while dampening the impact of human personality characteristics.
Originality/value
The current study offers a significant departure from current human resource practices in person-situation dialectics, moving away from personality assessments and toward the creation of cues from strong situations for fostering human behaviour. As a result, personality researchers are being encouraged to conduct a reality check on the extensive personality research conducted in occupational settings. Considering organisational situational cues can impact human resource scope in areas such as talent management, selection, promotion and employment.
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