Marianne Gretz, Peter Stadler, Ernst Mernke and Martin Thomas
For some months the central library of Boehringer Mannheim GmbH, a research‐based pharmaceutical company in Germany, has been disseminating tables of contents in electronic form…
Abstract
For some months the central library of Boehringer Mannheim GmbH, a research‐based pharmaceutical company in Germany, has been disseminating tables of contents in electronic form. These electronic tables of contents are generated from the current scientific journal literature. At present the library supplies contents pages of roughly 440 journals to 240 internal clients. This service has been designed as a means of rapid distribution of individually tailored information from the topical scientific literature. The tables of contents are delivered to the clients' electronic mailboxes via the electronic mail system. We describe the situation before the introduction of this service, the motives for switching to this service, and the librarian and technical work necessary in the preliminary stages. Moreover, the paper shows the realisation of the project, the problems occurring during the phase of introduction and the acceptance by the users.
Peter Stadler, Ernst Mernke and Martin Thomas
For some time, the central library at Boehringer Mannheim, a company in the research‐based pharmaceutical industry, has placed the majority of its book orders using EDIFACT. This…
Abstract
For some time, the central library at Boehringer Mannheim, a company in the research‐based pharmaceutical industry, has placed the majority of its book orders using EDIFACT. This article describes the situation before the introduction of the system, the technical and organisational preconditions, and the changes that were necessary to DP systems. The results are presented and the new situation of EDI versus the Internet is discussed.
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Marianne Gretz, Peter Stadler and Martin Thomas
The official pharmacopoeias in the central library of Boehringer Mannheim, a research‐based German pharmaceutical company, are taken as an example to demonstrate the switch from…
Abstract
The official pharmacopoeias in the central library of Boehringer Mannheim, a research‐based German pharmaceutical company, are taken as an example to demonstrate the switch from printed versions to electronic media. Preparatory work, practical procedure and results of this action are shown. Motives for the switch, economic questions and the consequences for all persons involved are described.
Vijay Amrit Raj, Sahil Singh Jasrotia and Siddharth Shankar Rai
Vocational education and entrepreneurship are constantly increasing in research fields. However, what is the current state of vocational education and entrepreneurial research…
Abstract
Purpose
Vocational education and entrepreneurship are constantly increasing in research fields. However, what is the current state of vocational education and entrepreneurial research? Where will the area go next? These questions are still unanswered; thus, this study tries to map the research landscape of the study area to get insights and provide directions for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
This research collected extant literature on vocational education and entrepreneurship using Scopus scientific database. Bibliometric analysis has been performed to extract insights from 175 documents published in the study area. Content analysis on the extant literature has also been committed to getting contextual information and developing an integrated research framework for future researchers.
Findings
The bibliometric analysis revealed that training, career choice, curriculum, self-employment, student psychology, better job opportunity, learning environment and innovation are the most discussed in the vocational education and entrepreneurship literature. Developed nation’s strong presence, indicated by the number of publications in the field.
Originality/value
This study significantly contributes to entrepreneurship by disclosing advances in the literature and some of the most active research fronts in this sector, delivering insights that have yet to be wholly appreciated or appraised. The study also developed an integrated framework that could benefit various vocations, education and entrepreneurship stakeholders.
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Peter Tatham, Frank Stadler, Abigail Murray and Ramon Z. Shaban
Whilst there is a growing body of research which discusses the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) (otherwise known as “drones”) to transport medical supplies, almost…
Abstract
Purpose
Whilst there is a growing body of research which discusses the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) (otherwise known as “drones”) to transport medical supplies, almost all reported cases employ short range aircraft. The purpose of this paper is to consider the advantages and challenges inherent in the use of long endurance remotely piloted aircraft systems (LE-RPAS) aircraft to support the provision of medical supplies to remote locations – specifically “medical maggots” used in maggot debridement therapy (MDT) wound care.
Design/methodology/approach
After introducing both MDT and the LE-RPAS technology, the paper first reports on the outcomes of a case study involving 11 semi-structured interviews with individuals who either have experience and expertise in the use of LE-RPAS or in the provision of healthcare to remote communities in Western Australia. The insights gained from this case study are then synthesised to assess the feasibility of LE-RPAS assisted delivery of medical maggots to those living in such geographically challenging locations.
Findings
No insuperable challenges to the concept of using LE-RPAS to transport medical maggots were uncovered during this research – rather, those who contributed to the investigations from across the spectrum from operators to users, were highly supportive of the overall concept.
Practical implications
The paper offers an assessment of the feasibility of the use of LE-RPAS to transport medical maggots. In doing so, it highlights a number of infrastructure and organisational challenges that would need to be overcome to operationalise this concept. Whilst the particular context of the paper relates to the provision of medical support to a remote location of a developed country, the core benefits and challenges that are exposed relate equally to the use of LE-RPAS in a post-disaster response. To this end, the paper offers a high-level route map to support the implementation of the concept.
Social implications
The paper proposes a novel approach to the efficient and effective provision of medical care to remote Australian communities which, in particular, reduces the need to travel significant distances to obtain treatment. In doing so, it emphasises the importance in gaining acceptance of both the use of MDT and also the operation of RPAS noting that these have previously been employed in a military, as distinct from humanitarian, context.
Originality/value
The paper demonstrates how the use of LE-RPAS to support remote communities offers the potential to deliver healthcare at reduced cost compared to conventional approaches. The paper also underlines the potential benefits of the use of MDT to address the growing wound burdens in remote communities. Finally, the paper expands on the existing discussion of the use of RPAS to include its capability to act as the delivery mechanism for medical maggots.
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This paper examines events management as a Community of Practice (CoP) and to demonstrate that knowledge management and practice within events operate as a CoP. The paper adds to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines events management as a Community of Practice (CoP) and to demonstrate that knowledge management and practice within events operate as a CoP. The paper adds to the events management literature which is currently superficial in considering events conceptually as a CoP.
Design/methodology/approach
An interpretive and inductive approach was adopted for the research which incorporated quantitative and qualitative methods undertaken in a United Kingdom setting. Twenty-five in-depth semi-structured interviews with event professionals were conducted and this was complemented by a survey of 215 event professionals.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that within the evolving events industry, as well as reflected in aspects of the academic literature, events can be depicted as a “domain” which connects event professionals to a “community”. The themes emerging revealed that there are modes of working, shared values and practices, a shared identity and a desire to work as a wider collective in order to maintain and enhance knowledge and practice, which are in keeping with a CoP framework.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides new insight on an under-researched area concerning knowledge and practice development within events management.
Originality/value
This is a novel study that considers how the emergent field of events management should be considered as a CoP. It addresses a gap in the literature pertaining to knowledge and practice creation within events management from a CoP perspective.
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Raphaela Stadler and Simone Fullagar
Problem-solving approaches to research have dominated the not-for-profit festival management field. Little attention has been paid to how festival organizations successfully…
Abstract
Purpose
Problem-solving approaches to research have dominated the not-for-profit festival management field. Little attention has been paid to how festival organizations successfully create cultures where knowledge transfer is practised within the high intensity of a festival life cycle. Drawing upon insights from social practice theory and appreciative inquiry (AI), the purpose of this paper is to offer a different conceptual approach to understanding how knowledge transfer “works” as an organizational practice to produce a collaborative festival culture.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws upon an ethnographic case study with the highly acclaimed Queensland Music Festival organization in Australia. The research questions and methods were framed around an appreciative approach that identified formal and informal practices that " worked " rather than a conventional problem-focused analysis.
Findings
This research focused on appreciating the cultural context that shaped the interrelationships between formal and informal knowledge transfer practices that enabled trust and collaboration. A range of knowledge transfer practices was identified that contributed to the creation of a shared festival ethos and the on-going sustainability of the festival vision.
Practical implications
The not-for-profit sector brings numerous challenges for festival organizations, and there is a need to appreciate how collaborative and creative knowledge transfer can occur formally and informally. Festival organizers can benefit from understanding the relational and practice dimensions of knowledge management as they are performed within specific organizational contexts.
Originality/value
An appreciative understanding of knowledge transfer practices has not yet been applied to not-for-profit festival organizations, where problem-solving approaches dominate the field.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of translation equivalence in extant research on translation in accounting: What is the equivalence that is expected of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of translation equivalence in extant research on translation in accounting: What is the equivalence that is expected of translation, and how is it assumed to come into being? This paper presents a coherent, theoretically informed approach to how different views on equivalence are connected to the objective of international comparability in financial accounting and how related, often-underlying assumptions intertwine in this discussion.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper takes an interdisciplinary approach by utilizing equivalence theories from the discipline of translation studies. It canvasses two dichotomy-like approaches – natural versus directional equivalence and formal versus dynamic equivalence – to compose a theoretical framework within which to analyze 25 translation-related papers discussing accounting harmonization published from 1989 to 2018.
Findings
This paper presents evidence of theoretical contradictions likely to affect the development of translation research in accounting if they go unrecognized. Moreover, the analysis suggests that these contradictions are likely to originate in the assumptions of mainstream accounting research, which neglect both the constructed nature of equivalence and the socially constructed nature of accounting concepts.
Originality/value
Despite the significance of translation for the objective of international comparability, this paper is the first comprehensive theoretical approach to equivalence in accounting research. It responds to a recognized demand for studying equivalence and its limitations, challenges many of the expectations accounting research places on translation and discusses the possible origins of related assumptions.
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Chiara Rossato and Paola Castellani
This paper aims to examine how long-lived firms can further develop through digitalisation in terms of actions, conditions and effects from a competitiveness perspective.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how long-lived firms can further develop through digitalisation in terms of actions, conditions and effects from a competitiveness perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
This exploratory study follows an inductive approach based on a survey conducted via interviews undertaken with nine long-lived Italian firms. The dimensions of the model (command, continuity, community, connection), elaborated by Miller and Le Breton-Miller (2005) in relation to longevity factors, were chosen to analyse digitalisation’s contribution to these long-lived firms’ development.
Findings
The digitalisation implemented by the analysed firms contributed in a variety of ways: (1) improved the efficiency and effectiveness of their business processes, (2) enhanced the understanding of customer experience, (3) supported their craftsmanship and the transmission of the knowledge included in the entrepreneurial path, (4) increased the awareness of the cultural value of the firms’ heritage and (5) allowed for the development of cutting-edge design skills by experimenting with content on different digital platforms and devices.
Practical implications
This study suggests managers of long-lived firms develop digital skills that allow them to interact with the rapid evolution of this context and understand how to effectively implement digitalisation in their specific firm. From this perspective, it is strategic to establish or strengthen collaborative network relationships to acquire such necessary skills.
Originality/value
This study provides novel empirical evidence on how long-lived firms are facing the challenge of digitalisation in terms of actions, conditions and effects to improve their competitiveness and ensure their survival.