This article discusses some of the forces at work within today's online database environment which could lead to the emergence of a distributed information network. Several…
Abstract
This article discusses some of the forces at work within today's online database environment which could lead to the emergence of a distributed information network. Several important modules in such a network are identified, including an automated subject switching module. Switching options include: exact matching, equivalency matchings and word‐ and phrase‐stem matching. Research investigations, critical issues, and preliminary findings with regard to switching options and strategies are reported. It is anticipated that one of the primary benefits from automated subject switching will be much greater utlization of the online STI resource.
Sailesh Saras Chand and Bimal Aklesh Kumar
Mobile blended learning (MBL) is becoming common in higher education settings; however, the student’s intention to adopt such technological innovation is less explored. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Mobile blended learning (MBL) is becoming common in higher education settings; however, the student’s intention to adopt such technological innovation is less explored. The purpose of this study is to measure MBL adoption using common variables used in the literature (supporting factors, learner attitude, learner perspective and learner effectiveness) and extending the model to include usability factors (ease of use, satisfaction and usefulness).
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected from 322 respondents and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and partial least squares-structured equation modeling technique to assess the hypothesis. A five-point Likert scale instrument was developed using the existing literature for data collection.
Findings
The findings have both theoretical and managerial implications concerning MBL adoption. From a theoretical perspective, the findings provide a reconfirmation of the importance of usability in MBL adoption. From a managerial perspective, it will provide the necessary knowledge to incorporate relevant variables and factors that decision-makers could use to oversee a successful implementation.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the ever-growing body of literature on MBL through an analysis of students’ intention to adopt MBL using usability factors.
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Word‐oriented databases of potential relevance to the multidisciplinary field of emergency management were identified by the University of Illinois, Information Retrieval Research…
Abstract
Word‐oriented databases of potential relevance to the multidisciplinary field of emergency management were identified by the University of Illinois, Information Retrieval Research Laboratory under contract to the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This article is an extension and outgrowth of that contract. It analyzes forty databases for relevance to emergency management by searching each database using an emergency management subject profile, printing a random sample of citations to determine percent of false drops, and ranking the databases according to number of relevant citations. Bradford's law of scatter is shown to apply to this multidisciplinary field, using databases instead of journals and citations instead of articles. No one database provides more than 19% of the literature, however, illustrating that the literature in the field is widely scattered throughout databases. These findings can help in the choice of the specific databases containing emergency management citations and in the determination of how many databases need to be searched in order to retrieve a given percentage of the literature. A companion article in this issue of Online Review — ‘Evaluation of database coverage: a comparison of two methodologies,’ explains the subject profile evaluation method employed in this project and compares it to another coverage evaluation technique.
The adverse effects on environmental sustainability, human health and animal welfare are often cited as the main reasons for reducing animal-based meat production and consumption…
Abstract
Purpose
The adverse effects on environmental sustainability, human health and animal welfare are often cited as the main reasons for reducing animal-based meat production and consumption. This study explored the food choice motives that determine consumer attitude toward plant-based meat (PBM) as a sustainable meat alternative. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was applied to further determine whether an individual’s attitude toward PBM, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control influence their willingness to try novel meat substitutes (i.e. PBM). Finally, the moderating effect of meat attachment was also considered.
Design/methodology/approach
Online self-reported questionnaires were administered in Taiwan, and 294 valid questionnaires were collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and moderated regression were employed for analysis.
Findings
The results clarified the food choice motives that influenced consumer attitude toward PBM and revealed that attitude and subjective norms pertaining to trying PBM explained up to 35.03% of the variance in consumer willingness to try PBM. Notably, consumer meat attachment moderated the positive relationship between consumer attitude toward PBM and willingness to try PBM such that it became negative.
Practical implications
On the basis of the empirical findings regarding the food choice motives that influence consumer attitude and willingness to try PBM, this study provided practical implications for marketers seeking to increase consumer willingness to try PBM.
Originality/value
The main theoretical contribution of this research is that food choice motives should be considered in a TPB model to explain consumer willingness to try PBM. The moderating effect of consumer meat attachment should also be considered.
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Johanna Sofia Adolfsson, Arve Hansen and Ulrikke Wethal
How to change consumption patterns remains one of the most wicked global sustainability challenges, and it is increasingly acknowledged that such wicked problems require…
Abstract
How to change consumption patterns remains one of the most wicked global sustainability challenges, and it is increasingly acknowledged that such wicked problems require interdisciplinary solutions. In this chapter, we ask what can be learnt from contrasting two approaches to sustainable consumption that only to a very limited extent interact. First, psychological approaches to consumption have been immensely influential concerning individual behavioural change, particularly through their theorisations of ‘nudge’ and ‘choice architecture’. Second, social practice theories (SPTs) have obtained a dominant position in sociocultural approaches to consumption, focusing on how bodily, social and material elements combine into taken-for-granted daily routines that make up shared patterns of (unsustainable) social life. Interestingly, despite the theoretical approaches' different ontologies and analytical loci, nudge theory and practice theories seem to end up in surprisingly similar recommendations for facilitating sustainable change. In this chapter, we explore the differences and similarities of two theoretical bodies that rarely interact, with the aim to explore the room for breaking out of disciplinary silos and investigate potentials for cross-field pollination. We use the empirical case of continuity and change in meat consumption, but the dynamics discussed are arguably relevant for all fields of consumption. We demonstrate that while cross-pollination between nudge and practice theories could potentially increase political attention as well as be used to deliver more precise and tailored interventions, the diverging ontological underpinnings of these directions of thought significantly reduce the potential for further co-development.
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The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the methodological challenges of investigating privacy and ubiquitous computing in the home, particularly among the healthy…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the methodological challenges of investigating privacy and ubiquitous computing in the home, particularly among the healthy elderly.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on focus groups with 60 senior citizens either living independently or in an assisted living facility. Prototypes of home‐based ubiquitous computing devices were created and deployed in a home‐like living lab setting; elders were brought to the lab to interact with the prototypes, then brought together in focus groups to discuss their insights and concerns.
Findings
Initial analyses suggest that extant metaphors of privacy may be inadequate for understanding pervasive computing in the home. Concepts of data, affective concerns, and the creation of appropriate prototypes for eliciting privacy are considered. Considerations for future studies of the elderly and privacy are made.
Research limitations/implications
The homogeneity of the study population in terms of socioeconomic status, location, and community networks suggests that the study needs to be repeated with wider populations.
Originality/value
Although a number of projects and studies have examined the usability of home‐based ubiquitous computing and design for aging, there has been little integration of privacy and ethical concerns into general research discourse.
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Mykola Makhortykh, Aleksandra Urman, Teresa Gil-Lopez and Roberto Ulloa
This study investigates perceptions of the use of online tracking, a passive data collection method relying on the automated recording of participant actions on desktop and mobile…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates perceptions of the use of online tracking, a passive data collection method relying on the automated recording of participant actions on desktop and mobile devices, for studying information behavior. It scrutinizes folk theories of tracking, the concerns tracking raises among the potential participants and design mechanisms that can be used to alleviate these concerns.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses focus groups composed of university students (n = 13) to conduct an in-depth investigation of tracking perceptions in the context of information behavior research. Each focus group addresses three thematic blocks: (1) views on online tracking as a research technique, (2) concerns that influence participants' willingness to be tracked and (3) design mechanisms via which tracking-related concerns can be alleviated. To facilitate the discussion, each focus group combines open questions with card-sorting tasks. The results are analyzed using a combination of deductive content analysis and constant comparison analysis, with the main coding categories corresponding to the thematic blocks listed above.
Findings
The study finds that perceptions of tracking are influenced by recent data-related scandals (e.g. Cambridge Analytica), which have amplified negative attitudes toward tracking, which is viewed as a surveillance tool used by corporations and governments. This study also confirms the contextual nature of tracking-related concerns, which vary depending on the activities and content that are tracked. In terms of mechanisms used to address these concerns, this study highlights the importance of transparency-based mechanisms, particularly explanations dealing with the aims and methods of data collection, followed by privacy- and control-based mechanisms.
Originality/value
The study conducts a detailed examination of tracking perceptions and discusses how this research method can be used to increase engagement and empower participants involved in information behavior research.
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Christopher Armstrong‐Esther, Brad Hagen, Christine Smith and Sherrill Snelgrove
Aim: Previous research has documented the widespread use of antipsychotic drugs by nursing staff with older persons, although less is known about the knowledge that nurses…
Abstract
Aim: Previous research has documented the widespread use of antipsychotic drugs by nursing staff with older persons, although less is known about the knowledge that nurses actually have about these drugs. The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive study was to survey a sample of UK gerontological nurses from different work settings on their knowledge of antipsychotic drugs.Methods: An exploratory descriptive study design was utilised, whereby a sample of nursing staff was given a questionnaire developed to determine knowledge about antipsychotic drugs and their use with older persons. Questionnaires were distributed to 100 nursing staff, including registered general nurses, registered mental nurses, state enrolled nurses, nursing assistants and care assistants. Of the 100 questionnaires distributed, 62 were returned and 57 were completed substantially enough for data analysis.Results: Descriptive statistics including frequencies and means were calculated for demographic variables and the questionnaire responses. Results indicated that the use of antipsychotic drugs within the psychiatric hospital setting was substantial, with 43.7% of patients receiving antipsychotic drugs, for an average length of time of 1.8 years. Conclusions: Nursing staff participants from all three work settings revealed a number of significant knowledge gaps, particularly with regard to appropriate indications for antipsychotic drugs with older persons and the side‐effects of antipsychotic drugs. Summary: This paper adds new information regarding the use of antipsychotic drugs in the nursing care of older people.
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Katarzyna Górak-Sosnowska and Katarzyna Piwowar-Sulej
The aim of the paper is to theoretically and empirically explore the issue of well-being (WB) of female administrative employees who work on managerial positions at higher…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the paper is to theoretically and empirically explore the issue of well-being (WB) of female administrative employees who work on managerial positions at higher education institutions (HEIs).
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on both literature studies and explorative empirical research conducted in Poland with the use of snowball sampling. It adopted a questionnaire authored by Parker and Hyett and covered 121 respondents.
Findings
Literature studies show that invisibility of work, low level of empowerment, increased stress, workload and expectations, reduced resources, high level of anxiety, fatigue and low level of vitality negatively impact the WB of HEIs’ administrative staff. The presented research provides insight into the internal structure of the administrative staff’s WB. Both the main construct (i.e. employees’ WB) and its subconstructs are on moderate level. Respondents’ age and tasks performed are correlated only with the subconstruct of WB in the form of intrusion of work into private life.
Research limitations/implications
Although the research is not based on large sample, it provides both practical and theoretical implications.
Originality/value
Most of studies discuss the issue of WB of scholars. The paper fills the research gap in terms of examining female administrative employees who work on managerial positions at HEIs.
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The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between fatigue life and kinematics of angular contact ball bearing. It proposes a new modeling method of spin to roll…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between fatigue life and kinematics of angular contact ball bearing. It proposes a new modeling method of spin to roll ratio based on raceway friction, which is more accurate than the traditional raceway control theory.
Design/methodology/approach
The uniform model of spin to roll ratio based on raceway friction in a wide speed range is proposed using quasi-statics method, which considers centrifugal force, gyroscopic moment, friction force of raceway and other influencing factors. The accuracy is considerably improved compared with the static model without increasing too much computation.
Findings
A uniform model for spin to roll ratio of angular contact ball bearing based on raceway friction is established, and quite different relationships between fatigue life and speed under two operating conditions are found.
Research limitations/implications
The conclusion of this paper is based on the bearing basic fatigue life calculation theory provided by ISO/TS 16281; however, the accuracy of theory needs to be further verified.
Practical implications
This paper provides guidance for applying angular contact ball bearing, especially at a high speed.
Originality/value
This paper reveals the changing trend of fatigue life of angular contact ball bearing with the speed under different loads.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-01-2020-0030