Rita Marcella, Sylvie Davies and Dorothy Williams
Analysis of results from exploratory research into the attitudes of exporters of the food and drink industry of north‐east Scotland towards the value of foreign language skills…
Abstract
Analysis of results from exploratory research into the attitudes of exporters of the food and drink industry of north‐east Scotland towards the value of foreign language skills suggests a certain degree of ambivalence, which, together with the lack of resources and available skills can explain the absence of systematic language strategies. It also demonstrates the case for a questionnaire survey focusing on the various aspects of international marketing communication in the context of that particular industry sector across Scotland. Findings provided information on a range of practices and attitudes as well as a better knowledge of the nature of communication barriers; the means and tools of international marketing communication; the context of use of foreign languages; criteria for export success, perception of the impact of the customer’s language use on marketing success; significance of skills for international marketing success; perception of impact of educational policies on opportunities in the global market.
Details
Keywords
Rita Marcella, Graeme Baxter, Susan Parker and Sylvie Davies
Compares the selective European information services in France and the UK, stating that whereas France gathers information from official documentation and its representations in…
Abstract
Compares the selective European information services in France and the UK, stating that whereas France gathers information from official documentation and its representations in the EC in Paris and Marseille, the UK got its European information from three surveys, including two degree surveys. Maintains that French academic librarians are Civil Servants employed by central government and have limited access to European Documentation Centres (EDC), unlike their British counterparts whose libraries, over hundreds of years, have evolved into a self‐governing institution, much better funded and able to provide information at local authority level where European responsibility has been significantly added to since the signing of the Single European Act in 1986.
Details
Keywords
Gillian Conroy, Susan Parker and Sylvie Davies
European Union (EU) education policy encourages the integration of a European dimension across the curriculum to prepare young people for participation in the EU. This article…
Abstract
European Union (EU) education policy encourages the integration of a European dimension across the curriculum to prepare young people for participation in the EU. This article discusses the findings of a survey investigating the European information needs of secondary school teachers in relation to the teaching of the European dimension. Interviews were undertaken with a small sample of teachers and school librarians in selected schools of Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. The article discusses three main issues: inconsistency in the implementation of the European dimension at school level, ambivalent perception of what it actually means, and need for appropriate resources to enable teachers to include the European dimension in their teaching. The European Commission Representation Office in the UK has responded to the needs of the school sector by establishing a network of European Resources Centres for Schools and Colleges. Further research is required to assess the impact of these developments.
Details
Keywords
Kerstin Jorna and Sylvie Davies
In the 21st century, multilingual tools are gaining importance as increasingly diverse user groups from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds seek access to equally…
Abstract
In the 21st century, multilingual tools are gaining importance as increasingly diverse user groups from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds seek access to equally diverse pieces of information. The authors of this paper believe that most current forms of multilingual information access are inadequate for this role, and that a new form of multilingual thesaurus is required. The core of this paper introduces their pilot thesaurus InfoDEFT as a possible model for new online thesauri, which are semantically structured, encyclopedic and multilingual. The authors conclude that while the manual construction of such thesauri is labour intensive and hence costly, pilot thesauri can be used as training sets for artificial learning programmes, thus increasing their volume considerably at relatively little extra cost.
Details
Keywords
Abstract
Details
Keywords
Rita Marcella and Sylvie Davies
This paper reports the results of case studies of Scottish food and drink exporters which sought to explore the use of customer language in marketing and exporting products to…
Abstract
This paper reports the results of case studies of Scottish food and drink exporters which sought to explore the use of customer language in marketing and exporting products to France. The findings provide evidence for three levels of language orientation, illustrating differing attitudes to the impact of customer language use, despite consensus that such is good practice and “courteous” in responding to customers. Given the diverse import community, language is more influential in certain contexts and at certain points in the marketing process. Changes in the exporter/importer dynamic may indicate greater need for customer language skills amongst exporters, but this was regarded with mixed feelings by the case study companies. Trends such as the increased demand for product information and the growing reliance on electronic communication had an impact on language of communication, in particular with the shift to processed products. A number of paradigms of Internet usage are identified, with the more proactive companies employing a multi‐level, multilingual approach.
Details
Keywords
Rita Marcella, Graeme Baxter, Sylvie Davies and Dick Toornstra
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of a customer knowledge study commissioned by the Parliamentary Documentation Centre (PDC) of the European Parliament in order…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of a customer knowledge study commissioned by the Parliamentary Documentation Centre (PDC) of the European Parliament in order to elicit a better understanding of the views and needs of its actual and potential client base.
Design/methodology/approach
The study consisted of in‐depth, face‐to‐face interviews with 72 clients and 11 staff (83 individuals) in Brussels in February 2004. The paper explores the significance of information in the parliamentary context and summarises the activities which respondents described as being information‐dependent. The paper also highlights the evolutionary nature of information need during the course of the legislative process.
Findings
The information‐seeking behaviour and skills of the PDC clients are discussed, as are the criteria by which they assess information quality. The study revealed that users were frequently uncritical and pragmatic in use of the most readily available information, sacrificing quality in favour of ease of access.
Originality/value
This paper presents results from a uniquely complex information environment – the European Union. Users tended to be complacent about their information‐seeking skills and reluctant to engage in skills enhancement activities.
Details
Keywords
Anne Marie Gosselin and Sylvie Berthelot
The purpose of this study is twofold: to examine the reliability of voluntary corporate social responsibility reporting (CSRR) to determine whether users can rely on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is twofold: to examine the reliability of voluntary corporate social responsibility reporting (CSRR) to determine whether users can rely on the information released by corporations and to examine the determinants of CSRR reliability in a voluntary context.
Design/methodology/approach
This study analyses the information included in a sample of 190 standalone corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports issued by Canadian corporations listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange S&P/TSX Composite Index from 2016 to 2018.
Findings
The results of this study show that CSR reports lack reliability. The determinants identified (image, corporate governance and financialisation) partially explain the quality of the information disclosed. As well, the results suggest that corporations may attempt to manipulate users’ perception through their disclosures.
Practical implications
TThis study provides a greater understanding of the current state of CSRR in a voluntary context. It offers further insights into the strategies corporations use to manage impressions through CSR disclosures.
Social implications
This study provides further empirical data as to current shortcomings of voluntary CSRR and the potential benefits of further regulation.
Originality/value
Few studies have specifically focused on the reliability of CSRR and its determinants in a voluntary context.
Details
Keywords
Brigitte Vachon, Ai-Thuy Huynh, Mylaine Breton, Louise Quesnel, Michel Camirand, Jeannette Leblanc and Sylvie Tardif
The purpose of this paper is to document health care needs expressed by people living with diabetes, describe the solutions they envisaged for improving the quality of primary…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to document health care needs expressed by people living with diabetes, describe the solutions they envisaged for improving the quality of primary care (PC) services and empower them to make better use of PC services.
Design/methodology/approach
A participatory research approach was used. Six workshops were organised to provide diabetes patients with knowledge on available services and to engage them in sharing their experience. Group discussions were recorded. Data were analysed using the thematic analysis method.
Findings
In total, 79 persons living with diabetes for a mean of 13 years participated. Needs expressed were grouped under seven themes: assurance of satisfactory follow-up by a family physician, continuous access to services adapted to evolving needs, motivation to adopt and maintain healthy behaviours, maintenance of knowledge about diabetes, psychological support, financial constraints, and collaboration with secondary-level services. Patients proposed solutions for improving services that were grouped under five themes: facilitating access to services, disseminating information about available services, centralising diabetes information on the internet, offering personalised services and improving interprofessional collaboration.
Practical implications
Needs expressed by diabetic patients concern different aspects of care such as accessibility, organisation, coordination, and better dissemination and visibility of services. The solutions proposed by patients focussed on better access to information and interprofessional services.
Originality/value
The workshop format used in this study offers an original and interesting approach and tool for actively engaging patients in quality improvement of services.
Details
Keywords
Andreas Al-Laham has been holding the chair for strategic and international management at the University of Mannheim since September 2009. After his studies of economics and…
Abstract
Andreas Al-Laham has been holding the chair for strategic and international management at the University of Mannheim since September 2009. After his studies of economics and business administration at the Technical University of Dortmund he received his PhD (1996) and Habilitation (2000) degree at the same University, Faculty of Business Administration, Chair of Strategic and International Management. From 2000 to 2002 he worked as a visiting research scholar and visiting professor for strategic management and organizational theory at the J.L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Canada. Afterward he became professor of international management and business policy at the University of Stuttgart. In 2004 he took a professorship of strategic management at the CASS Business School, City University of London, UK. Up till today, he is visiting professor for General Management and International Strategy. Between 2006 and 2009 he held the chair for management and international strategy at the University of Kaiserslautern. He has written several books, for example! Strategisches Management. Theoretische Grundlagen-Prozesse-Implementierung (together with M. K. Welge), Organisationales Wissensmanagement. Vahlens Handbücher der Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaft, Praxis des strategischen Managements (together with M. K. Welge and P. Kajüter) and Strategieprozesse in deutschen Unternehmungen. His current research focuses on evolutionary dynamics in the German biotech-industry, alliances and network dynamics as well as the internationalization of SME.