Ellen J. Dumond and Thomas W. Johnson
The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into quality management for business education. The paper provides business schools and Association to Advance Collegiate Schools…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into quality management for business education. The paper provides business schools and Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) with information about two different quality standards and suggests how the AACSB accreditation process might be strengthened – thereby improving the quality of the education process and product.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors compare two prevalent but different approaches to quality management: the AACSB accreditation standards and ISO 9001, a set of quality requirements developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). For this comparison, the authors review the literature in the field, including published quality standards, organization examples documenting implementation of AACSB or ISO 9001 standards, and existing empirical research results on the two approaches.
Findings
Both quality approaches have their merits and followers. It seems feasible that AACSB might be able to borrow some elements from the ISO 9001 components and process to improve their accreditation process. For example, they might wish to consider more standardized auditor training, the use of a third party auditing body, incorporation of a process orientation and a system of continuous improvement, as well as more overall reliance on the quality principles in ISO 9001.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is a conceptual one without empirical data. As such, it has limitations. Further research is needed to gather empirical data to continue the investigation between these two approaches to quality management in education.
Practical implications
It is hoped that, with awareness and integration of some of the ISO 9001 components, AACSB and educational administrators are able to improve the accreditation process for business schools, thereby improving the overall education process and product.
Originality/value
The paper provides a comparison of two different but prevalent approaches to quality management within educational organizations. It presents insight for business schools seeking to adopt either of these approaches and provides suggestions for improvement of the AACSB standards. This discussion is valuable as it seeks to improve the quality of business education while it operates in an environment with increasingly limited resources.
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Reference librarians in various library settings are often assigned responsibilities for training students, support staff, or other new professionals, a task for which they rarely…
Abstract
Reference librarians in various library settings are often assigned responsibilities for training students, support staff, or other new professionals, a task for which they rarely have sufficient professional education. This bibliography recommends readings on topics that will assist reference librarians in understanding the philosophy of staff development. The readings listed here cover subjects such as: establishing an atmosphere that facilitates learning, assessing training needs, describing competent performance, writing clear and specific objectives, selecting appropriate training methods, maintaining skills and providing feedback, and evaluating the effectiveness of a training program.
This study identifies the factors that postgraduate service management programs (PSMPs) in Korean Universities can use to gain competitive advantage.
Abstract
Purpose
This study identifies the factors that postgraduate service management programs (PSMPs) in Korean Universities can use to gain competitive advantage.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method approach was adopted in serial order to verify the role of PSMP identity in the relationship between education service quality and student satisfaction established in prior research. Study 1 is a case study designed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the PSMPs in Korea using data derived through a document review of the sources collected from the official websites of PSMPs. In Study 2, focus group interviews were conducted with students and graduates of PSMPs to gain new insights that would help attain competitive advantage. Finally, a questionnaire survey was conducted in Study 3 to statistically test the relationship between PSMP identity, education service quality and student satisfaction.
Findings
Education service quality has a positive impact on PSMP identity, PSMP identity has a positive impact on student satisfaction and PSMP identity mediates the aforementioned impacts. The results established PSMP identity as a key factor in enhancing its competitiveness.
Originality/value
Since PSMPs have a short history and are limited number of cases in Korea, their justification is not well-understood by the general public and companies. This problem is not limited to PSMPs but is also shared by other specialized postgraduate programs. With comprehensive data on and new insights into PSMPs, including the determinants of competitive advantage, the results provide basic evidence for follow-up research and useful information for administrative officers in charge of specialized postgraduate programs.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the sources and use of social capital on small firm growth in an emerging economy. The study also examines the relationship between small…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the sources and use of social capital on small firm growth in an emerging economy. The study also examines the relationship between small firms’ human capital, internal resources and strategy on social capital sources used, and their impact on small firms’ growth in employment.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses logistics regression and structural equation modelling to analyse data gathered from 441 small firms located in six regions of Ghana where approximately 81 per cent of all businesses are found.
Findings
Among the 16 sources of social capital examined, customers were found to be the most used source and the only social capital source that showed significant statistical association with firm growth in employment. Also, the study revealed that human capital, firm resources and strategy variables such as educational level of the owner-manager, firm size, location, firm involvement in internalisation and innovation are statistically significant with social capital sources such as accountants, banks, solicitors, business associates and chamber of commerce.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of the study have implications for policy and practice in situations where government and private sector institutions mandated to support enterprise development appear to be the least social capital sources used by small firms. The findings also provide a better understanding of the use and impact of social capital sources on small firm growth in an emerging economy in Africa.
Originality/value
This study appears to be the first known research on small firms’ social capital that has examined 16 different social capital sources and shown how human capital, internal resources and firm strategy have influenced the use of social capital sources by small firms in an emerging economy.
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Michael Papadopoulos, Sergio Tavares, Marco Pacchione and Spiros Pantelakis
To investigate the effect of different welding configurations on the mechanical properties of friction stir welding (FSW) overlap joints. The application of FSW in an overlap…
Abstract
Purpose
To investigate the effect of different welding configurations on the mechanical properties of friction stir welding (FSW) overlap joints. The application of FSW in an overlap configuration could be an attractive replacement to the riveting process for assembly of fuselage primary structures due to the similarity in tolerance management. However, the mechanical properties of welded overlap joints are often inferior to the respective riveted lap‐joint properties.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to quantify the static and fatigue strength of FSW overlap joints, numerical and experimental investigation on overlap welds were performed in the current work. Several single shear overlap joints welding configurations were investigated, including single and multiple pass friction stir welds. The static and fatigue behaviour of these joints was assessed through tensile and fatigue tests.
Findings
Static and fatigue behaviour were found to strongly depend on the welding process parameters and configuration. With respect to the static behaviour, it was found that values close to base material can be achieved. However, depending on configuration and process parameters, static properties can be as low as about 30% of the base material properties. As for the fatigue behaviour, the fatigue limit for all configurations tested was found to be unrealistic for structural applications.
Originality/value
The distance between the outermost welds in multiple pass welds were found to influence the mechanical properties, although no direct relationship can be derived. Indications have been found but no clear conclusion has been reached with respect to the optimum configuration. In some cases, specimens with superior tensile properties exhibited reduced fatigue properties whereas the exact opposite effect was observed for other configurations.
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Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).