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Academic Researchers (academic + researcher)
Selected AbstractsA Design Theory Approach to Building Strategic Network-Based Customer Service Systems,DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 3 2009M. Kathryn Brohman ABSTRACT Customer service is a key component of a firm's value proposition and a fundamental driver of differentiation and competitive advantage in nearly every industry. Moreover, the relentless coevolution of service opportunities with novel and more powerful information technologies has made this area exciting for academic researchers who can contribute to shaping the design and management of future customer service systems. We engage in interdisciplinary research,across information systems, marketing, and computer science,in order to contribute to the service design and service management literature. Grounded in the design-science perspective, our study leverages marketing theory on the service-dominant logic and recent findings pertaining to the evolution of customer service systems. Our theorizing culminates with the articulation of four design principles. These design principles underlie the emerging class of customer service systems that, we believe, will enable firms to better compete in an environment characterized by an increase in customer centricity and in customers' ability to self-serve and dynamically assemble the components of solutions that fit their needs. In this environment, customers retain control over their transactional data, as well as the timing and mode of their interactions with firms, as they increasingly gravitate toward integrated complete customer solutions rather than single products or services. Guided by these design principles, we iterated through, and evaluated, two instantiations of the class of systems we propose, before outlining implications and directions for further cross-disciplinary scholarly research. [source] Examining Drivers of Course Performance: An Exploratory Examination of an Introductory CIS Applications CourseDECISION SCIENCES JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE EDUCATION, Issue 1 2006Rhonda A. Syler ABSTRACT The accelerating diffusion of broadband Internet access provides many opportunities for the development of pedagogically robust Web-based instruction (WBI). While the supporting technology infrastructure of broadband disseminates, the attention of academic researchers focuses upon issues such as the drivers of student usage of WBI. Specifically, the research presented herein examined the impact of WBI on a student's aggregate course performance. We hypothesized that learning independence (LI) is a determinate factor in a student's use of WBI. In this study, we employed structural equation modeling techniques to examine the data and assess the direct and indirect effects of LI on WBI usage. The subjects, students in an introductory Computer Information Systems applications course, used a Web-based tutorial program for skills instruction. The findings of this study suggest that WBI usage has a significant impact on a student's course performance. Despite its plausibility, the effect of LI on WBI usage was not significant. However, we did conclude that two of the second order factors of the LI construct have a direct effect on a student's performance in the course. [source] Mapping Common Futures: Customary Communities, NGOs and the State in Indonesia's Reform EraDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 1 2005Carol Warren The post-Suharto ,Reform Era' has witnessed explosive revitalization movements among Indonesia's indigenous minorities or ,customary'(adat) communities attempting to redress the disempowerment they suffered under the former regime. This study considers the current resurgence of customary claims to land and resources in Bali, where the state-sponsored investment boom of the 1990s had severe social and environmental impacts. It focuses on recent experiments with participatory community mapping, aimed at reframing the relationship between state and local institutions in planning and decision-making processes. Closely tied to the mapping and planning strategy have been efforts to strengthen local institutions and to confront the problems of land alienation and community control of resources. The diversity of responses to this new intervention reflects both the vitality and limitations of local adat communities, as well as the contributions and constraints of non-governmental organizations that increasingly mediate their relationships to state and global arenas. This ethnographic study explores participants' experiences of the community mapping programme and suggests its potential for developing ,critical localism' through long-term, process-oriented engagements between communities, governments, NGOs, and academic researchers. [source] The Meaning of Employee EngagementINDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2008WILLIAM H. MACEY The meaning of employee engagement is ambiguous among both academic researchers and among practitioners who use it in conversations with clients. We show that the term is used at different times to refer to psychological states, traits, and behaviors as well as their antecedents and outcomes. Drawing on diverse relevant literatures, we offer a series of propositions about (a) psychological state engagement; (b) behavioral engagement; and (c) trait engagement. In addition, we offer propositions regarding the effects of job attributes and leadership as main effects on state and behavioral engagement and as moderators of the relationships among the 3 facets of engagement. We conclude with thoughts about the measurement of the 3 facets of engagement and potential antecedents, especially measurement via employee surveys. [source] Integrating intelligent systems into marketing to support market segmentation decisionsINTELLIGENT SYSTEMS IN ACCOUNTING, FINANCE & MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2006Sally MckechnieArticle first published online: 13 MAR 200 For the last 50 years market segmentation has been considered to be a key concept in marketing strategy. As a means of tackling market heterogeneity, the underlying logic and managerial rationale for market segmentation is well established in the marketing literature. However, there is evidence to suggest that attempts by organizations to classify customers into distinct segments for whom product or services can be specifically tailored are proving to be difficult to implement in practice. As the business environment in which many organizations operate becomes increasingly uncertain and highly competitive, greater importance is now being attached to marketing knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to highlight market segmentation problems as a relevant area for a greater level of engagement of intelligent systems academic researchers and practitioners with their counterparts within the marketing discipline, in order to explore how data mining approaches can assist marketers in gaining valuable insights into patterns of consumer behaviour, which can then be used to inform market segmentation decision-making. Since the application of data mining within the marketing domain is only in its infancy, a research agenda is proposed to encourage greater interdisciplinary collaboration between information systems and marketing so that data mining can more noticeably enter the repertoire of analytical techniques being employed for segmentation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Relationships among levels of government support, marketing activities, and financial health of nonprofit performing arts organizationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NONPROFIT & VOLUNTARY SECTOR MARKETING, Issue 2 2007Theresa A. Kirchner This exploratory study researches and analyzes the empirical effects of financial levels of government support and marketing practices on the financial health of nonprofit performing arts organizations. Declining government subsidies and increasing competition from non-traditional sources have presented these organizations with unique opportunities and challenges that call for a market-centered, as well as an art-centered approach. Financial health is critical for the long-term success of a nonprofit performing arts organization. Few empirical studies have examined the interrelationships between these key variables. This study analyzes a sample of 63 American professional symphony orchestras employing 20 years of data. The correlations among financial levels of government support and marketing activities were positive and significant, the correlations among levels of government support and financial health were negative and significant, and the correlations between levels of marketing activity and financial health were negative and varied in significance. Causal analyses were less conclusive, but significant causal relationships were found for large symphony orchestras, indicating that segmentation research may be warranted. Implications and opportunities for future research are presented which have potential application for government agencies, academic researchers, and arts organization managers, boards of directors, and donors. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Cooperation in the Budgeting ProcessJOURNAL OF ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 5 2003Qi Chen ABSTRACT In this article I analyze the role of cooperation between firm divisions in the budgeting process. I study a setting in which cooperation is a necessary condition for information sharing among division managers, which in turn benefits the principal. The results in this article can help reconcile the differing views between practitioners and academic researchers on the desirability of cooperation in the budgeting process. The results also have implications for some common budgeting processes observed in practice, including bundling budgeting and bottom-up budgeting. [source] Domestic Violence Research: Methodological Issues Related to a Community-Based Intervention With a Vulnerable Population,JOURNAL OF APPLIED BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2005Clarissa A. Shavers Presently, in our society, thousands of children, adolescents, and adults are physically, mentally, and emotionally traumatized from exposure to domestic violence (DV). Exposure to DV, defined here as male violence against their female partners, occurs among all ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, geographical, and racial groups. DV can lead to depression, negative self-esteem, and general psychological distress in women. Children exposed to DV have an increased risk of behavioral, emotional, and social problems. DV shelters often provide group counseling and support services for battered women, children, and adolescents residing there, but the programs do not reach the majority of women living in the broader community. Furthermore, few studies have examined the effectiveness and efficacy of support group treatment intervention programs for battered women and children. This is due, in part, to the methodological difficulties inherent in this design. As a way to meet the needs of families that have experienced DV, academic researchers from a Midwestern university and a director of counseling services from a local domestic violence agency have partnered to offer a psycho-educational intervention designed to [source] Deconstructing consumer behaviour: theory and practiceJOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 1 2001Dr David Marsden Abstract This paper challenges the conventional opposition, or distinction, between consumer behaviour theory and practice. This binary dualism, it is argued, is predicated on a simplistic ,either/or' logic that ignores the effects theory and practice have on each other. Furthermore, it obscures a hierarchical relationship between academic researchers and marketing practitioners in which basic research is more dominant and privileged than applied research. In response to these criticisms, an alternative ,both/and' logic is proposed for exploring the interrelationships between consumer behaviour theory and practice and new social relations among consumer researchers. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications. [source] Comparative analysis of CFD models of dense gas,solid systemsAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 5 2001B. G. M. van Wachem Many gas,solid CFD models have been put forth by academic researchers, government laboratories, and commercial vendors. These models often differ in terms of both the form of the governing equations and the closure relations, resulting in much confusion in the literature. These various forms in the literature and in commercial codes are reviewed and the resulting hydrodynamics through CFD simulations of fluidized beds compared. Experimental data on fluidized beds of Hilligardt and Werther (1986), Kehoe and Davidson (1971), Darton et al.(1977), and Kuipers (1990) are used to quantitatively assess the various treatments. Predictions based on the commonly used governing equations of Ishii (1975) do not differ from those of Anderson and Jackson (1967) in terms of macroscopic flow behavior, but differ on a local scale. Flow predictions are not sensitive to the use of different solid stress models or radial distribution functions, as different approaches are very similar in dense flow regimes. The application of a different drag model, however, significantly impacts the flow of the solids phase. A simplified algebraic granular energy-balance equation is proposed for determining the granular temperature, instead of solving the full granular energy balance. This simplification does not lead to significantly different results, but it does reduce the computational effort of the simulations by about 20%. [source] National study of information seeking behavior of academic researchers in the United StatesJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Xi Niu As new technologies and information delivery systems emerge, the way in which individuals search for information to support research, teaching, and creative activities is changing. To understand different aspects of researchers' information-seeking behavior, this article surveyed 2,063 academic researchers in natural science, engineering, and medical science from five research universities in the United States. A Web-based, in-depth questionnaire was designed to quantify researchers' information searching, information use, and information storage behaviors. Descriptive statistics are reported. Additionally, analysis of results is broken out by institutions to compare differences among universities. Significant findings are reported, with the biggest changes because of increased utilization of electronic methods for searching, sharing, and storing scholarly content, as well as for utilizing library services. Generally speaking, researchers in the five universities had similar information-seeking behavior, with small differences because of varying academic unit structures and myriad library services provided at the individual institutions. [source] The social and discursive construction of computing skillsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Sanna Talja In this article a social constructionist approach to information technology (IT) literacy is introduced. This approach contributes to the literature on IT literacy by introducing the concept of IT self as a description of the momentary, context-dependent, and multilayered nature of interpretations of IT competencies. In the research literature, IT literacy is often defined as sets of basic skills to be learned, and competencies to be demonstrated. In line with this approach, research on IT competencies conventionally develops models for explaining user acceptance, and for measuring computer-related attitudes and skills. The assumption is that computer-related attitudes and self-efficacy impact IT adoption and success in computer use. Computer self-efficacy measures are, however, often based on self-assessments that measure interpretations of skills rather than performance in practice. An analysis of empirical interview data in which academic researchers discuss their relationships with computers and IT competence shows how a self-assessment such as "computer anxiety" presented in one discussion context can in another discussion context be consigned to the past in favor of a different and more positive version. Here it is argued that descriptions of IT competencies and computer-related attitudes are dialogic social constructs and closely tied with more general implicit understandings of the nature of technical artifacts and technical knowledge. These implicit theories and assumptions are rarely taken under scrutiny in discussions of IT literacy yet they have profound implications for the aims and methods in teaching computer skills. [source] The importance of news media in pharmaceutical risk communication: proceedings of a workshop,,§PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 5 2005Felicia E. Mebane PhD Abstract In response to mass media's role in the national and global system of pharmaceutical risk communication, the Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) convened a ,think tank' session on the ,Importance of Media in Pharmaceutical Risk Communication'. Prominent journalists and experts from the pharmaceutical industry, academia, medical practice and government were invited to consider the benefits and challenges of improving the way we communicate the benefits and risks of therapeutics via mass media, especially news media. Workshop discussions revealed a paucity of systematic research directed towards understanding how and why news media report on therapeutic risk, the impact of this coverage and how coverage can be improved. Consequently, participants produced a research agenda capturing the key aspects of the flow of information around this topic, including the meaning of risk, how news audiences process and use therapeutic risk information in the news, how and why news organizations report on therapeutic risk, and the role and impact of the pharmaceutical industry, government officials and academic researchers as sources of therapeutic risk information. The workshop ended with a discussion on action items addressing what news professionals, representatives of regulatory agencies and the medical products industry, and academic researchers can and should do to enable news media to effectively report therapeutic risk information. In sum, this proceedings report provides an outline for developing mass media risk communication research, influencing the practices of journalists and expert sources and ultimately, improving the quality of the public's life. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Price of Democracy: Vote Buying and Village Elections in ChinaASIAN POLITICS AND POLICY, Issue 4 2010John James Kennedy Local elections have been occurring in most villages for over a decade in rural China, and competitive elections are one of the key indicators of the democratic process. Indeed, competition is an important aspect of any democracy, and it increases the value of a villager's vote,so much so that in some villages, a farmer's vote can be worth a small fortune. As village elections become more competitive, reports of vote buying are on the rise, and a number of journalists and academic researchers have condemned this growing practice in rural China. Accordingly, vote buying subverts democratic development and hinders democratization efforts. However, vote buying has a long history in well-established democracies, such as the United States and Great Britain. Rather than subverting democratization, vote buying can be viewed as part of the process or the price of democracy. While policies and laws are needed to control vote buying in the long run, initially it is a positive indicator that voting is an important and valuable process in rural China. [source] Prostanoids in the Therapy of GlaucomaCARDIOVASCULAR THERAPEUTICS, Issue 1 2006Naruhiro Ishida ABSTRACT Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is one of the most important risk factors for the development of glaucoma, which is a progressive optic neuropathy. Lowering IOP is currently the only therapeutic approach to the therapy of glaucoma. Since the use of pilocarpine eye drops for glaucoma treatment was reported in the late 1870s, academic researchers and pharmaceutical companies attempted to discover new drugs with more potent, prolonged, and safer IOP-reducing effects. These persistent efforts finally paid off, and prostanoids with FP-receptor agonist activity were found to be very potent IOP-lowering agents. To date, three prostanoids (latanoprost, travoprost and bimatoprost) have been launched in many countries, and now a new FP-receptor agonist, tafluprost, is entering clinical development. All of these prostanoids are superior to the ,-adrenoceptor antagonists in their IOP-lowering efficacy, and no severe side effects have been reported in their long-term clinical use. In addition, tafluprost may be expected to improve ocular blood flow. Hence, prostanoids currently occupy center stage among glaucoma medications. It cannot be denied that in terms of efficacy, safety, patient compliance, and medical economy prostanoids are currently the first-line medicines among ocular antihypertensive drugs. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||