City councillors and the mission of public libraries

2011 ◽  
Vol 112 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 52-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Gazo
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
City Council ◽  
Social Construction Of Reality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
The City

PurposeIn Quebec, where a large majority of public libraries are municipal departments, the mission of the libraries must be defined in collaboration with city councillors and acknowledged by them. The purpose of this paper is to understand the views of city councillors in Quebec on the mission of public libraries, and to compare them to actual library practices.Design/methodology/approachThe research strategy adopted is a multiple case study. Interviews were conducted with 12 city councillors who represent their library on the city council. These interviews and the municipal cultural policies were subjected to a discourse analysis. The interviews with the directors of the public libraries and some documents were subjected to content analysis.FindingsA conceptual framework based on the theory of social construction of reality is proposed to study the discourses of city councillors in their textual dimension, to contextualise them and to analyse them in comparison with library practices.Originality/valueThere is no homogeneous view among city councillors in Quebec on the mission of public libraries. However, a model of the discourse of city councillors does emerge. It is less developed than current literature. It presents a passive image of the library in which the tradition continues, ignoring the Information Society. The analysis also revealed that the views of city councillors are based on their own convictions as individuals, on their role in the management of the municipality as elected officials, and on the image they have of the users of public libraries.

Promoting knowledge circulation in public libraries: the role of gamification

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 669-676
Author(s):  
Nathalie Colasanti ◽  
Valerio Fiori ◽  
Rocco Frondizi
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Knowledge Circulation ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe aim of the paper is to investigate the impact of nudges and considerations stemming from behavioural economics on the promotion and enhancement of knowledge circulation in public libraries. In fact, literature indicates that an approach based on nudging individuals towards desired behaviours may be more effective than top-down policy actions that may be perceived as excessive.Design/methodology/approachIn order to answer the research question, the paper analyses an exploratory case study regarding the network of public libraries in Rome, called Biblioteche di Roma (BdR). BdR launched its online platform in 2009, but it was never able to create a strong connection with offline activities, and contributions by readers (such as comments and book ratings) remained very low. In 2018, BdR introduced a gamification section in its website, with the goal of increasing users' interactions and book circulation. Data resulting from the use of gamification, both at city level and within different neighbourhoods, will be presented and analysed.FindingsResults indicate that the introduction of gamification was successful in increasing users' interactions and engagement, both online and offline.Originality/valueThe paper is valuable as it explores the introduction of nudge theory and gamification in the public library system.

Vigilant resilience: the possibilities for renewal through preparedness

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Renewal Theory ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
System Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Energy Company ◽  
Resilience Process

Purpose Post-crisis renewal discourse (Ulmer et al., 2007) is one form of communication that stakeholders may use as they attempt to organize for resilience. The purpose of this paper propose extending Discourse of Renewal Theory to explain how it could enact a different kind of resilience than scholars typically consider. Organizational resilience strategies often focus on the recovery or prevention stages of crisis management. Under conditions of persistent threat, it would be more productive for renewal discourse to emphasize greater preparedness. Design/methodology/approach To illustrate the need for this kind of theorizing, the author analyzes a case study that follows the public relations efforts of Canadian energy company Enbridge, Inc., in the aftermath of the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill. Findings By the criteria of Discourse of Renewal Theory, Enbridge attempted a renewal strategy, but it failed. By other criteria, however, it succeeded: it created the opportunity for richer dialogue among stakeholders about their interdependence and their competing interests. Originality/value By considering how elements of the resilience process may vary, this paper offers resources for more nuanced theory-building and theory-testing related to organizational and system-level resilience.

Towards a multi-level servitization framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 810-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sambit Lenka ◽  
Vinit Parida ◽  
David Rönnberg Sjödin ◽  
Joakim Wincent
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Theoretical Concept ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Service Orientation ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multi Level

Purpose The dominant-view within servitization literature presupposes a progressive transition from product to service orientation. In reality, however, many manufacturing firms maintain both product and service orientations throughout their servitization journey. Using the theoretical lens of organizational ambivalence, the purpose of this paper is to explore the triggers, manifestation and consequences of these conflicting orientations. Design/methodology/approach A multiple case study method was used to analyze five large manufacturing firms that were engaged in servitization. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 respondents across different functions within these firms. Findings Servitizing firms experience organizational ambivalence during servitization because of co-existing product and service orientations. This paper provides a framework that identifies the triggers of this ambivalence, its multi-level manifestation and its consequences. These provide implications for explaining why firms struggle to implement servitization strategies due to co-existing product and services orientations. Understanding organizational ambivalence, provides opportunity to manage related challenges and can be vital to successful servitization. Originality/value Considering the theoretical concept of ambivalence could advance the understanding of the effects and implications of conflicting orientations during servitization in manufacturing firms.

E­commerce structures for retail and service franchises

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhanna Kremez ◽  
Lorelle Frazer ◽  
Scott Weaven ◽  
Sara Quach
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Preliminary Model ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Order Fulfilment ◽  
Franchise Networks ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth investigation of e-commerce strategy implementation in mature franchise organisations from both franchisor and franchisee perspectives.Design/methodology/approachThis research employed a multiple case study method where the e-commerce strategies of two mature franchise organisations were investigated in depth. Franchising experts were interviewed to provide an additional dimension to this study.FindingsThis research found that e-commerce must be integrated with the overall business strategy for optimal franchise performance. Since all parties to the franchising relationship are affected by the introduction of e-commerce, both the franchisees’ and the franchisor’s interests must be considered when the strategy is being developed. In addition, the consumer’s perspective is central to how e-commerce is structured, and franchisees are best placed to know their customers’ needs because they are directly involved in operating their business and interfacing with customers.Practical implicationsA preliminary model for e-commerce structures in service and retail franchising has been developed that depends on the nature of the business, the distribution arrangements and the order fulfilment arrangements. The two main avenues in e-commerce structuring were centralisation and decentralisation.Originality/valueThis study contributes to knowledge through an in-depth investigation of the internal process of e-commerce implementation in franchise networks from both franchisor and franchisee perspectives.

Status of EDRMS implementation in the public sector in Namibia and Zimbabwe

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathrine Tambudzai Nengomasha ◽  
Alfred Chikomba
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Public ◽  
Units Of Analysis ◽  
Study Population

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the adoption and use of electronic document and records management system (EDRMS) in the public service in Namibia and Zimbabwe with the aim of establishing barriers and enablers, and best practices which each country could adopt from the other. Design/methodology/approach This multi-case study was informed by an interpretivist paradigm. Qualitative in nature, the study applied face-to-face interviews as the data collection method, supplemented by documents analysis. The study population was Namibia and Zimbabwe’s public sectors with units of analysis, being the governments’ ministries, offices and agencies which have implemented EDRMS. Findings The paper provides the state of EDRMS implementation in Namibia and Zimbabwe. It establishes how the two countries have implemented EDRMS and factors that have contributed to the success/failure of the implementation in both countries. Originality/value The paper is a response to the need for further research studies on the implementation of EDRMS in various countries.

Public libraries and public primary school literacy: a Kenyan case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 689-701
Author(s):  
Peter Mose
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
School Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
Teachers And Parents

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explain how public libraries have been instrumental in early child school literacy teaching and learning. Most African public schools do not usually afford enough core textbooks and supplementary readers.Design/methodology/approachThis was a qualitative case study in Western Kenya amongst public library staff members, public primary school teachers and parents of library children clients. The following questions were addressed: What is the book situation in public primary schools in the study site? What school-type literacy-related services are offered by the sampled public library? and What are library staff members’, teachers’ and parents’ feelings about the public library services offered? Observations, interviews and document studies were used to collect data. Data were analysed thematically.FindingsPublic schools do not have enough core textbooks and the situation is worse for supplementary readers; the public library branch studied offers critical school-type literacies to school children both at the library building as well as at public schools registered with it; and library staff members, teachers, and parents express positive feelings about the services offered.Research limitations/implicationsThis was a case study whose findings might not apply to the larger situation and the study did not confirm actual literacy benefits of the library services amongst school children by, for instance, conducting literacy tests. The findings are, however, an index to the possible situation in the macro context.Practical implicationsThe relevant stakeholders should find ways of co-opting public libraries as associates of public schools in literacy teaching. This relationship is not straight forward in Kenya.Originality/valueThe findings reported are from original research.

Local on-demand fabrication: microfactories and online manufacturing platforms

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-41
Author(s):  
Jose Orlando Montes ◽  
F. Xavier Olleros
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Machine Shops ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
New Type ◽  
Experiential Research ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis article explores a particular on-demand fabrication unit, the microfactory (MF). It identifies and contrasts several MFs and proposes a taxonomy. This research also explores online manufacturing platforms (OMP) that complement certain MFs.Design/methodology/approachThis research implements a multiple case study (71 cases in 21 countries), triangulating data available on the web with interviews, virtual/physical tours and experiential research.FindingsThe results suggest that automation and openness are the main dimensions that differentiate the MFs. Using these dimensions, a taxonomy of MFs is created. MFs with relatively low automation and high openness tend to be innovation-driven microfactories (IDMFs). MFs with high automation and low openness levels tend to be customization-driven microfactories (CDMFs). And MFs with relatively low automation and low openness tend to be classic machine shops (MSs). There are two types of OMP: closed (COMPs) and multisided (MOMPs). MOMPs can be low-end or high-end.Practical implicationsIn a world where online platforms are becoming central to the reinvention of manufacturing, multisided online platforms and small fabricators will become strongly symbiotic.Originality/valueThis paper offers a clearer conceptualization of MFs and OMPs, which may help to better understand the reality of local on-demand fabrication. Moreover, it explores a new type of experiential research, which tries to describe and interpret firms through transactional activities. Many details of a firm that are difficult to capture via interviews and netnography can be revealed this way.

Lean Six Sigma in policing services

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 935-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Bryan Rodgers ◽  
Inness Coull ◽  
Vijaya Sunder M.
Keyword(s):  
Six Sigma ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Learning Points

Purpose This paper is based on a single case study carried out as part of a change programme but is used as a reflective tool to draw on some of the wider organisational learning which can be considered when implementing, reviewing or re-energise a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Programme. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach has been used and referenced throughout the paper with references to literature to support the wider learning points drawn which are then applied to any continuous improvement (CI) programmes. Findings The paper presents a range of learning points which are drawn from a successful deployment of LSS within a change project carried out as part of an overall programme in Scottish policing services. Research limitations/implications The points are drawn from a single case study which was deployed within a wider change programme and is supported by wider literature but is used as a vehicle for informing strategic considerations within an organisation. Originality/value This case study is drawn from policing services in the public sector which alone is an area that has not been significantly studied. It is used to explore wider implications in terms of strategic alignment, organisational performance and project management and presents the argument that the design of a CI programme is much wider than the implementation of LSS itself.

Political will and public will for climate-smart agriculture in Senegal

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric D. Raile ◽  
Linda M. Young ◽  
Adama Sarr ◽  
Samba Mbaye ◽  
Amber N.W. Raile ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Study Country ◽  
Smart Agriculture

Purpose Agriculture must transform as climate change progresses. The international community has promoted climate-smart agriculture (CSA) as a set of solutions. Previous analyses of opportunities for scaling up CSA have not looked closely at building political and social support for policies, practices and programs. The purpose of this paper is to fill that gap in the case study country of Senegal. Design/methodology/approach The study applies the conceptual definitions, operationalizations and assessment targets from the political will and public will (PPW) approach to social change. Semi-structured interviews and documents constitute the sources of data and information. Findings The analysis identifies opportunities to generate political will for supplying an enabling environment for the widespread adoption of CSA. On the public will side, the analysis identifies opportunities to generate and channel demand for CSA. Research limitations/implications Researchers investigated some definitional components more completely than others due to resource and access constraints. Further, the context specificity of the components limits generalizability of certain findings. Social implications Social structures may need to change for successful adoption of certain CSA innovations, but improved agricultural outcomes are likely to result. Originality/value This examination of crucial elements for scaling up CSA efforts constitutes the most extensive application of the PPW approach to date, thus providing an example of this generalizable method.

Science-industry R&D cooperation effects on firm’s appropriation strategy

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario Milesi ◽  
Vladimiro Verre ◽  
Natalia Petelski
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Dimensions ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Similar Weight ◽  
Innovation Characteristics ◽  
Opposing Effects ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show how science-industry R&D cooperation (SIRC) generates effects on the strategy developed by firms to appropriate the benefits of innovations. Given the plurality of cooperation patterns between firms and public R&D institutions and the variety of appropriation mechanisms used by firms to protect generated knowledge or to strengthen their market position, this paper investigates to what extent different forms of cooperation are associated with different effects on appropriation strategy. Design/methodology/approach As evidence of this, the authors carry out a multiple case study, covering nine biopharmaceutical Argentine firms whose innovation projects are developed in cooperation with public R&D institutions. Using critical dimensions identified by public-private R&D cooperation literature, the paper analyzes the characteristics of cooperation in the cases studied, looking for different patterns. Given the existence of various appropriation mechanisms identified by appropriability literature, the paper analyzes how firms use (or not) those mechanisms within the specific context of jointly generated innovation. Findings The paper shows that SIRC generates opposing effects on the various appropriation mechanisms used by firms, both challenging and strengthening them. Likewise, the identification of three cooperation patterns in Argentine biopharmaceutical sector, namely, contract R&D, internalization and coordination, allows appreciating how each pattern affects differently the appropriation mechanisms used by firms, being the coordination one, the most functional to the appropriation strategy of firms analyzed. Research limitations/implications The arguments presented here are necessarily limited to the biopharmaceutical Argentine sector, which is strategic to the country, for accumulated capabilities in scientific and business aspects. The analysis could be enriched by extending it to other industries with similar innovation characteristics and to other countries, where patents have a similar weight (emerging countries) or a different one (developed countries). Practical implications Innovation and public-private collaboration policies may benefit from the analysis presented here, which helps to assess advantages and challenges of different SIRC logics on firms’ appropriation issues and to considerate which aspects allow cooperation and appropriation combining in a more virtuous form. Originality/value There is no paper that explicitly examines the effects generated by different SIRC patterns on the appropriation strategy of firms, conceived as a combination of different mechanisms which may include patents but is not limited to them.

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