Libraries in the information age

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 603-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Eze Asogwa
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adequate Funding ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
Library Resources

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to measure the competencies of libraries in Nigerian universities, identify constraints to their performance and recommend infrastructures and competencies required. Institutional accreditation has compelled academic libraries in Nigerian to improve their quality, competencies and performances for accountability. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was the main instrument for data collection. The population of the study was all the university librarians in the 89 universities in Nigeria that the author selected from federal, state and private universities. Of the 81 sets of questionnaires emailed, 49 were returned, which represents a 60.5 per cent response rate and provides the working population of the study. Data were analysed using frequency tables, simple percentages and bar charts. Findings – The results indicate that academic libraries and librarians in Nigeria are competent in three key areas – educational roles, professional development and research. However, they are not very effective in the provision and use of library resources in cyberspace, adequate funding, collection development and information technology skills. The main constraints are: poor Internet penetration, low bandwidth, unreliable power supply and weak Internet proficiency. This paper suggests that adequate funding, benchmark performance and multi-skilling can serve as strategies against these constraints in developing regions. Practical implications – This study contributes to library staff assessment because it links strategic objectives to performance measures and associated long-term targets. It broadens issues which affect sustainable performance in academic libraries in Nigeria, as well as in Africa and other developing countries. Originality/value – While performance measurement is well established in developed countries, it is less or not so well established in Nigeria and other developing countries. The current research seeks to develop a performance measurement framework for academic libraries that is testable and expandable to Nigeria and the whole African context.

Performance indicators of public private partnership in Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hossain ◽  
Ross Guest ◽  
Christine Smith
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Risk Allocation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Geometric Consistency ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Evaluation And Monitoring

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop weights of key performance areas (KPAs) and performance indicators for public private partnerships (PPPs) in Bangladesh. Since a variety of PPP arrangements is observable, different performance measurement approaches exist in the literature. However, analysing the relative importance of indicators influencing the performance score of particular projects using the perspective of developing countries remains unexplored. Design/methodology/approach The authors’ method involves application of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to develop weights for eight KPAs for which 41 contributing performance indicators have been developed. In total, 68 respondents (62 per cent of the PPP practitioners in Bangladesh) participated in a structured questionnaire survey and their judgements have been found to be consistent, using consistency ratios, a geometric consistency index and one-way ANOVA test. Findings “Feasibility analysis”, “life cycle evaluation and monitoring” and “optimal risk allocation” are the most significant performance indicators in Bangladesh. “Financing” is the most important KPA, followed by “planning and initiation” and “transparency and accountability”. Interestingly, unlike the cost, time and quality measures of the public sector comparator analysis used in most developed countries, a different set of indicators and KPAs are found dominant. Research limitations/implications This suggests that performance indicators and their weights may differ for developing countries. Future research could usefully focus on testing this model in different countries and applying it to derive performance scores for individual PPPs. Originality/value An application of AHP in determining weights of the performance indicators represents a major contribution to the literature on PPP performance measurement in the developing countries including Bangladesh.

A practical framework for performance measurement of facilities management services in developing countries’ public hospitals

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Amos
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Quality Health Care ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
A Performance

Purpose Facilities management (FM) plays a vital role toward creating the hospitable environment that supports the core clinical business of rendering quality health care. To ensure optimal performance of FM, public hospitals require a performance measurement (PM) framework that could guide and assist facilities managers in their operations. This paper aims to respond to this need by developing a performance measurement framework useful to improve FM performance within the context of developing countries hospital FM services delivery. Design/methodology/approach The paper synthesizes knowledge from a comprehensive review of FM performance measurement literature and the results of an earlier PhD research on FM performance measurement in Ghana’s public hospitals. Findings The paper presents a simplified performance measurement framework which demonstrates four key performance measurement tasks: establishing performance goals; measuring the FM service delivery; evaluating FM outcomes; and performance review and reporting. The study suggests the establishment of a central coordination point to enhance performance measurement activities of public hospitals’ FM practices. Research limitations/implications Although reference is made to research on key performance indicators (KPIs), future study is recommended to develop appropriate methodology for selecting relevant KPIs. The author also intends to pilot the framework to a health facility in Ghana to leverage its usefulness, given the fact that it has not been tested empirically. Practical implications The application of the framework is expected to lead to the identification of performance gaps and weakness which when acted upon could lead to operational effectiveness and efficiency of the FM process, ultimately leading to improved FM performance. Originality/value The paper develops a novel performance measurement framework useful within the context of the nascent FM industry in the developing world.

When foreign brands appear local, and local brands appear foreign

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Chen
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Foreign Brand ◽  
Foreign Brands

PurposeBoth foreign and local companies frequently name their brands in foreign language on the market of developing countries, and some of them choose to disclose the brands' country of origin to consumers. The purpose of this research is to investigate the joint effects between the practices of disclosing the actual country of origin of the brands and the language of the brand names on consumers' purchase intention for foreign brands and local brands in developing countries.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed hypotheses were tested in two studies, namely an experiment and a field experimental survey, with stimuli from two product categories.FindingsThe results of the two empirical studies with Chinese participants consistently demonstrate that revealing the actual country of origin of the brands undermines consumers' purchase intention for local brands that use foreign brand names, but does not impact consumers' purchase intention for foreign brands that use local brand names.Originality/valueThis research first investigates the effects of adapting the brand names into local language of developing countries for brands from developed countries on consumers' purchase intention, which provides new insight into the literature on foreign branding and country of origin effects as well as practical implications for brand managers.

Development of an integrated performance measurement framework for lean organizations

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narpat Ram Sangwa ◽  
Kuldip Singh Sangwan
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Manufacturing Process ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Supplier Management ◽  
The Body ◽  
Customer Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
Integrated Performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated performance measurement framework to measure the effect of lean implementation throughout all functions of an organization. Design/methodology/approach The paper identifies the seven categories representing all organizational functions. These categories have been divided into 26 performance dimensions and key performance indicators (KPIs) for each performance dimension have been identified to measure lean performance. The interrelationship of each category with lean principles and/or lean wastes has been identified. KPIs are developed on the basis of identified criteria, frequency analysis of existing literature, and discussion with industry professionals. Finally, an integrated performance measurement framework is proposed. Findings The proposed framework evaluates the organization under seven categories – manufacturing process, new product development (NPD), human resource management, finance, administration, customer management, and supplier management. In total, 26 dimensions and 119 key performance indicators have been identified under the seven categories. Research limitations/implications The proposed framework is a conceptual framework and it is to be tested by empirical and cross-sectional studies. Originality/value The main novelty of the research is that the leanness of the organization has been measured throughout the supply chain of the organization in an integrated way. The various areas of measurement are manufacturing process, NPD, finance, administration, customer management, and supplier management. Further, the proposed KPIs are also categorized as qualitative or quantitative, strategic or operational, social or technical, financial or non-financial, leading or lagging, static or dynamic. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge in performance measurement.

A systematic literature review of lean manufacturing implementation in manufacturing-based sectors of the developing and developed countries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Maware ◽  
Modestus Okechukwu Okwu ◽  
Olufemi Adetunji
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Lean Manufacturing ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Manufacturing Industries ◽  
Preliminary Review ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Organizations ◽  
Developing And Developed Countries

Purpose This study aims to comparatively discuss the effect of lean manufacturing (LM) implementation in the manufacturing sectors of developing and developed countries. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth literature review focused on previous research published between 2015 and March 2020. The papers published by the databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, ProQuest and Web of Science were used in the study. A total of 63 studies that focused on LM application in manufacturing industries in developing and developed countries were used in the research. Findings It was observed that LM improves operational performance for manufacturing organizations in developing and developed countries. Small and medium-sized enterprises in both developed and developing countries have difficulties transforming their organizations into lean organizations compared to large enterprises. Furthermore, the review also found that there seems to have been no paper had reported the negative impact of implementing LM in manufacturing industries in developing and developed countries from 2015 to March 2020. Research limitations/implications The study used research papers written between January 2015 and March 2020 and only considered manufacturing organizations from developed and developing nations. Practical implications The study provides more insight into LM implementation in developing and developed countries. It gives the LM practices and the implications of applying these practices in manufacturing organizations for developing and developed countries. Originality/value A preliminary review of papers indicated that this seems to be the first paper that comparatively studies how LM implementation has affected manufacturing organizations in developed and developing countries. The study also assessed the LM practices commonly used by the manufacturing industries in developing and developed countries.

Hospital information systems in developing countries: a state-of-the-art systematic review

Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Lei ◽  
Jianming Liu ◽  
Wu Li
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Information System ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government

Purpose Hospital information system (HIS) can be examined as a vital factor for developing the quality of health care and cost managing. There exists abundant literature on HISs, but implementation-based literature of HIS is rare, typically about progressive countries. However, a study that can comprehensively review published articles is scarce. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the systematic and comprehensive study of HIS in developed countries. Together, the benefits and harms relevant to HIS’s different mechanisms have been considered, and the fundamental challenges of them are addressed to design more efficient HIS in the future. Design/methodology/approach HIS has been used globally for numerous years and is now being used in a wide area. HIS is broadly used in clinical settings. Information technology (IT) and information system have been suggested as a required piece to solve the health-care-related issues. Hence, to improve HIS’s ability, this paper conducted a review method concentratating on research related to HIS until 2019. A total of 21 papers were recognized and examined as principal research for the summary. Findings The authors found that HIS can help in reduction of medical mistakes, enhancement doctors’ performance and increase in the quality of the care provided. HIS management can be used to provide better health-care services. Therefore, HIS must be sensible and use clear structures. The authors conclude that, generally, with an increase in awareness, acceptability and the need for HIS worldwide, there will be more strategies and approaches available. Research limitations/implications First, this paper provides an outline of the status of HIS. Second, it identifies some distinct research gaps that could be worth studying. Some flawless work may be removed because of applying some filters to select the original articles. Surveying all the papers on the topic of HIS is impossible, too. Practical implications Design and sustainability of HIS is still a big issue for most developing countries, despite its wide usage in the developed countries. The technology is changing rapidly, so the field should be reviewed regularly. This paper suggests a suitable framework that will guide HIS in the local conditions of developing countries. Social implications The government will be assisted by the suggested solving ways in its performance and design of electronic health-care projects. Originality/value The study brings the viewpoints on the state of HIS mechanisms in developing countries. The paper’s results can offer visions into future research requirements. By providing comparative information and analyzing the current growths in this area, this study will support researchers and professionals to understand the progress in HIS mechanisms better.

Macroeconomics of money laundering: effects and measurements

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nella Hendriyetty ◽  
Bhajan S. Grewal
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Money Laundering ◽  
Tax Evasion ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Tax Revenue ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Macroeconomic Conditions ◽  
Illicit Flows

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review studies focusing on the magnitude of money laundering and their effects on a country’s economy. The relevant concepts are identified on the basis of discussions in the literature by prominent scholars and policy makers. There are three main objectives in this review: first, to discuss the effects of money laundering on a country’s macro-economy; second, to seek measurements from other scholars; and finally, to seek previous findings about the magnitude and the flows of money laundering. Design/methodology/approach In the first part, this paper outlines the effects of money laundering on macroeconomic conditions of a country, and then the second part reviews the literature that measures the magnitude of money laundering from an economic perspective. Findings Money laundering affects a country’s economy by increasing shadow economy and criminal activities, illicit flows and impeding tax collection. To minimise these negative effects, it is necessary to quantify the magnitude of money laundering relative to economic conditions to identify the most vulnerable aspects of money laundering in a country. Two approaches are used in this study: the first is the capital flight approach, as money laundering will cause flows of money between countries; the second is the economic approach for measuring money laundering through economic variables (e.g. tax revenue, underground economy and income generated by criminals) separately from tax evasion. Originality/value The paper offers new insights for the measurement of money laundering, especially for developing countries. Most methods in quantifying money laundering have focused on developed countries, which are less applicable to developing countries.

scholarly journals Soft systems methodology for performance measurement in the Uganda water sector

Water Policy ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Kayaga
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Soft Systems Methodology ◽  
Problem Situation ◽  
Systems Methodology ◽  
Soft Systems ◽  
Measurement Systems ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
Performance Measurement Systems

Water and sanitation services in developing countries are delivered in an extremely complex institutional environment, characterised by “soft” problems, that is problems with significant political and social components whose “what” and “how” cannot be defined early in the intervention process. A problem situation common in developing countries depicting “soft” characteristics is how to improve the effectiveness and efficacy of existing performance measurement systems to track the progress towards achievement of water/sanitation-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Such problem situations are better handled using soft systems methodology (SSM), a methodology recommended by Professor Checkland and his research colleagues at Lancaster University, UK. In 2003, SSM was applied in an intervention that aimed to improve performance measurement systems in the Uganda water/sanitation sector. Through strong participation of the key stakeholders, a team of researchers with their local counterparts in Uganda developed and field tested a performance measurement framework. According to an evaluation by the international donor community, policy makers and managers in the sector, the past three annual water/sanitation sector performance reports compiled using the performance measurement framework have depicted a progressive qualitative improvement.

scholarly journals An Exopolysaccharide-Deficient Mutant of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Efficiently Displays a Protective Llama Antibody Fragment against Rotavirus on Its Surface

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (17) ◽  
pp. 5784-5793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Álvarez ◽  
Kasper Krogh-Andersen ◽  
Christian Tellgren-Roth ◽  
Noelia Martínez ◽  
Gökçe Günaydın ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Alternative Therapy ◽  
Lactobacillus Rhamnosus ◽  
Antibody Fragment ◽  
Genomic Analysis ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Infantile Diarrhea ◽  
Bacterial Surface ◽  
Mouse Pup

ABSTRACTRotavirus is the leading cause of infantile diarrhea in developing countries, where it causes a high number of deaths among infants. Two vaccines are available, being highly effective in developed countries although markedly less efficient in developing countries. As a complementary treatment to the vaccines, aLactobacillusstrain producing an anti-rotavirus antibody fragment in the gastrointestinal tract could potentially be used. In order to develop such an alternative therapy, the effectiveness ofLactobacillus rhamnosusGG to produce and display a VHH antibody fragment (referred to as anti-rotavirus protein 1 [ARP1]) on the surface was investigated.L. rhamnosusGG is one of the best-characterized probiotic bacteria and has intrinsic antirotavirus activity. Among fourL. rhamnosusGG strains [GG (CMC), GG (ATCC 53103), GG (NCC 3003), and GG (UT)] originating from different sources, only GG (UT) was able to display ARP1 on the bacterial surface. The genomic analysis of strain GG (UT) showed that the geneswelEandwelFof the EPS cluster are inactivated, which causes a defect in exopolysaccharide (EPS) production, allowing efficient display of ARP1 on its surface. Finally, GG (UT) seemed to confer a level of protection against rotavirus-induced diarrhea similar to that of wild-type GG (NCC 3003) in a mouse pup model, indicating that the EPS may not be involved in the intrinsic antirotavirus activity. Most important, GG (EM233), a derivative of GG (UT) producing ARP1, was significantly more protective than the control strainL. caseiBL23.

From physical to virtual store: factors that spur Bangladeshi manufacturers/retailers to introduce multi-channel retailing

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Thohidul Karim ◽  
Xu Qi
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Innovation ◽  
Major Factors

Purpose Multi-channel business operations are standard practice in most business contexts today. The popularity of multi-channel adoption among developing countries is growing fast. In Bangladesh, the retailers who adopted multi-channel retailing have been getting a very good response from the consumers. This study aims to understand the factors that influence manufacturers’ decisions to adopt multiple channels in Bangladesh. The authors applied an extended technology acceptance model with three variables: business innovation, business competition and consumer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was applied to test the data collected from 157 companies and relevant hypotheses. Findings The study findings show that Bangladeshi manufacturers are positive about, and expect benefits from, applying the new channel. The study also revealed that customer satisfaction considerably affects multi-channel adoption in Bangladesh. Similarly, business innovation and business competition play a significant role in introducing multiple business channels. Research limitations/implications This research was conducted in Bangladesh, and data are collected from Dhaka and Chittagong that may limit the generalizability of findings. Practical implications The research goal was to understand a manufacturer’s perception to adopt multi-channel in business. The proposed research model was able to address the major factors that drive a manufacturer to introduce multiple business channels, especially in Bangladesh. Originality/value Many research and case studies have been done the past couple of decades, but most of them are consumer oriented. Little research has been done to investigate a manufacturer’s point of view adapting innovation in business. Though some research articles are available online, most of them from developed countries. So, the study’s goal was to study developing countries scenario; thus, the authors choose Bangladesh.

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