A framework for designing retrieval effectiveness studies of library information systems using human relevance assessments

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Behnert ◽  
Dirk Lewandowski

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how to apply traditional information retrieval (IR) evaluation methods based on standards from the Text REtrieval Conference and web search evaluation to all types of modern library information systems (LISs) including online public access catalogues, discovery systems, and digital libraries that provide web search features to gather information from heterogeneous sources. Design/methodology/approach The authors apply conventional procedures from IR evaluation to the LIS context considering the specific characteristics of modern library materials. Findings The authors introduce a framework consisting of five parts: search queries, search results, assessors, testing, and data analysis. The authors show how to deal with comparability problems resulting from diverse document types, e.g., electronic articles vs printed monographs and what issues need to be considered for retrieval tests in the library context. Practical implications The framework can be used as a guideline for conducting retrieval effectiveness studies in the library context. Originality/value Although a considerable amount of research has been done on IR evaluation, and standards for conducting retrieval effectiveness studies do exist, to the authors’ knowledge this is the first attempt to provide a systematic framework for evaluating the retrieval effectiveness of twenty-first-century LISs. The authors demonstrate which issues must be considered and what decisions must be made by researchers prior to a retrieval test.

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-433
Author(s):  
Paul B. Spooner

Purpose – For over a 100 years, Macau’s Pataca has been tied to Macau’s identity, its independent financial existence and its links to the Lusophone world. Its role as a supporter of the Macau identity relies upon the strength and capabilities of its financial institutions, the Macau Monetary Authority and banking institutions that issue its currency (Banco Nacional Ultramarino and Bank of China). The paper aims to discuss the above issue. Design/methodology/approach – The author uses statistics and data from the Macau Monetary Authority. Findings – There are three possible scenarios that could emerge: first, retired in favor of the RMB, the HK dollar; second, maintained with its use expanding as Macau’s revenues and investment funds grow, or third, become a force for stronger economic cohesion and identity among the Lusophone nations. Practical implications – Which of these scenarios will offer Macau the highest possibility of maintaining its international network of relationships and representation, diversifying its economy into new growth markets and playing a unique role in China’s twenty-first century destiny? Originality/value – This paper studies a rarely discussed topic and focuses on a core component of Macau’s existence.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 41-43
Author(s):  
Graham Cole

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The global nature of business in the twenty-first century has opened up new opportunities for multinational corporations (MNCs). Many are increasingly paying attention to the key emerging markets, where robust growth has largely been the norm over recent decades. China and India are the obvious targets. Both the nations consistently exceed the average growth worldwide and have experienced a meteoric rise through the economy rankings. Where the rate of expansion is concerned, China has long been the benchmark. However, by 2030, India is predicted to become the leader in this respect. Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent, information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-193
Author(s):  
Joan Marques

Purpose Through an overview of the perceptional evolution of progress over the past two centuries, this paper aims to review a changed, yet constructive paradigm that has emerged in business leadership. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a general review-based deliberation presenting standards of the twentieth century, the need for a shift in paradigms and the shift as it unfolds in the twenty-first century. Findings Focusing on optimal stakeholder inclusion, yet not disregarding the concept of progress in a competitive environment, this paper presents a set of interrelated leadership skills and characteristics, including a discussion about their applicability and ways to develop them. Research limitations/implications While globally applicable, the views in this paper are primarily based on the American performance environment. Practical implications Management practices would not have evolved to today’s level if we did not have the past experiences to learn from. The deliberations and insights shared in this article should be seen as a way of evaluating the path that led us to our current, multi-tiered leadership paradigm. Social implications The model presented in this article should be seen as a useful, yet incomplete set of skills and characteristics to be considered by today’s and future leaders to ensure greater stakeholder inclusion. Originality/value Within the framework of focusing on the management horizon, this paper places the driving motives of two centuries that influenced our current society alongside each other and contemplates on the necessary shifts needed to move forward.


Author(s):  
Iris Xie

The emergence of the Internet has allowed millions of people to use a variety of electronic information retrieval (IR) systems, such as digital libraries, Web search engines, online databases, and Online Public Access Catalogues (OPACs). The nature of IR is interaction. Interactive information retrieval is defined as the communication process between the users and the IR systems. However, the dynamics of interactive IR is not yet fully understood. Moreover, most of the existing IR systems do not support the full range of users’ interactions with IR systems. Instead, they only support one type of information-seeking strategy: how to specify queries by using terms to select relevant information. However, new digital environments require users to apply multiple information-seeking strategies and shift from one information- seeking strategy to another in the information retrieval process.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 391-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus Mendez ◽  
Mercedes Vila-Alonso

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to know, from a three-dimensional perspective (operational, emotional and behavioral), the process of “putting down roots” related with the implementation of Kaizen until it becomes sustainable. The research aims to know how this “putting down roots” process is carried out, what transformations occur, what elements are involved and what role they represent in achieving sustainability. Design/methodology/approach For this purpose, a methodology based on the case study has been used, an interpretive approach to reality has been adopted as a paradigm and the Grounded Theory has been applied as an analytical technique. Findings The results suggest the existence of a transformation process that leads to creating new habits, beliefs and feelings, a phenomenon that the authors identify as a three-dimensional learning process (operational, emotional and behavioral). Practical implications This type of learning is perceived as a transition toward an organizational culture that ensures the roots of the Kaizen principles, which is essential for its sustainability and which favors the creation of talent and the well-being of employees, two challenges that the Kaizen of the twenty-first century must face. Originality/value The document includes innovative contributions to the Kaizen sustainability phenomenon, as it is dealt with from a three-dimensional perspective that underlies the inhibitors and enablers known in the current literature.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Zolkiewski

Purpose This paper aims to debate the challenges related to balancing relevance and ranking in management research. Design/methodology/approach This is a commentary on and review of challenges faced by twenty-first century management academics. Findings There is a chasm between managerial relevance and current managerial research; however, with academic buy-in, there are ways in which the chasm can be crossed. Research limitations/implications The implications of this are wide reaching for management researchers. They are challenged to consider different methodologies, strategies and dissemination avenues for their research. Practical implications Researchers need to consider not only collaboration with practitioners, as they pursue solutions to managerial problems, but also more inter-disciplinary research that addresses the wicked problems of management in practice. Social implications Solving the challenge of managerial relevance of business research has the potential to allow the contribution of business academia to be fully appreciated by practitioners. Originality/value The value of this thought-piece is that it challenges business and management academics to challenge the status quo and fight to make their research relevant to and valued by the business world.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 254-277
Author(s):  
M. Valle Santos ◽  
Rosa M. Mayoral

PurposeThe paper aims to clarify the internal structure of the discipline of business and management (BMA) and its relations with adjacent disciplines.Design/methodology/approachWe analyse the thematic profile of the most relevant journals in BMA (Scopus database). We then perform a network analysis, specifically Pathfinder and Nearest Neighbour analyses.FindingsOur research provides empirical evidence of BMA's cohesiveness, thematic variety and interdisciplinarity. It remains open to a wide range of disciplines, particularly information systems, decision science and finance. BMA constitutes a dome composed of different subdisciplines. Some of these (for example, accounting, management information systems and industrial relations) display little relation to the others, although they do establish links with adjacent fields. In addition, strategic management emerges as a central point, endowing the discipline with consistency by acting as a link to certain subdisciplines that would otherwise be unconnected. Despite its more moderate presence in the discipline, organisational behaviour is the most nuclear category, acting as an anchor and helping to organise and structure BMA.Research limitations/implicationsThis analysis provides a static image of BMA. It would be interesting to further the research through a dynamic perspective that would outline the evolution of the interrelations amongst disciplines over time and ascertain where they are heading.Practical implicationsThese results shed light on the centrifugal and centripetal forces of BMA and their future development.Originality/valueThis paper analyses the internal structure of BMA through its journals.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 13-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayank Yuvaraj

Purpose This paper aims to carry out an evaluative study of the cloud-based integrated library management solution (ILMS): Librarika. Design/methodology/approach An evaluation checklist was designed from the review of existing ILMSs as well as literature review. The checklist was distributed to the library staff of the Central University of South Bihar. Findings Librarika was found to be comparable with existing open-source ILMSs but lacked transparency of data. Librarika had all the features of the commonly available open-source ILMSs, like KOHA. However, respondents pointed out that Librarika had a better circulation module and online public access catalogue (OPAC) features compared to other ILMSs. Concerns over data ownership, migration and portability in the cloud were considered as the major bottlenecks in its adoption. Practical implications The study will help other libraries in decision-making who are considering Librarika for their ILMSs. Originality/value Till date, no evaluative study has been carried out on any cloud-based ILMS.


2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 970-996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Goodale ◽  
Paul David Clough ◽  
Samuel Fernando ◽  
Nigel Ford ◽  
Mark Stevenson

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of cognitive style on navigating a large digital library of cultural heritage information; specifically, the paper focus on the wholist/analytic dimension as experienced in the field of educational informatics. The hypothesis is that wholist and analytic users have characteristically different approaches when they explore, search and interact with digital libraries, which may have implications for system design. Design/methodology/approach – A detailed interactive IR evaluation of a large cultural heritage digital library was undertaken, along with the Riding CSA test. Participants carried out a range of information tasks, and the authors analysed their task performance, interactions and attitudes. Findings – The hypothesis on the differences in performance and behaviour between wholist and analytic users is supported. However, the authors also find that user attitudes towards the system are opposite to expectations and that users give positive feedback for functionality that supports activities in which they are cognitively weaker. Research limitations/implications – There is scope for testing results in a larger scale study, and/or with different systems. In particular, the findings on user attitudes warrant further investigation. Practical implications – Findings on user attitudes suggest that systems which support areas of weakness in users’ cognitive abilities are valued, indicating an opportunity to offer diverse functionality to support different cognitive weaknesses. Originality/value – A model is proposed suggesting a converse relationship between behaviour and attitudes; to support individual users displaying search/navigation behaviour mapped onto the strengths of their cognitive style, but placing greater value on interface features that support aspects in which they are weaker.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 436-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Stolz

Purpose – This study aims to analyze how organization development (OD) practitioners develop corporate citizenship for the purpose of increasing their organization’s capacity to practice corporate citizenship. Research shows that very few corporations have the organizational capacity to practice corporate citizenship. Evidence exists that ever more corporations adopt programs of corporate citizenship development to increase this capacity. However, there still is a general lack of a strategic understanding of how corporate citizenship development occurs. The potential of OD frameworks and tools for developing corporate citizenship have been highlighted. Nevertheless, how OD practitioners develop corporate citizenship has not been studied empirically so far. Design/methodology/approach – A sociomaterial case study design was used. The work of six OD practitioners when developing corporate citizenship in one of the largest pharmaceutical corporations was studied over several months, based on interviews, observations and document analyses. Findings – The findings presented offer model practices of corporate citizenship development, in the form of five core strategies and five core behaviors that increase an organization’s capacity to practice corporate citizenship. Research limitations/implications – With this study, the notion of corporate citizenship development has become established as a distinct research area. The study might encourage further research in this important niche area. Practical implications – The findings have direct practical implications for at least seven different stakeholder groups. Originality/value – The findings shed new light on both the epistemological and practical foundations of the concept of corporate citizenship, and hint to a new role of the fields of OD and human resource development in the twenty-first century.


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