scholarly journals Heuristics elements of information-seeking strategies and tactics: a conceptual analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 1322-1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reijo Savolainen
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
General Level ◽  
Heuristics And Biases ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Representativeness Heuristic ◽  
The Past ◽  
Information Scent ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Research Programmes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the picture of strategies and tactics for information seeking and searching by focusing on the heuristic elements of such strategies and tactics. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual analysis of a sample of 31 pertinent investigations was conducted to find out how researchers have approached heuristics in the above context since the 1970s. To achieve this, the study draws on the ideas produced within the research programmes on Heuristics and Biases, and Fast and Frugal Heuristics. Findings Researchers have approached the heuristic elements in three major ways. First, these elements are defined as general level constituents of browsing strategies in particular. Second, heuristics are approached as search tips. Third, there are examples of conceptualizations of individual heuristics. Familiarity heuristic suggests that people tend to prefer sources that have worked well in similar situations in the past. Recognition heuristic draws on an all-or-none distinction of the information objects, based on cues such as information scent. Finally, representativeness heuristic is based on recalling similar instances of events or objects and judging their typicality in terms of genres, for example. Research limitations/implications As the study focuses on three heuristics only, the findings cannot be generalized to describe the use of all heuristic elements of strategies and tactics for information seeking and searching. Originality/value The study pioneers by providing an in-depth analysis of the ways in which the heuristic elements are conceptualized in the context of information seeking and searching. The findings contribute to the elaboration of the conceptual issues of information behavior research.

scholarly journals Pioneering models for information interaction in the context of information seeking and retrieval

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 966-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reijo Savolainen
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Behaviour ◽  
Information Interaction ◽  
Depth Analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to clarify the conceptual issues of information behaviour research by reviewing the approaches to information interaction in the context of information seeking and retrieval (IS&R). Design/methodology/approach The study uses the conceptual analysis focussing on four pioneering models for interactive IS&R proposed by Belkin, Ingwersen and Ingwersen and Järvelin. Findings A main characteristic of models for information interaction is the tripartite setting identifying information resources accessible through information systems, intermediary/interface and user. Dialogue is a fundamental constituent of information interaction. Early models proposed by Belkin and Ingwersen focussed on the dialogue occurring in user-intermediary interaction, while more recent frameworks developed by Ingwersen and Järvelin devote more attention to dialogue constitutive of user-information system interaction. Research limitations/implications As the study focusses on four models developed within the period of 1984-2005, the findings cannot be generalised to depict the phenomena of information interaction as a whole. Further research is needed to model the specific features of information interaction occurring in the networked information environments in particular. Originality/value The study pioneers by providing an in-depth analysis of the ways in which pioneering researchers have conceptualised the phenomena of interaction in the context of IS&R. The findings contribute to the elaboration of the conceptual space of information behaviour research.

scholarly journals Modeling the interplay of information seeking and information sharing

2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 518-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reijo Savolainen
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Information Behavior ◽  
Information Need ◽  
Interactive Approach ◽  
Sequential Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Depth Analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the creation of a holistic picture of information behavior by examining the connections between information seeking and sharing. Design/methodology/approach Conceptual analysis is used to focus on the ways in which the researchers have modeled the interplay of information seeking and sharing. The study draws on conceptual analysis of 27 key studies examining the above issue, with a focus on the scrutiny of six major models for information behavior. Findings Researchers have employed three main approaches to model the relationships between information seeking and sharing. The indirect approach conceptualizes information seeking and sharing as discrete activities connected by an intermediating factor, for example, information need. The sequential approach assumes that information seeking precedes information sharing. From the viewpoint of the interactive approach, information seeking and sharing appear as mutually related activities shaping each other iteratively or in a cyclical manner. The interactive approach provides the most sophisticated research perspective on the relationships of information seeking and sharing and contributes to holistic understanding of human information behavior. Research limitations/implications As the study focuses on information seeking and sharing, no attention is devoted to other activities constitutive of information behavior, for example, information use. Originality/value The study pioneers by providing an in-depth analysis of the connections of information seeking and information sharing.

Information need as trigger and driver of information seeking: a conceptual analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reijo Savolainen
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Cyclic Process ◽  
Information Need ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Behaviour ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Nature Of Information ◽  
Anomalous State

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the picture of the motivators for information behaviour by examining the nature of information need as a trigger and driver of information seeking. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual analysis was made by focussing on the ways in which researchers have conceptualised information need in models for human information behaviour (HIB). The study draws on conceptual analysis of 26 key studies focussing on the above topic. Findings Researchers have employed two main approaches to conceptualise information needs in the HIB models. First, information need is approached as a root factor which motivates people to identify and access information sources. Second, information need is approached as a secondary trigger or driver determined by more fundamental factors, for example, the information requirements of task performance. The former approach conceptualises information need as a trigger providing an initial impetus to information seeking, while the latter approach also depicts information need as a driver that keeps the information-seeking process in motion. The latter approach is particularly characteristic of models depicting information seeking as a cyclic process. Research limitations/implications As the study focusses on information need, no attention is devoted to related constructs such as anomalous state of knowledge and uncertainty. Originality/value The study pioneers by providing an in-depth analysis of the nature of information need as a trigger and driver of information seeking. The findings refine the picture of motivators for information behaviour.

The role of non-corporeal Actant theory in historical research

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-76
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Hartt ◽  
Albert J. Mills ◽  
Jean Helms Mills
Keyword(s):  
New Deal ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Vice President ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Organization Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
The New Deal

Purpose This paper aims to study the role of non-corporeal Actant theory in historical research through a case study of the trajectory of the New Deal as one of the foremost institutions in the USA since its inception in the early 1930s. Design/methodology/approach The authors follow the trajectory of the New Deal through a focus on Vice President Henry A. Wallace. Drawing on ANTi-History, the authors view history as a powerful discourse for organizing understandings of the past and non-corporeal Actants as a key influence on making sense of (past) events. Findings The authors conclude that non-corporeal Actants influence the shaping of management and organization studies that serve paradoxically to obfuscate history and its relationship to the past. Research limitations/implications The authors drew on a series of published studies of Henry Wallace and archival material in the Roosevelt Library, but the study would benefit from an in-depth analysis of the Wallace archives. Practical implications The authors reveal the influences of non-corporeal Actants as a method for dealing with the past. The authors do this through the use of ANTi-History as a method of historical analysis. Social implications The past is an important source of understanding of the present and future; this innovative approach increases the potential to understand. Originality/value Decisions are often black boxes. Non-Corporeal Actants are a new tool with which to see the underlying inputs of choice.

scholarly journals Socialising tourism after COVID-19: reclaiming tourism as a social force?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Freya Higgins-Desbiolles ◽  
Bobbie Chew Bigby ◽  
Adam Doering
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Social Force ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ecological Justice ◽  
The Social ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis article considers the possibilities of and barriers to socialising tourism after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Such an approach allows us to transform tourism and thereby evolve it to be of wider benefit and less damaging to societies and ecologies than has been the case under the corporatised model of tourism.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual analysis draws on the theorisation of “tourism as a social force” and the new concept of “socialising tourism”. Using critical tourism approaches, it seeks to identify the dynamics that are evident in order to assess the possibilities for socialising tourism for social and ecological justice. It employs an Indigenous perspective that the past, present and future are interconnected in its consideration of tourism futures.FindingsCOVID-19 has fundamentally disrupted tourism, travel and affiliated industries. In dealing with the crisis, borders have been shut, lockdowns imposed and international tourism curtailed. The pandemic foregrounded the renewal of social bonds and social capacities as governments acted to prevent economic and social devastation. This disruption of normality has inspired some to envision radical transformations in tourism to address the injustices and unsustainability of tourism. Others remain sceptical of the likelihood of transformation. Indeed, phenomena such as vaccine privilege and vaccine tourism are indicators that transformations must be enabled. The authors look to New Zealand examples as hopeful indications of the ways in which tourism might be transformed for social and ecological justice.Practical implicationsThis conceptualisation could guide the industry to better stakeholder relations and sustainability.Social implicationsSocialising tourism offers a fruitful pathway to rethinking tourism through a reorientation of the social relations it fosters and thereby transforming its social impacts for the better.Originality/valueThis work engages with the novel concept of “socialising tourism”. In connecting this new theory to the older theory of “tourism as a social force”, this paper considers how COVID-19 has offered a possible transformative moment to enable more just and sustainable tourism futures.

scholarly journals Levels of critique in models and concepts of human information behaviour research

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reijo Savolainen
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Behaviour ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Research Domain

PurposeTo elaborate the nature of critique presented in the models and concepts of human information behaviour (HIB) research by identifying the issues to which the critique is directed and the ways in which the critique is conducted.Design/methodology/approachConceptual analysis focusing on 58 key studies on the topic. First, the objects and ways of conducting the critique were identified. Thereafter, three levels of depth at which the critique is conducted were specified. The conceptual analysis is based on the comparison of the similarities and differences between the articulations of critique presented at these levels.FindingsAt the lowest level of depth, critique of HIB research is directed to the lack of research by identifying gaps and complaining the neglect or paucity of studies in a significant domain. At the level of critiquing the shortcomings of existing studies, the attention is focused on the identification and analysis of the inadequacies of concepts and models. Finally, constructive critiques of research approaches dig deeper in that they not only identify weaknesses of existing studies but also propose alternative in which the shortcomings can be avoided, and the conceptualizations of HIB enhanced.Research limitations/implicationsAs the study focuses on critiques addressed to HIB models and concepts, the findings cannot be generalized to concern the field of Library and Information Science (LIS) as a whole. Moreover, due to the emphasis of the qualitative research approach, the findings offer only an indicative picture of the frequency of the objects critiqued in HIB research.Originality/valueThe study pioneers by providing an in-depth analysis of the nature of critiques presented in a LIS research domain.

Information seeking and searching strategies as plans and patterns of action

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 1154-1180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reijo Savolainen
Keyword(s):  
Information Search ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Web Searching ◽  
Text Book ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Main Emphasis ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Key Aspects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the picture of strategies for information searching and seeking by reviewing the conceptualizations on this topic in the field of library and information science (LIS). Design/methodology/approach The study draws on Henry Mintzberg’s idea of strategy as plan and strategy as pattern in a stream of actions. Conceptual analysis of 57 LIS investigations was conducted to find out how researchers have approached the above aspects in the characterizations of information search and seeking strategies. Findings In the conceptualizations of information search and information seeking strategies, the aspect of strategy as plan is explicated most clearly in text-book approaches describing the steps of rational web searching. Most conceptualizations focus on the aspect of strategy as pattern in a stream of actions. This approach places the main emphasis on realized strategies, either deliberate or emergent. Deliberate strategies indicate how information search or information seeking processes were oriented by intentions that existed previously. Emergent strategies indicate how patterns in information seeking and seeking developed in the absence of intentions, or despite them. Research limitations/implications The conceptualizations of the shifts in information seeking and searching strategies were excluded from the study. Similarly, conceptualizations of information search or information retrieval tactics were not examined. Originality/value The study pioneers by providing an in-depth analysis of the ways in which the key aspects of strategy are conceptualized in the classifications and typologies of information seeking and searching strategies. The findings contribute to the elaboration of the conceptual space of information behaviour research.

Methodology for the preparation of rescue plans – a Polish case study

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Kunikowski ◽  
Anna Kosieradzka ◽  
Urszula Kąkol
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Fire Service ◽  
The State ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
The Past ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Analytical Tools

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a proposal for the methodology of developing rescue plans and the concepts of applying recommended response schedules in the context of the State Fire Service’s planning responsibilities (preparation) and public administration (reconciliation and approval), according to the legal order in force in Poland. In the proposed concept, recommended schedules are built on the basis of the matches and successes identified according to the criteria, i.e. the best carried out rescue actions from the register of reports. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on the analysis of existing legal status and policy in Poland as well as the selected relevant academic literature. Findings The result is the formulation of a methodology for drawing up the rescue plans to the extent required by law and proposing a concept for the method of developing and applying recommended response schedules, supporting operational planning and conducting rescue operations. Practical implications The proposed methodology is to support the procedure of drawing up rescue plans by implying and implementing them into IT solutions. The suggested recommended response schedules, based on observations and conclusions from the analysis of the past rescue operations, may present circumstances and sequences of the use of forces and measures that have had beneficial effects in the past. An in-depth analysis of historical data from the conducted rescue operations may also be used to determine time indicators for the response phase. Originality/value The proposed solutions complement the methods currently used by public administration in Poland. The concept can also be inspiring for the State Fire Service (PSP) which has its own analytical tools in the form of a decision support system and registers of rescue operations carried out. The PSP may undertake the practical verification of the presented methodology for preparing rescue plans and recommended response schedules.

Do female and male entrepreneurs differ in their proneness to heuristics and biases?

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-375
Author(s):  
Pouria Nouri ◽  
Abdollah AhmadiKafeshani
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
The Body ◽  
Escalation Of Commitment ◽  
Heuristics And Biases ◽  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Representativeness Heuristic ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Strong Body

Purpose Although heuristics and biases seal the fate of entrepreneurial enterprises by directly influencing entrepreneurs’ decisions, previous studies have ignored the role of gender in this regard by considering female and male entrepreneurs homogeneous in their susceptibility to heuristics and biases. Thus, this paper aims to advance the existing body of knowledge on heuristics and biases in the field of entrepreneurship by exploring two heuristics of affect and representativeness as well as three biases of overconfidence, escalation of commitment and illusion of control in female and male entrepreneurs’ entry and opportunity-related decisions. Design/methodology/approach The data were gathered through semi-structured and in-depth interviews with ten male and nine female Iranian techno-entrepreneurs active in advanced medicine and biotechnology. The gathered data were analyzed by thematic and narrative data analysis. Findings According to the results, while both male and female entrepreneurs show certain heuristics and biases, there are some noteworthy distinctions. More precisely, contrary to their male counterparts, the female entrepreneurs neither rely on the representativeness heuristic nor show any signs of the escalation of commitment in their decisions. Practical implications There are some valuable implications emanated from this study which could be of use for not only future researchers but also entrepreneurs, especially the ones founding and running small businesses themselves. Originality/value While there is a strong body of literature on heuristics and biases in the field of entrepreneurship, previous studies have considered female and male entrepreneurs homogeneous in their proneness to heuristics and biases. Thus, the current study enriches the body of knowledge by being the first comparative study of heuristics and biases in female and male entrepreneurs’ decisions.

Medical Engineering: Meetings on Research Priorities

1983 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-144
Author(s):  
E A Mason
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Research Council ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Medical Engineering ◽  
General Level ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Engineering Research ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Programmes

The importance of ‘workshop’ type meetings to determine research priorities in a range of medical engineering topics has been demonstrated by means of a series of such meetings organised by the Science and Engineering Research Council. Four workshop-type meetings have been held in the past 2 years on topics ranging from incontinence to body access, and these have resulted in new, collaborative research programmes and an increase in the general level of interest in the topic. Further meetings of this type are planned in the coming twelve months.

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