Meeting technologies and recordkeeping: a preliminary study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiorella Foscarini ◽  
Madeleine Krucker ◽  
Danyse Golick

Purpose The purpose of this study is to raise awareness of the benefits and drawbacks involved in using digital technologies for business meetings, and identify key concerns. The shift from in-person to virtual meetings has multiple consequences, some of which impact recordkeeping. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on research from records management, anthropology, organizational theory and computer science, this study establishes the norms of physical meeting spaces and recordkeeping and explores how these norms are challenged as meetings become virtual. Findings Virtual meetings allow for collaboration to work across time and space and offer multiple affordances that do not exist in on-site meetings; however, they also involve the additional barrier of technical access and reduction in user attention. Virtual meetings also enable the creation, capture and sharing of increased contextual data, and this increased documentation challenges traditional recordkeeping models. Meeting technologies are also worryingly invasive. This study shows that concerns over privacy have been dismissed in the design of virtual meeting spaces, and therefore the authors recommend their more thorough consideration. Originality/value Meetings are a pervasive feature of organizational life whose significance has been overlooked in the recordkeeping literature. By bringing together research about in-person and virtual meetings in a novel and necessary way, the authors started to fill a gap and hope to inspire further studies.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Matysek ◽  
Jacek Tomaszczyk

PurposeThe quest to discover optimal conditions or amounts has been carried out in many scientific disciplines and practical fields. In astrophysics, biology, medicine, psychology and education, the quest has resulted in finding the right amount of something, a desirable middle between extremes, a balance between conditions or the optimal state of a system. The results are referred to as the Goldilocks principle, which is based on the idea of being “just right”. The aim of our study was to find out if there are any measures in information search that could be identified as Goldilocks ranges.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted a user experiment in which 68 participants carried out a time-unlimited, topical search task involving finding relevant websites on the basis of which the participants were supposed to prepare a presentation on a given topic. We examined aspects of their search behavior.FindingsWe found that information search Goldilocks ranges can be identified for a length of a search session, number of relevant results, number of queries submitted and number of search engine results pages (SERPs) visited. This preliminary study has resulted in indicating the following dominant ranges: Number of relevant documents found: 5–8; Time spent searching: 21–35 min; Number of queries submitted: 3–7; Number of SERPs viewed: 1–3.Originality/valueTill now, no one has studied Goldilocks ranges in information retrieval. The Goldilocks ranges have some practical implications for improving the effectiveness of web searching.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ofer Bergman ◽  
Tamar Israeli ◽  
Yael Benn

PurposePrevious research has repeatedly shown that people only search for files in a small minority of cases when they do not remember the file's location. The current study aimed to examine whether there is a group of hyper-searchers who search significantly more than others. Based on previous neurocognitive studies, this study aims to hypothesize that if such a group exists, they will have superior verbal memory and reduced visuospatial memory.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 65 participants completed a questionnaire estimating their search percentages, as well as reporting demographic data. Verbal memory was measured using the Wechsler logical memory test, and visuospatial memory was assessed using an online card memory game.FindingsHyper-searchers were defined as participants with search percentage of over one standard deviation (SD) above the mean. The average search percentage of the seven participants who met this criterion was 51% (SD = 14%), over five times more than the other participants (M = 10%, SD = 9%). Similar results were obtained by re-analyzing data from four previous papers (N = 1,252). The results further confirmed the hypothesis that hyper-searchers have significantly better verbal memory than other participants, possibly making searching easier and more successful for them. Lastly, the search percentage was positively predicted by verbal memory scores and negatively predicted by visuospatial memory scores. Explanations and future research are discussed.Originality/valueThis preliminary study is the first to introduce the concept of hyper-searchers, demonstrate its existence and study its causes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathrine Tambudzai Nengomasha ◽  
Alfred Chikomba

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. 1106-1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiram Ting ◽  
Wee Ming Lau ◽  
Jun-Hwa Cheah ◽  
Yusman Yacob ◽  
Mumtaz Ali Memon ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of perceived quality on intention to revisit coffee concept shops among regular and irregular consumers. Specifically, the framework developed by Pine and Gilmore (2000) is adopted to look into the effect of product, service and experience qualities on intention to revisit. Design/methodology/approach The explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used to articulate the intention of consumers to revisit coffee concept shops. A preliminary study was conducted to define regular and irregular consumers. Self-administered questionnaire was first administered before using interview to elicit more insights and triangulate the findings. Findings The combination of both quantitative and qualitative findings show that the experiences of regular consumers at coffee concept shops include personal routine activities, while the experiences of irregular customers are composed of occasions with specific and collective purposes. While the intention to revisit of the former is related to the product and service quality, the intention of the latter is largely affected by its service and experience quality. Originality/value Given the rapid rise of coffee concept shops in the developing markets, the use of a mixed-methods design provides more insights into the intention to revisit of the regular and irregular consumers. It underscores the importance for the organisations to know what really matters to the diverse consumers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia C. Franks

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assist records managers and information governance professionals to understand the challenges presented by their organization’s use of blockchain distributed ledger technology (DLT). Design/methodology/approach An extensive literature review was conducted, which revealed a multitude of articles based on research into blockchain DLT, most written from the technology perspective. This paper differs in that it applies a records management lens to an analysis of the records created, registered or stored on a blockchain. A six-stage blockchain records consideration model is provided to illustrate examples of the records management challenges presented by the implementation of blockchain DLT. Questions are posed and recommendations are made to aid the reader in developing a blockchain DLT records management and information governance strategy. Findings Because there is no one universal configuration for a blockchain DLT solution, each implementation must be analyzed to understand the resultant records management and information governance challenges. A series of questions that should be asked and answered can not only help records management and information governance professionals adapt their policies and practices to the technology but also provide a basis for discussion with those designing the blockchain DLT solutions so they can include records management features in their designs. Originality/value This paper contributes an original analysis of the implications of the adoption of Blockchain DLT for records management and information governance programs through the lens of a six-stage Blockchain Records Consideration Model.


2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 358-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isto Huvila

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how archivists, records managers and scholarly literature in the field(s) analyse how “participation” is discussed in the context of archives and records management, and to explore practical and theoretical implications of the disclosed discursive practices. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on a discourse analysis of a body of archival literature and a sample of posts collected from the archival and records management blogosphere. Findings – The analysis shows that instead of discussing one notion of participation, the archival science literature is referring to nine different and partly conflicting types of participation from three broad perspectives: management, empowerment and technology. The discourses have also conflicting ideas of the role of engagement and enthusiasm, and of that what do the different stakeholder communities see as real options. Research limitations/implications – The analysed material consists of a limited sample of mainly English language texts that may not capture all the nuances of how participation is discussed in the archival literature. Practical implications – A better understanding of how different claims of the benefits and threats endorsing “participation” in archives helps to develop effective and less contradictory forms of collaboration between different stakeholders. Originality/value – In spite of the popularity of the notion of “participation”, there little, especially critical, research on how participation is conceptualised by archives professionals and researchers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 578-586
Author(s):  
Jason M. Vance

Purpose This case study provides a new methodology for examining patron-initiated noise complaints in academic libraries by mining virtual reference chat transcript logs. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how noise complaints can be identified, analyzed and mapped to create a visual representation of the library’s soundscape. Design/methodology/approach This study reviewed 4,494 reference chat logs taken over four semesters at a large public university between August 2015 and May 2017. From these transcripts, the author identified 330 unique noise complaints and analyzed them by content, time of day, day of week, week of semester and floor of library. Complaints were also plotted on a library map to determine noise complaint hot spots. Findings Analysis of the noise complaints showed that 82 per cent of the reported incidents originated in designated quiet study zones and 55 per cent of the complaints occurred in the evenings when the library was more lightly staffed. Mapping the noise complaints revealed that most infractions were reported in areas where public computing areas and group study rooms were situated directly adjacent to designated quiet study areas. Originality/value Although there are numerous studies on noise in libraries and many published analyses of reference chat transcripts, this paper is the first to analyze chat transcripts for the purpose of studying noise complaints in the library. This paper is an expansion of a preliminary study presented at the 2016 Library Assessment Conference in Arlington, VA.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jette Ernst

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of organizational space in attempts at practice redesign and innovation that involve a break with the traditional professional boundaries in a recently established Danish hospital department. Design/methodology/approach Organizational ethnography combined with Bourdieusian theorization. The data used for this paper are derived from 13 months of ethnographic fieldwork. The author performed participant and meeting observations combined with interviews and the reading of internal and external documents. Findings Despite the department’s attempts at pursuing practice redesign and innovation by breaking with the institutionalized professional boundaries as well as role hierarchies, and emphasizing collaboration between nurses and doctors, the paper demonstrates how the attempts at change meet invisible impediments in practice and how organizational space plays an important yet, overlooked part in reproducing field tradition. Originality/value By virtue of Bourdieusian theorization in combination with organizational ethnography, the paper contributes with unique insights into a seldom studied part of hospital organization, which is how organizational space, rather than being a backdrop for organizational life, is constructed and used by professionals whose habitus renders this space an active component in delimiting professional work as well as the scope of change.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Gherardi ◽  
Michela Cozza ◽  
Barbara Poggio

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe how organizational members became storywriters of an important process of organizational change. Writing became a practice designed to create a space, a time and a methodology with which to author the process of change and create a learning context. The written stories produced both the subjectivity of practical authors and reflexively created the con/text for their reproduction. Design/methodology/approach A storywriting workshop inspired by a processual and participatory practice-based approach to learning and knowing was held in a research organization undergoing privatization. For six months, 31 organizational members, divided into two groups, participated in writing one story per week for six weeks. The written story had to refer to a fact that had occurred in the previous week, thus prompting reflection on the ongoing organizational life and giving a situated meaning to the change process. Findings Storywriting is first and foremost a social practice of wayfinding, that is of knowing as one goes. Writing proved to be an effective practice that involved the authors, their narratives and the audiences in a shared experience where all these practice elements became connected and through their connection acquired agency. Originality/value Narrative knowledge has been studied mainly in storytelling, while storywriting by organizational members has received less attention. This paper explores storywriting both as a situated, relational and material practice and as the process that produces narratives which can be considered for their content and their style.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-96
Author(s):  
Ihab Hanna Sawalha

PurposeThis is an exploratory study that aims to explore the use (practice) of business continuity management (BCM) and the effectiveness of the BCM approach adopted by organizations from a variety of sectors.Design/methodology/approachThe sample of this study consisted of 250 organizations from a variety of sectors: 80 industrial; 15 banking; 25 insurance; 130 services organizations. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data.FindingsThe findings indicated that there is an increased awareness about the use of BCM across different sectors including the industrial, service, banking and insurance and that the current use of BCM is irrespective of a number of organizational characteristics.Practical implicationsThis research investigates the current use/practice of BCM across a variety of sectors. It is therefore considered a significant preliminary study that paves the way for further future research studies related to the use of BCM in the Middle East. It also clarifies the current levels of application of BCM which subsequently facilitates and supports the wider adoption of BCM and commitment to adopt the best practices related to it across different sectors.Originality/valueTo the best of author's knowledge, this is one of very few studies which focus on the use/practice of BCM and approach’s effectiveness that have been conducted in the Middle East and in Jordan in particular. It reveals the extent to which BCM is being adopted across the various sectors which in turn reflects the levels of understanding and awareness of the significance of this process for today's organizations and for the continuity of their critical business functions during the occurrence of different sorts of disruptive incidents.


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