scholarly journals The impact of cloud software’s agile development on staff roles and delivery of client services: A case study of the University of Auckland Libraries & Learning Services

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Bryony Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Agile Development ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

<p>Research problem: In 2014, the University of Auckland replaced its legacy Voyager library management system installed in 1998 with the Ex Libris Alma system, which has been developed around Software as a Service (SaaS) architecture. The objective of this research was to investigate the impact of cloud software’s agile development on staff roles and client services delivery in a tertiary library environment, using University of Auckland Libraries and Learning Services as a case study.  Methodology: Framed by organisational change management in the context of technological innovation, a detailed exploration of the University of Auckland’s shift to the cloud software was carried out, from an employee perspective. As a means of collecting rich data from a variety of sources and multiple perspectives from within the organisation, an online survey about Alma Fulfillment, the functional area of Ex Libris Alma used to deliver client services, was distributed to frontline staff six months after Alma’s implementation.  Results: The research found that, notwithstanding the perceived strengths of the new cloud software to deliver enhanced client services from the staff-user perspective, there was a strong preference for ongoing dissemination of information and instruction for frontline staff, particularly on the enhancements and new features regularly deployed by the service provider.  Implications: This research enables further understanding of factors affecting engagement for employees in new systems and potential barriers to effective and efficient service during significant cultural, functional, and technical change.</p>

scholarly journals The impact of cloud software’s agile development on staff roles and delivery of client services: A case study of the University of Auckland Libraries & Learning Services

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Bryony Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Agile Development ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

<p>Research problem: In 2014, the University of Auckland replaced its legacy Voyager library management system installed in 1998 with the Ex Libris Alma system, which has been developed around Software as a Service (SaaS) architecture. The objective of this research was to investigate the impact of cloud software’s agile development on staff roles and client services delivery in a tertiary library environment, using University of Auckland Libraries and Learning Services as a case study.  Methodology: Framed by organisational change management in the context of technological innovation, a detailed exploration of the University of Auckland’s shift to the cloud software was carried out, from an employee perspective. As a means of collecting rich data from a variety of sources and multiple perspectives from within the organisation, an online survey about Alma Fulfillment, the functional area of Ex Libris Alma used to deliver client services, was distributed to frontline staff six months after Alma’s implementation.  Results: The research found that, notwithstanding the perceived strengths of the new cloud software to deliver enhanced client services from the staff-user perspective, there was a strong preference for ongoing dissemination of information and instruction for frontline staff, particularly on the enhancements and new features regularly deployed by the service provider.  Implications: This research enables further understanding of factors affecting engagement for employees in new systems and potential barriers to effective and efficient service during significant cultural, functional, and technical change.</p>

Modernisation of Higher Education – Willful Action or Wishful Thinking? The Case of Bulgaria

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-17
Author(s):  
Elena Blagoeva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
National Level ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

The impact of the last global economic crisis (2008) on the European economy put a strain on higher education (HE), yet it also pushed the sector towards intensive reforms and improvements. This paper focuses on the “Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in the Republic of Bulgaria 2014-2020”. With a case study methodology, we explore the strategic endeavours of the Bulgarian government to comply with the European directions and to secure sustainable growth for the HE sector. Our research question is ‘How capable is the Bulgarian HE Strategy to overcome the economic and systemic restraints of Bulgarian higher education?’. Because the development of strategies for HE within the EU is highly contextual, a single qualitative case study was chosen as the research approach. HE institutions are not ivory towers, but subjects to a variety of external and internal forces. Within the EU, this is obviated by the fact that Universities obtain their funds from institutions such as governments, students and their families, donors, as well as EU-level programmes. Therefore, to explore how these pressures interact to affect strategic action on national level, the case method is well suited as it enabled us to study the phenomena thoroughly and deeply. The paper suggests the actions proposed within the Strategy have the potential to overcome the delay, the regional isolation and the negative impact of the economic crisis on the country. Nevertheless, the key elements on which the success or failure of this Strategy hinges are the control mechanisms and the approach to implementation. Shortcomings in these two aspects of strategic actions in HE seem to mark the difference between gaining long-term benefits and merely saving face in front of international institutions.

Shared strategic reflection process by a higher education institution: A case study

2021 ◽  
pp. 089202062110309
Author(s):  
María García-Feijoo ◽  
Leire Alcaniz ◽  
Almudena Eizaguirre
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Theory U ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Process Implementation ◽  
Planning Models ◽  
Challenging Environment ◽  
The University

Business schools face social, economic, cultural, and technological changes that require constant rethinking not only of teaching and learning, but also of leadership and management. In contrast to traditional strategic planning models, this article proposes a new participatory approach for the university community, arriving at a common story and visualizing an exciting future for the school. Applying case study methodology, the paper describes a process of shared strategic reflection at a century-old European business school by following Otto Scharmer's Theory U. The process enabled achievement of shared definitions of vision, values, lines of progress, and strategic projects, and the study itself improved the participants’ perception of the process and its impact on a shared vision's generation. After process implementation, and as a general conclusion, Theory U contributed to promoting shared strategic reflection, with results that are very valuable in the highly uncertain, challenging environment in which business schools are immersed.

Innovation Failure: Losing Sight of the Big Picture

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Fortoul Obermöller
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Passenger Car ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Significant Step ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities ◽  
The Impact

The Case Study section of the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation serves two purposes. First, the case studies presented are concerned with problematical issues that are pertinent to students of entrepreneurship. Thus they constitute appropriate teaching and learning vehicles on a variety of postgraduate and undergraduate programmes. Each case study is accompanied by a set of guidelines for the use of tutors. Second, it is envisaged that those engaged in entrepreneurial activities will find the cases both interesting and useful. The case of PSA Peugeot Citroën's electric passenger car is an example of an innovation perceived as a failure because of its disappointing sales volume. Yet, by limiting our assessment of the electric passenger car to a short-term perspective, we may miss out on an essential part of its value. As part of a wider innovation process, the electric passenger car project is a significant step for PSA in its expertise regarding electric vehicles. Key learning outcomes: (a) to understand that innovation is a complex process with fuzzy frontiers, both in time and space; (b) to understand that innovation is a long-term investment with spillovers into other projects; (c) to be aware of the multiple perspectives that may be adopted when examining innovation; and (d) to be aware of the impact of labelling a project a failure.

Post-occupancy evaluation of outdoor spaces on the campus of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Clara Carvalho Tourinho ◽  
Sabrina Andrade Barbosa ◽  
Özgür Göçer ◽  
Klaus Chaves Alberto
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeUsing the campus of a Brazilian university as case study, this research aims to identify which aspects of the outdoor spaces are the most significant in attracting people.Design/methodology/approachThis research relies on the application of different post-occupancy evaluation (POE) methods, including user tracking, behavioural mapping and questionnaires, on one plateau of the campus.FindingsThree group of aspects (socialization, proximity and infrastructure) were identified as key elements in explaining the impact of the campus physical characteristics on users’ behaviour. The results indicate that having characteristics of at least one group of aspects in those spaces can guarantee their vitality and, if there is presence of attributes of more than one group, liveliness can be increased.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies should be conducted on an entire campus to identify other spatial elements in the three groups.Practical implicationsThis research contributes to the planning of future campuses and to solutions to the existed ones, indicating the most relevant spatial characteristics to be considered. Additionally, the combination of different methods may be useful to future research.Originality/valueMost of the investigations on the university campuses focus on the buildings, and little research has investigated the outdoor spaces, although they play a critical role in learning and academic life, where people establish social, cultural and personal relationships. In addition, studies using several POE allowed a consistent and complete diagnostic about the aspects of the campus, giving recommendations for future projects.

Sanctioned to Survive: How Foreign Firms Perform when Economic Sanctions Affect their Business Relationships—A Study of Contemporary Economic Sanction Actions and their Impact

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 501-538
Author(s):  
Blaine Stout
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Economic Sanctions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Study Strategies ◽  
Foreign Firms ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Exxon Mobil ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The intent of this study is to examine the effects of economic sanctions on companies with significant fdi operating in the sanctioned country. Using case study methodology, we consider the impact of sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation (rf) by the United States of America for its intrusion into the sovereign rights of Ukraine. Past sanction events in South Africa and pre-rf formation are reviewed. Two measurable frameworks are developed to study strategies based on ‘divestment and non-divestment’ (Malone and Goodin 1997) dimensions and coupled with variables related to ‘direct and indirect’ effects on financial performance, forgone potential, (Losman 1988) and foreign direct investment (Biglaiser and Lektzian 2011). This research also relies on the historical accounts of Hufbauer et al. (2007) for the compilation of facts related to economic sanctions. Through literature review, the study asks: 1) Strategically, how does a company respond to the economic sanctions imposed by its home country on the sanctioned country in which it has significant fdi? 2) Financially, how do economic sanctions affect the company’s performance and fdi? and 3) Organizationally, how do economic sanctions affect the relationships with those recipient companies of fdi? The study focus is on the energy industry in which the rf economy relies upon for 40 percent of its sustainability and the company of focus is Exxon Mobil (xom). The author readily acknowledges that a single case study may not provide the degree of conclusiveness found in a cross-case study format. However, the outcome of the study does provide a template for use in future case reviews.

scholarly journals The Impact of Rhetorical Argumentation on Achieving the Mastery of Fluency and Accuracy in Communicative Competence: A Case Study of 2 nd Year Students at the University Des Frères Mentouri, Constantine

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Abderrahim Bouderbane
Keyword(s):  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Procedural Fluency ◽  
Language Knowledge ◽  
Problematic Issue ◽  
Rhetorical Argumentation ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

The present study is a comparison between the impact of rhetorical argumentation and narrating stories on students’ fluency and accuracy in communicative competence. We aimed at evaluating the usefulness and suitability of these tasks, and their efficiency when it comes to teaching fluency and accuracy by analysing the direct effects of the tasks on the indices of fluency and accuracy. The problematic issue in this research investigates the effects of the task rhetorical argumentation, and whether it is an important task that teachers should rely on it in teaching speaking in academic contexts. The sample is composed of 65 students which are divided in between 30 students in the control group and 35 students in experimental group. The data was collected by a test which was used to evaluate three main areas which are: classroom interaction, topic knowledge and language knowledge. The results of the experiment show that there are two types of fluency which are procedural and automatic. Rhetorical argumentation can be used to develop procedural fluency, and not automatic since the task is considered as difficult and students were not familiar with it.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Study Conditions and Depressive Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among University Students in Germany: Results of the International COVID-19 Student Well-Being Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Mayara Matos Fialho ◽  
Franca Spatafora ◽  
Lisa Kühne ◽  
Heide Busse ◽  
Stefanie M. Helmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
University Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
German Student ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental Well Being

Background: Results of previous studies examining the impact of the SARS-CoV-1 epidemic in 2003 on university students' mental well-being indicated severe mental health consequences. It is unclear how the current COVID-19 pandemic and the changes in study conditions due to federal regulations affected mental well-being in the German student population. We examined university students' perceptions of study conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigated associations between study conditions and depressive symptoms.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Germany in May 2020 at four universities (N = 5,021, 69% female, mean age: 24 years, SD: 5.1). Perceived study conditions, as well as sociodemographic information, were assessed with self-generated items and the CES-D 8 scale was used to determine depressive symptoms. Associations between perceived study conditions (academic stress and academic satisfaction), in general, and confidence to complete the semester, in particular, and depressive symptoms were analyzed using generalized linear regressions.Results: Fifty-four percent of survey participants felt that the university workload had significantly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic; 48% were worried that they would not be able to successfully complete the academic year; 47% agreed that the change in teaching methods caused significant stress. Regarding depressive symptoms, the mean score of the CES-D 8 scale was 9.25. Further, a positive association between perceived study conditions and depressive symptoms was found (p &lt; 0.001), indicating that better study conditions were associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Results of the generalized linear regression suggest that better student mental well-being was related to higher confidence in completing the semester.Conclusions: This study provides first insights into perceived study conditions and associations with depressive symptoms among students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Findings underline the need for universities to provide intervention strategies targeting students' mental well-being during the course of the pandemic.

Supporting Mobile Access to VLE Resources through MobiGlam

2012 ◽  
pp. 315-332
Author(s):  
Fatma Meawad ◽  
Geneen Stubbs
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Mobile Access ◽  
Generic Framework ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

MobiGlam is a generic framework of interoperability with existing virtual learning environments (VLEs) that provides a compact and easy to use implementation of learning activity on Java enabled mobile devices. A case study was conducted at the University of Glamorgan, UK where MobiGlam was seamlessly integrated with the university’s VLE to support the delivery of computer courses at the foundation level. Such integration showed an added value to the participants and in many cases, it improved their use of the VLE. This chapter reports on the deployment, the evaluation, and the results of this case study. The results are analysed from two views: the impact on the participants’ use of the VLE and the framework’s overall usability.

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