1,720,986 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
The impact of use and user characteristics on the perceived importance of web quality dimensions
No full textThe objective of this study was to examine how user characteristics affect perceived importance of web quality dimensions. We identified 15 quality dimensions from the literature and used a survey research method to examine how they are affected by gender, age, web skills of users, and purpose for using the Web. In addition, the effect of education, place of Internet access, and time spent on the Web were explored, but not statistically tested. Responses from the 260 participants of the survey were analysed using descriptive statistical methods, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and factor analysis.
The results showed that, of the four purposes explored, communication is the most frequent purpose for using the Web, followed by information seeking, entertainment, and purchasing. Accessibility, content quality, and security were the most important dimensions overall. However, the importance of the dimensions differed for each purpose. Content quality was the most important dimension for information seekers, security for purchasing users, and accessibility for entertainment users. Of the four examined user characteristics, the purpose for using the Web and age affected the perceived importance of web quality dimensions the most. Gender and web skills also demonstrated some impact, but only a few differences were significant. Factor analysis revealed correlations between 13 out of 15 quality dimensions. The dimensions were loaded onto four factors that we labelled: (1) playfulness, (2) trust, (3) content, and (4) navigation. Accessibility and assistance did not correlate with any other dimensions. The findings of the factor analysis may help in designing web quality instruments, as the number of examined dimensions may be reduced and they also help to demonstrate how users perceive dimensions
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Assessing the Effectiveness and Quality of Libraries
No full textA variety of library evaluation methods have been developed, yet few have attempted to evaluate the evaluation methods. This thesis is a meta-evaluation: an evaluation of other evaluations. The merits of different evaluation are analysed. Then the relationships between the different types of evaluation are identified, and a meta-model of library evaluation created. The Research Question posed in this thesis is "What are the most useful types of library evaluation, and how are they related to each other?" A four cell model has been developed. The two axes were chosen based upon systems theory. The y axis (vertical) uses two perspectives: an internal view (from the library) and an external view (the customers). The x axis (horizontal) is about the topic: the library
itself; its collection, processes, costs, and the customer' use of its products and services. Four types of library evaluation are each placed in one cell of the matrix. Early chapters examine library effectiveness based upon four models of organisational effectiveness. A two stage project that investigated New Zealand public library
effectiveness is described. First, stakeholders said what the best statements for evaluating
public library effectiveness were. Second, library staff said how well their library was performing on each of the key statements. This data was subjected to a factor analysis to create clusters of statements that are the 'imensions'of library effectiveness. Then two chapters describe a similar project conducted in university libraries.
Later chapters describe research into library service quality based upon the SERVQUAL
model. It used the Hernon-Altman method rather than the LibQUAL+ approach. The intention of the research was to understand the concept of service quality for academic libraries and then create an instrument to measure library service quality. Subsequent research adapted the instrument for use with electronic services provided by libraries
IT Project Governance and Stakeholder Conflict Resolution
No full textIT projects have long been problematic, particularly as they have grown in size and complexity, frequently integrating several organisational functions, and often involving many stakeholders as a result. A common problem with large, complex IT projects is stakeholder conflict. Unless conflict is resolved effectively, there is a risk that the project will suffer delays and struggle to make progress. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role that environmental factors, such as culture, power, and history, play in conflict resolution. This study also examines how IT project governance can moderate the negative effects of environmental factors, and facilitate more successful conflict resolution. A systems perspective is used to represent the research framework. A positivist, qualitative research method using three case studies is used to examine the nature of conflict resolution in IT projects, comparing and contrasting outcomes. IT project governance arrangements (policies, authority structures and mechanisms) are found to be critical to the way stakeholder conflict is resolve
Reflections on Perceived Online Service Quality: Structure, Antecedents, Ontology, Theory and Measurement
No full textOnline services are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, and this growth has been
accompanied by increased business interest in measuring and managing online
service quality. This interest is also reflected in a large number of academic studies.
Despite this, there is very little consensus about the dimensions and antecedents of
perceived online service quality (POLSQ).
We consider two possible reasons for this: first that the phenomenon of online service
quality is changing as new technology affordances arise, so instability in the
dimensionality would be a result of changes in the underlying phenomenon. Second,
the theoretical approach and assumptions that studies of online service quality are
usually founded on is flawed.
My research questions are: 1) what is the structure of perceived online service
quality? 2) What are the antecedents of perceived online service quality? 3) What is
the ontology of perceived online service quality? 4) What are the most appropriate
modelling and measurement methods for measuring online service quality
quantitatively, and what insights can be gained from psychometrics?5) What insights
does this offer IS researchers for the measurement of user attitudes and perceptions
towards technologies?
We find that leading models and instruments tend to be based on exploratory factor
analysis and have not been informed by advances in measurement theory, particularly
co-variance-based structural equation models, and a sub-set of those models known
as multi-indicator structural models.
We apply recent advances in measurement theory to a dataset. We apply and compare
four different modelling methods, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor
analysis, formative models, and multi-indicator structural models, and discuss the
theoretical foundations of each method.
We conclude that POLSQ may not have a separate ontology as a multi-dimensional
construct, but overall affect towards the service quality of a website is likely to be the
result of the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived trust towards
the service. This finding supports the explanatory power of information systems
theories over marketing and consumer behaviour theories when studying this
phenomenon. We find that user's perceptions of detailed affordances of the service,
such as the relevance and timeliness of the information are antecedent to overall
affect towards the service, rather than being additional dimensions of POLSQ.
We find that widely used techniques such as exploratory factor analysis have serious
drawbacks. We find that multi-indicator structural models provide an accurate and
nuanced method for modelling the formation of attitudes and perceptions towards
technology, which is also well-grounded in theory from social psychology.
Finally, we suggest that the approach we take to measuring POLSQ is has potential
value for other research which aims to measure customer attitudes and perceptions
towards technologies
An Investigation into Organisational Learning by Public Officials Creating and Maintaining Multi-Channel Service Delivery Information Systems in the New Zealand Public Sector
No full textPublic sector organisations in New Zealand increasingly use multi-channel service delivery strategies to achieve better, faster and cheaper services to citizens. Within these organisations, public sector officials envision, define and implement complex service delivery information systems. This study examines the organisational learning mechanisms that those officials use. This provides a deeper insight into the role that organisational learning plays in multi-channel service delivery systems definition in the context of the New Zealand Public Sector. A constructionist multiple-case study was undertaken with twenty nine officials from six public sector agencies that explores and characterises the learning mechanisms and knowledge transfer mechanisms that they use to understand and deliver services via physical and virtual channels. In addition, the research led to the development of a candidate conceptual model that integrates organisational learning, information systems and the unique organisational aspects of public sector service delivery
Predicting Internet Product Purchase Intention: Theoretical Reasoning and Empirical Results
No full textThis research sheds light on the effect the Internet has on consumers' pre-purchase search and evaluation strategies influencing product purchase intentions. The ease of evaluation on the Internet is often described in terms of a product's search and experience qualities. However, several inconsistencies in the literature suggest this bipartite classification scheme is poorly understood in the context of online consumer behaviour. This research develops and tests a model to explain how consumers interpret search and experience information when making evaluative decisions leading to purchase on the Internet. The results of an online experiment find that Internet product purchase intention is influenced by purchase attitude and confidence in evaluation. These constructs are found to mediate the effects of information quality, attitudes towards the brand, and Internet purchase confidence on purchase intentions.
The research model is found to account for more than 70% of the variance in intentions to purchase digital cameras and mobile phones on the Internet. It is concluded that the Internet product purchase intention model is likely to be useful for future diagnostic testing and theoretical examinations of human-computer interaction and online consumer behaviour. Promising avenues for future research in this area are identified, and the implications of the results for Internet strategists and policy makers are discussed
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