Research plan discussion: The socio-technical construction of MOOCs and educator practices in HE

In this seminar slot, we will discuss Steve's research aims and plan. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have received substantial coverage in mainstream sources, academic media, and scholarly journals, both negative and positive. Numerous articles have addressed their potential impact on Higher Education systems in general, and some have highlighted problems with the instructional quality of MOOCs, and the lack of attention to research from online learning and distance education literature in MOOC design. However, few studies have looked at the relationship between social change and the construction of MOOCs within higher education, particularly in terms of educator and learning designer practices. This study aims to use the analytical strategy of Socio-Technical Interaction Networks (STIN) to explore the extent to which MOOCs are socially shaped and their relationship to educator and learning designer practices. The study involves a multi-site case study of 3 UK MOOC-producing universities and aims to capture an empirically based, nuanced understanding of the extent to which MOOCs are socially constructed in particular contexts, and the social implications of MOOCs, especially among educators and learning designers.

Efectividad en las redes empresariales

Este estudio tiene como objetivo identificar cuáles son las variables que repercuten en la efectividad de las redes empresariales. Esto, con base en la búsqueda de literatura existente de la efectividad en equipos, en organizaciones y en las redes interorganizacionales, así como el análisis de modelos y estudios empíricos que permitieron el análisis. De acuerdo con la búsqueda, se encontró que variables como la estructura de la red, la estabilidad del sistema, el compromiso de los empleados en cada una de las organizaciones que hacen parte de la red, la confianza dentro de la red, la transferencia de conocimiento y la apertura del sistema son las variables que en conclusión, mostraron ser buenas predictoras de efectividad dentro de las redes empresariales.

Pop-management: grandes empresas de consultoria no Brasil

Nesta pesquisa, investigamos e analisamos as empresas de consultoria no Brasil e seu papel na divulgação e legitimação de novas idéias e práticas de gestão empresarial. As empresas de consultoria fazem parte do campo do management, junto com a mídia de negócios, os gurus empresariais e as escolas de Administração. Participaram do estudo 4 grandes empresas de consultoria. A pesquisa compreendeu 3 frentes: (1) uma investigação sobre o tema junto às publicações acadêmicas e revistas de negócios, (2) entrevistas com sócios e pessoas-chave de grandes empresas de consultoria e (3) análise de projetos típicos implementados por estas empresas. Concluímos que as consultorias vivem dilemas complexos de atuação junto aos clientes. Especulamos ainda que tais organizações constituem elementos de reprodução e adaptação (limitada) de expertise estrangeira e são agentes influentes de difusão da cultura do management.

Pop-management: a literatura popular de gestão no Brasil

Nesta pesquisa, investiga-se e analisa-se o fenômeno da literatura de pop-management, propondo-se uma reflexão sobre seu papel na divulgação e legitimação de novas idéias e práticas de gestão empresarial. A literatura de pop-management compreende livros e revistas de consumo rápido, produzida pela mídia de negócios. A mídia de negócios faz parte da industria do management, junto com as empresas de consultoria, os gurus empresariais e as escolas de negócios. A pesquisa compreende três trilhas de trabalho: (1) uma investigação sobre o tema junto a publicações acadêmicas, (2) entrevistas com chefes de redação e editores e (3) análise de conteúdo de algumas publicações locais e internacionais. Conclui-se com uma reflexão acerca das características da literatura popular de gestão e seus impactos sobre as organizações e o indivíduo.

Pop-management: MBAs no Brasil

Este trabalho investiga e analisa o fenômeno dos MBAs no Brasil e seu papel na disseminação e legitimação de novas práticas gerenciais. Os MBAs, assim como as escolas de administração, fazem parte do campo do management, junto com a mídia de negócios, os gurus empresariais e as empresas de consultoria. O objeto de estudo é constituído pelos programas de Mestrado Profissional em Administração, que são informalmente denominados de MBAs. A pesquisa compreendeu quatro etapas: (1) investigação sobre o tema junto à publicações acadêmicas e à mídia de negócios, (2) entrevistas com coordenadores e pessoas-chave dos cursos, (3) análise dos dados obtidos e dos depoimentos dos entrevistados, e (4) preparação do relatório final. O estudo fornece um quadro amplo do fenômeno no Brasil, apontando algumas questões-chave.

Porcentaje de artículos altamente citados: una medida comparable del impacto de revistas entre campos científicos.

[EN]This paper proposes an alternative bibliometric indicator for evaluating scholarly journals based on the percentage of highly cited articles in a journal. It compares such an index with the impact factor and the h-index by using different time windows and levels of citation that can determine when a document can be considered as highly cited compared to others of the same year and discipline. The main outcome of this comparison suggests that the best index for obtaining data distributions that are comparable between scientific fields is by taking the 20% citation percentile over a three-year time frame for considering citations.

Productividad científica en España sobre las profesiones de comunicación entre 1971 y 2009

A la luz de la Convergencia Europea, los títulos de grado en comunicación elaborados en España están fundamentados en las competencias requeridas para el ejercicio de cada una de las profesiones. Es necesario, pues, analizar al profesional de la Publicidad y las Relaciones Públicas, del Periodismo y de la Comunicación Audiovisual. Este trabajo pretende conocer los estudios de investigación centrados en este tema. Realiza una revisión sistemática de los artículos, libros y tesis doctorales sobre las profesiones de comunicador desde la década de los setenta hasta 2009, en las bases de datos ISOC, ISBN y TESEO. Extrae indicadores bibliométricos y sigue los criterios de evaluación mantenidos por la CNEAI (Comisión Nacional Evaluadora de la Actividad Investigadora) y la ANECA (Agencia Nacional de Evaluación de la Calidad y Acreditación) para valorar las investigaciones. Los resultados muestran que es la firma del Plan Bolonia lo que parece iniciar un ciclo de atención hacia las profesiones de comunicación. Periodismo es la profesión más estudiada. La mayoría de los estudios no cumplen con los criterios de calidad de las agencias evaluadoras. En conjunto, se observa la necesidad de aumentar la cantidad y la calidad de las investigaciones para realizar planes de estudios «basados en evidencia», así como la pertinencia de fortalecer la formación de los investigadores en la metodología de la investigación social.

"Marketing and flexibility":debates past present and future

Special issue editorial: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the articles presented in the Special Issue on the topic of “Marketing and flexibility”, and to discuss key issues associated with major debates relating to flexibility in order to position the articles within a wider context and highlight some key issues for further research. Design/methodology/approach – Themes in prior research relating to “Marketing and flexibility” are documented and the growth of research interest into strategic flexibility is tabulated. The contributions of each article are briefly discussed. Findings – There has been a steady growth of research interest into flexibility. To provide an example of this growth, the increase in the number of articles published on the topic of strategic flexibility in scholarly journals is highlighted over a 20-year period. Key issues in prior research such as alternative definitions and the different postulated relationships between market orientation and strategic flexibility are revealed, as are issues for future research. Originality/value – Key issues relating to research into flexibility for marketing scholars are revealed.

Politics and prayer in West Perrine, Florida: Civic social capital and the black church

This thesis traces the mechanisms and sources responsible for the generation of civic social capital (a set of shared norms and values that promote cooperation between groups, enabling them to participate in the political process) by black churches in West Perrine, Florida. Data for this thesis includes over fifty interviews and participant observations, archival records, newspaper articles, and scholarly journals. ^ Despite the institutional racism of the first half of the twentieth century, many blacks and whites in Perrine developed levels of trust significant enough to form an integrated local governing body, evidence of high levels of csc. At mid-century, when black and white interactions ceased, Perrine's csc decreased, leading to the deterioration of Perrine's social and physical conditions. Perrine's csc increased in the 1980s by way of broad-based coalitions as Perrine's churches invested their csc in an effort to eradicate crime, clean up its neighborhood, and win back its youth. ^

Four Components of a Manuscript Reporting Qualitative Empirical Studies: A Brief Overview

Publishing in scholarly journals is challenging due to a high manuscript rejection rate. One third of the rejection rate can be attributed to poor organization (McKercher, Law, Weber, Song, & Hsu, 2007). This paper discusses four components of reporting qualitative empirical studies to guide researchers in developing a logical manuscript.

Problematizing practice: MacIntyre and management

Alasdair MacIntyre’s distinction between institutions and practices helps illuminate how powerful institutional forces frame and constrain the practice of organizational research as well as the output and positioning of scholarly journals like Organization. Yet his conceptual frame is limited, not least because it is unclear whether the activity of managing is, or is not, a practice. This article builds on MacIntyre’s ideas by incorporating Aristotle’s concepts of poíēsis, praxis, téchnē and phrónēsis. Rather than ask, following MacIntyre, whether management is a practice, this wider network of concepts provides a richer frame for understanding the nature of managing and the appropriate role for academia. The article outlines a phronetic paradigm for organizational inquiry, and concludes by briefly examining the implications of such a paradigm for research and learning.

Beyond MacIntyre: grounding the business as practice debate

Alasdair MacIntyre’s distinction between institutions and practices helps illuminate how powerful institutional forces frame and constrain the practice of organizational research as well as the output and positioning of scholarly journals. Yet his conceptual frame is limited, not least because it is unclear whether the activity of managing is, or is not, a practice. This paper builds on MacIntyre’s ideas by incorporating Aristotle’s concepts of poíēsis, praxis, téchnē and phrónēsis. Rather than ask, following MacIntyre, whether management is a practice, this wider network of concepts provides a richer frame for understanding the nature of managing and the appropriate role for academia. The paper outlines a phronetic paradigm for organizational inquiry, and concludes by briefly examining the implications of such a paradigm for research and learning.

Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investment: A Review of Empirical Research

In the past decade, Chinese outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) has become a major element of global capital flows. As a consequence, recent years have witnessed an increasing growth in the number of papers focusing on Chinese companies “going global.” This paper reviews 112 empirical papers focusing on Chinese OFDI that were published in major scholarly journals between 2002 and 2014. We report on individual and institutional contributions, citations, the theories and methods used and the research topics. We also identify the research gaps and discuss the implications of our literature review for future theory building.

Electronic journals, scholarly communication and libraries

The recent surge in scientific electronic journals began when libraries began having access to the WWW in the mid-1990s. The shift from paper to digital has affected the traditional alignment and role of the primary "stakeholders" -mainly authors, publishers, universities and libraries. The author offers a brief review of the history of the scholarly journal followed by the evolution of e-journals in during the past two decades. The article then focuses on the implications that these have had on traditional library processes and services such as selection, acquisitions, cataloguing, storage, preservation and user services. In the conclusion the author speculates on the long term effect of Web-based publishing on the format of the traditional scholarly journal as it has existed for over 300 years.

A qualitative study of the impact of electronic journals on scholarly information behavior

A qualitative study of the impact of electronic journals on the information behavior of academics at Catalan universities shows that academics now read more, and more widely. However, their reading is becoming more superficial; they are compelled to improve their discrimination skills in order to decide what to read in more depth. The electronic accessibility of journals means that academics now make fewer library visits. Web browsing and TOC e-mail alerts are replacing physical browsing, and searching is a very popular option for keeping up to date with developments. Internet search engines, especially Google and Google Scholar, are becoming important sources of information for academics. However, they face problems in managing their personal scientific information.