Volume 58, Issue 4

In the past 40 years, there have been many studies related to word of mouth; however, no reviews of the word-of-mouth literatures have been found. This study integrates the methods of citation analysis and social network analysis to explore the citation of word-of-mouth papers and further validates the knowledge dissemination of word-of-mouth studies. The results of the research reveal that the three papers – Richins (1983), Brown and Reingen (1987) and Herr, Kardes and Kim (1991) – were in more centralized positions in the citation network. As core papers in the word-of-mouth field, they play critical roles in knowledge. These research findings allow researchers to access studies related to the word-of-mouth field from the past 40 years, and dissemination of word-of-mouth knowledge helps researchers' control over future research directions and the overall knowledge contribution of the word-of-mouth field.

Environmental scanning (ES) is an indispensable activity practiced by top executives to align their organizations to turbulent environments. However, although the subject has generated a vast body of literature, it remains an underdeveloped domain in sub-Saharan Africa in general, and in Botswana in particular. Consequently, there is a paucity of literature on the subject and this has unfortunately limited a fuller understanding of how ES in transitional contexts is practiced. The research reported here thus investigated the scanning behaviour of CEOs of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) in Botswana's manufacturing sector. Data were gathered via mail-delivered questionnaires sent to respondents based in the cities of Gaborone and Francistown. The key findings of the study were: (1) the CEOs in the study display a propensity to scan the task environment with greater frequency focusing most on the customer, competitor and suppliers sectors; (2) CEOs in the sample are systematic scanners and frequently use the continuous scanning mode; (3) the sampled CEOs consider personal sources (customers, business associates, managers and suppliers) as their preferred sources of information; and (4) CEOs use a mosaic of sources but tend to rely on personal sources more than impersonal. Recommendations are made for future research on CEO scanning.

The purpose of this survey-based study, undertaken at the Inkandla and Mbazwana school clusters in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, was to investigate the awareness of community members with regard to the concept of clustering. The term community is used in the sense of a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality ( Webster's online dictionary 2008). They share government, and have a common cultural and historical heritage. Although the intention of the initiative was to increase access to essential information resources, the preparedness of the communities to share these resources, to tolerate the hardships of travelling long distances, to accept the challenges and responsibilities and learn from the lessons, were also part of the study. Access to amenities like laboratories and libraries are often viewed by policymakers, among others, as unnecessary luxuries especially by those who were deprived of these facilities in the course of their education, but who managed nevertheless to achieve success. A resource-based curriculum, such as South Africa's Curriculum 2005, requires an abundance of resources, but a lack of funding prevents many schools from having all the necessary resources to support the curriculum. Creative ways of providing resources and expertise have been conceived by education departments and the clustering of schools to encourage sharing is one such method used by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education. The evolution of this clustering project took different forms. Subsequent events showed that the form taken either allowed for further growth and development, or subjected the project to failure and decay. Issues of acceptance by the communities, particularly their awareness of the vision and their preparedness to share resources, interacted with problems of accessibility and community dynamics to determine either the success or failure of the project. Knowledge gained from the study could be important for other initiatives in similar contexts, but must be applied with caution.

This article deals with the need to define the public administration sector as a major provider of Web-based job-placement resources in the field of corporate information management for Spanish graduates in librarianship and information science. The Web as an instrument of information dissemination gives the citizen who uses it many advantages. Unlike other information services where the flow of information is targeted at a specific part of the population, the Public Administration Sector generates information that is, or should be, useful to any citizen, regardless of his or her situation or profession. Throughout life, one has to interact with local, regional, and national Public Administrative units. Sometimes the process is direct between a citizen and the staff of these units, but on other occasions the Administration itself has to structure the flow of information to the citizen. The Web has become an effective tool in this sense, but who are the professionals managing these information resources? The present work will show that Spanish universities offering courses in librarianship and information science have remained unaware of these new job opportunities that have arisen in recent years. Data used to support this conclusion are: 1) Spanish reports on the job market for librarianship and information science graduates, 2) study plans at the different levels of higher education in Spain (first, second, and third cycles of university), and 3) the educational qualifications of the website administrators of Spain's provincial capitals, a typical sample of Spanish public administrative units.

The appearance of KESLI (Korea Electronic Site License Initiative), an electronic journals consortium, has allowed South Korean medical libraries to expand the availability of foreign academic journals dramatically. The growth in subscription journals has had a considerable impact on various library services, especially document supply service (DSS). Many studies have already reported that DSS has decreased as a result of electronic journal bundles provided by consortia, but this study shows the matter in a new light. The author performed an analysis to verify the direction that DSS has moved in the past five years at South Korean medical libraries, especially among KMLA (Korean Medical Library Association) members. Even though consortial purchasing has become the general practice, results show that DSS for 2006 was approximately 11% higher than for 2002. But we have to take note of the findings that DSS in these libraries has not increased from 2004, and has even decreased. In particular, DSS for 2006 decreased 43% as the volume peaked in 2003. Mass purchase by the consortium may be playing a great role in bringing about the decline in DSS. As mass purchase allows users to access not only current issues but also back issues anytime and anywhere, users can easily get needed articles that in the past could only be accessed by requesting copies from other libraries.

This paper traces the development of information literacy initiatives at the various levels within the Malaysian educational system. Information literacy has been embedded within the Malaysian educational system for some time. Information literacy means information skills delivered by the teachers at both the primary and secondary levels. Subsequently, information literacy competencies are further imparted to undergraduates and postgraduates by various academic libraries. The paper looks at the formulation of the National Information Technology Agenda and the initial emergence of information literacy initiatives within Malaysian society. Efforts are being made by various entities to create an information literate society in line with the government's aim of attaining Vision 2020 – the creation of a civil society whereby all citizens will be information literate and well-equipped as knowledge workers

This article identifies trends among faculty members at Qatar University in utilizing electronic information resources to develop their teaching, research and personal knowledge. The University Library subscribes to 30 specialized electronic databases. In addition, the Library provides all faculty members with free access to its electronic resources through the University Network both on campus and off campus. A questionnaire distributed to all faculty members (around 600) during the academic year 2006–2007 revealed that the databases and e-resources provided by the University were not well utilized by the entire faculty, although they are making a difference to the work of some of the University's faculty members. The University Library needs to undertake a review to identify other databases that may be needed, to promote the use of e-resources in teaching and learning, and to develop the search skills of faculty and students.

This paper reports the results of a study which investigated the use of the Internet by political parties and individual candidates as part of their campaigns for election to the Scottish Parliament in 2007. This was a comparative, follow-up study to one conducted prior to the previous Scottish Parliamentary election in 2003. Two methodologies were used in gathering data. Firstly, the content of the websites of 27 political parties and 12 individual candidates was analysed to identify the ways in which political participation by the Scottish public was encouraged via the provision of information and of opportunities for interaction, debate and feedback. Secondly, a series of email enquiries, based around key policy issues, was directed at political parties and individual candidates, to measure the speed and extent of response, as well as any efforts made towards the creation of an ongoing relationship with potential voters. The results indicate that the Internet was used mainly for the dissemination of information and ideas rather than for their exchange.