The Role of Web 2.0 Technologies in Empowering Librarians: The Case Study of University Libraries in Iran

The present study aims to investigate the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on empowering the librarians of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and the University of Isfahan libraries. This applied research was conducted using a survey method. The population of the study consisted of 135 librarians in the the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and the University of Isfahan libraries in Iran. Due to the limited number of participants, data were collected from the whole population and sampling was not carried out. Two questionnaires for assessing the Web 2.0 Library Tools and empowerment of staff were utilized to collect data. The analysis of the data was performed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests such as Kolmograph-Smirnov, Friedman, Pearson Correlation Coefficient, and Univariate Linear Regression in SPSS software version 22. The results revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between the use of Web 2.0 technologies and the empowerment of librarians (r=0.835). Also, statistically significant positive relationships were found between the use of Web 2.0 technologies and different dimensions of empowerment (i.e. independence and freedom of work, professional development and progress, self-control, Job satisfaction, and responsibility), with professional development and progress dimension had the highest (r=0.678, p=0.000) and independence and freedom of work had the lowest correlation (r=0.423, p=000) with the use of Web 2.0 technologies. The use of Web 2.0 technologies has also a statistically significant positive relationship with the librarians’ level of education (r=0.863, p=0.000) and their participation in training instructional courses on Web 2.0 and academic libraries (r=0.749, p=0.000)

Enhancing Communication Within Multi-Generational organizations

In order to capture the essence of employee dynamics within the ever-changing landscape of modern organizations, a naturalistic inquiry using a holistic approach was employed. This technique emphasized the millennial generation’s communication strengths as compared to those of previous generation workers. The perceptions of millennial students, millennial workers, multi-generational managers, university professors, and IT professionals were analyzed through a constant, comparative analysis and grouped so that grounded theory was allowed to emerge. The products of this inquiry include practical solutions aimed at reducing the uncertainty for multi-generational managers, specifically regarding the supervision of younger generation workers. In addition, the results of this study suggest that traditional business communication practices, when coupled with an increased use of information and communication technologies that are specifically designed to bolster collaboration and interpersonal communication, have the potential to maximize internal and external communication effectiveness. The data collected within this study provided an overview of the underlying values and perceptions behind millennial behavior. This synopsis, captured through millennial focus groups and face-to-face interviews, acquiesces to the literature surrounding the millennial generation. As outwardly portrayed, the individuals within this study are technically advanced, goal-oriented people who want the freedom and balance to work efficiently and effectively. In addition, the millennials used herein respect the traditional organizational structure, but only to the limit that its hierarchical nature does not stunt innovation achieved through adaptability and collaboration

Information technologies that facilitate care coordination: provider and patient perspectives

Health information technology is a core infrastructure for the chronic care model, integrated care, and other organized care delivery models. From the provider perspective, health information exchange (HIE) helps aggregate and share information about a patient or population from several sources. HIE technologies include direct messages, transfer of care, and event notification services. From the patient perspective, personal health records, secure messaging, text messages, and other mHealth applications may coordinate patients and providers. Patient-reported outcomes and social media technologies enable patients to share health information with many stakeholders, including providers, caregivers, and other patients. An information architecture that integrates personal health record and mHealth applications, with HIEs that combine the electronic health records of multiple healthcare systems will create a rich, dynamic ecosystem for patient collaboration

Unified Communications: Does It Have A Role In The Classroom?

Unified communications (UC) is being widely adopted by business and industry. Research has shown that UC increases productivity. Within higher education, UC has been implemented to improve administrative functions. However, in the academic environment the use of UC as an educational tool has yet to be explored. This extended abstract proposes a research study to investigate student use of communication tools to support their academic studies and to use this data to propose a model for implementing UC as a means to support the teaching/learning process

DISCLOSING THE PROMISING POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA – AN IMPORTANT DIGITAL MARKETING TOOL

The newest channels for communicating and selling to consumers are electronic. The Internet provides consumers and marketers with more opportunities than ever in achieving a greater interaction and individualization of services. Companies can send tailored messages that engage consumers by reflecting their special interests and behavior. Nowadays, very few marketing programs are considered complete without some type of prominent online component, which is gaining ground at the expense of traditional marketing. Attaining a successful marketing program compels companies to fully connect with their targeted customers. Thus, a holistic marketing approach must be adopted in order to comprehend the potential clients, by gaining a perspective of their daily lives, their customs of purchase and consumption, their plans for the future and the changes that actually occur in their lifetimes, so that the appropriate products are marketed to the right customers in the appropriate manner. The social media represents such a major cost effective opportunity for marketers to enter into dialogue with their customers and get an insight into their lives. Social network services such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter aggregate an abundance of information about their members that marketers find highly valuable, and they have paved the way for new forms of communication and collaboration between marketers and consumers. These new communications platforms are already making an impact as businesses use them as a means to connect with their audiences, find out more about their likes and dislikes related to their market offerings, and spread brand messages virally.social media, customer empowerment, digital marketing, interactive marketing

Reinforcing The Status Quo in Organizations Through Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM)

Background: The usage of mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram in an organization has become increasingly popular. Unfortunately, studies on the phenomenon, especially its impact on organizations, such as power distribution, have been scarce. Thus, this study asks, how does MIM technology affect power distribution in an organization? The objectives are twofold. The first is to determine how the MIM technology altered the distribution of power in an organization. The second is to identify why a collaborative tool intended for social use can have a profound impact on power relations in an organization. Method: This case study involved interviews with twenty-one participants through six group interview sessions. The management selected the participants based on the study requirements. The interview participants were selected from different levels of the organization’s hierarchy that use MIM actively in managing work. Results: The findings suggest that increased use of MIM for many activities, such as delivering instructions and monitoring work progress, has had a profound effect on power distribution. The findings suggest that the implementation of MIM in managing work reinforces the status quo of top management through the congregation of employees, forced commitment, and the illusion of consensus. Conclusions: MIM can reinforce the power of the top management over the rest by extending its reach to all levels in the organization. Findings from this study add to the existing knowledge on the relationship between power and information systems (IS) and power relations and MIM. Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol12/iss3/4

Instant Messaging and Employee\u27s Performance: A Text Mining Approach

The adoption of Instant Messaging (IM) applications in the workplace remains contentious due to difficulties in adequately quantifying organizational benefits and how it affects individual performance. Previous research on the impact of IM usage on employee performance has been limited to analyzing primary data (i.e., survey methods), making it difficult to extrapolate the findings to a constantly changing workplace. In contrast, we investigate the relationships between these individuals\u27 IM usage at the workplace and their primary assessment metric in their organization, performance evaluation, using longitudinal data of employees\u27 IM activities and their performance evaluation collected from a US Fortune 500 financial company. Using cutting-edge text-mining techniques, we identify the primary purposes of IM utilization in organizations and assess the impact of those attributes on employee performance. Our findings show that IM in the workplace can improve team communication, knowledge-sharing experience, and social networking among employees, but it can also be disruptive. However, the combined effect of team communication and knowledge sharing on employee performance can overshadow the negative impact of IM interruption on employee performance

Impact of Unified Communications on Communication, Relationship Building and Performance

Unified Communications (UC) integrates multiple communication and multimedia services such as voice, email, fax, voice messaging, video conferencing and chat into a unified user experience. In this research, we study the use of UC in global virtual teams in a multinational corporation. Specifically, we conduct a case study to examine how the use of UC enhances individuals’ ability to communicate, helps them create and build relationship, and then how such relationship building in turn improves their performance. This research will contribute to the theoretical understanding of the use of UC in organizational settings. This research also has practical significance as it can help organizations to make better decisions in regards to their investments in and usage of communication technologies in a global environment

Communication Efficacy Using Technology within Virtual Teams

Technology has given businesses the flexibility to allow employees to collaborate beyond the limitations of geography. Today’s businesses are taking advantage of collaborative teams that are separated by distance, but work together as if they are in the same room

ALWAYS ON DUTY? THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF USING MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOLS FOR WORK

The high penetration rate of mobile internet access makes the social networking tools ubiquitous. Through social networking tools, people now can easily contact others for social purpose as well as for work purpose. As a result, mobile social networking tools are now blurring the boundary between work and family domains and creating a new work-life relationship. Using social networking tools for work provides a lot of benefits as well as some negative effects. In the paper, we develop two empirical studies to examine both the positive effects and negative effects of using social networking tools for work. Our finding indicates that using social networking tools increases group effectiveness, which results in improvement of group identity. Nevertheless, using social networking tools for work also blurs the boundary of work-life, which may raise the work load and work-home conflict. We concluded that both academics and practice should pay attention to and minimize the negative impact of increased work overload and work-home conflict induced by using social networking tools for work. Our research results also provide suggestion for future research