Social media as a data gathering tool for international business qualitative research: opportunities and challenges

Lusophone African (LA) multinational enterprises (MNEs) are becoming a significant pan-African and global economic force regarding their international presence and influence. However, given the extreme poverty and lack of development in their home markets, many LA enterprises seeking to internationalize lack resources and legitimacy in international markets. Compared to higher income emerging markets, Lusophone enterprises in Africa face more significant challenges in their internationalization efforts. Concomitantly, conducting significant international business (IB) research in these markets to understand these MNEs internationalization strategies can be a very daunting task. The fast-growing rise of social media on the Internet, however, provides an opportunity for IB researchers to examine new phenomena in these markets in innovative ways. Unfortunately, for various reasons, qualitative researchers in IB have not fully embraced this opportunity. This article studies the use of social media in qualitative research in the field of IB. It offers an illustrative case based on qualitative research on internationalization modes of LAMNEs conducted by the authors in Angola and Mozambique using social media to identify and qualify the population sample, as well as interact with subjects and collect data. It discusses some of the challenges of using social media in those regions of Africa and suggests how scholars can design their studies to capitalize on social media and corresponding data as a tool for qualitative research. This article underscores the potential opportunities and challenges inherent in the use of social media in IB-oriented qualitative research, providing recommendations on how qualitative IB researchers can design their studies to capitalize on data generated by social media.https://doi.org/10.1080/15475778.2019.1634406https://doi.org/10.1080/15475778.2019.1634406https://doi.org/10.1080/15475778.2019.1634406https://doi.org/10.1080/15475778.2019.1634406Accepted manuscriptPublished versio

A review of data visualization: opportunities in manufacturing sequence management.

Data visualization now benefits from developments in technologies that offer innovative ways of presenting complex data. Potentially these have widespread application in communicating the complex information domains typical of manufacturing sequence management environments for global enterprises. In this paper the authors review the visualization functionalities, techniques and applications reported in literature, map these to manufacturing sequence information presentation requirements and identify the opportunities available and likely development paths. Current leading-edge practice in dynamic updating and communication with suppliers is not being exploited in manufacturing sequence management; it could provide significant benefits to manufacturing business. In the context of global manufacturing operations and broad-based user communities with differing needs served by common data sets, tool functionality is generally ahead of user application

Social media in qualitative research: Challenges and recommendations

The emergence of social media on the Internet provides an opportunity for information systems researchers to examine new phenomena in new ways. However, for various reasons qualitative researchers in IS have not fully embraced this opportunity. This paper looks at the potential use of social media in qualitative research in information systems. It discusses some of the challenges of using social media and suggests how qualitative IS researchers can design their studies to capitalize on social media data. After discussing an illustrative qualitative study, the paper makes recommendations for the use of social media in qualitative research in IS

Evaluating the development of wearable devices, personal data assistants and the use of other mobile devices in further and higher education institutions

This report presents technical evaluation and case studies of the use of wearable and mobile computing mobile devices in further and higher education. The first section provides technical evaluation of the current state of the art in wearable and mobile technologies and reviews several innovative wearable products that have been developed in recent years. The second section examines three scenarios for further and higher education where wearable and mobile devices are currently being used. The three scenarios include: (i) the delivery of lectures over mobile devices, (ii) the augmentation of the physical campus with a virtual and mobile component, and (iii) the use of PDAs and mobile devices in field studies. The first scenario explores the use of web lectures including an evaluation of IBM's Web Lecture Services and 3Com's learning assistant. The second scenario explores models for a campus without walls evaluating the Handsprings to Learning projects at East Carolina University and ActiveCampus at the University of California San Diego . The third scenario explores the use of wearable and mobile devices for field trips examining San Francisco Exploratorium's tool for capturing museum visits and the Cybertracker field computer. The third section of the report explores the uses and purposes for wearable and mobile devices in tertiary education, identifying key trends and issues to be considered when piloting the use of these devices in educational contexts

Wiki-based Collaborative Learning Experience in a Foreign Language Blended Course

The article emphasizes the educational potential of wikis for learning foreign languages. It focuses on students’ collaboration based on integration of different types of activities within a highly motivating blended learning environment where learners can interact and share their ideas. The study aims to understand if wikis could enhance online collaboration and positively affect students’ attitudes to group work. It tries to explore the level of participation and contribution of students in wiki-based activities, as well as their attitude to this type of online collaboration

Wiki-based Collaborative Learning Experience in a Foreign Language Blended Course

The article emphasizes the educational potential of wikis for learning foreign languages. It focuses on students’ collaboration based on integration of different types of activities within a highly motivating blended learning environment where learners can interact and share their ideas. The study aims to understand if wikis could enhance online collaboration and positively affect students’ attitudes to group work. It tries to explore the level of participation and contribution of students in wiki-based activities, as well as their attitude to this type of online collaboration

Integrating Technology With Student-Centered Learning

Reviews research on technology's role in personalizing learning, its integration into curriculum-based and school- or district-wide initiatives, and the potential of emerging digital technologies to expand student-centered learning. Outlines implications

A literature review of the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education

This review focuses on the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education. It provides a synthesis of the research literature in the field and a series of illustrative examples of how these tools are being used in learning and teaching. It draws out the perceived benefits that these new technologies appear to offer, and highlights some of the challenges and issues surrounding their use. The review forms the basis for a HE Academy funded project, ‘Peals in the Cloud’, which is exploring how Web 2.0 tools can be used to support evidence-based practices in learning and teaching. The project has also produced two in-depth case studies, which are reported elsewhere (Galley et al., 2010, Alevizou et al., 2010). The case studies focus on evaluation of a recently developed site for learning and teaching, Cloudworks, which harnesses Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate the sharing and discussion of educational practice. The case studies aim to explore to what extent the Web 2.0 affordances of the site are successfully promoting the sharing of ideas, as well as scholarly reflections, on learning and teaching

Student perceptions on skills and learning challenges in the use of educational technology in a low-contact, blended and professional learning context: a grounded theory of ‘improvised learning’

This research project provides an original contribution to knowledge, comprising a grounded and unified theory of improvisational behaviours via Blended Learning and suggests a new paradigm of self-regulated, improvisational learning for potential application beyond the field of study. The study comprises an original Grounded Theory of ‘Improvised Learning’ demonstrating the most prevalent challenges, strategies and behaviours of students undertaking Higher Education programmes in a campus-based, low-contact teaching environment. The participant group were typically undertaking accredited professional programmes (usually related to a profession such as nursing or accounting). The students engaged in ‘Blended Learning’ i.e. study on-campus alongside use of learning technologies such as a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The research project used Grounded Theory as an holistic methodology to investigate the experience of students in this study context. The main data collection phase consisted of informal individual or group discussions held in classes, open plan Library areas or IT Labs. Grounded Theory is a sociological methodology designed to formulate a new (Grounded) theory from a ‘substantive area’, i.e. a participant group typically comprising a shared vocational role or activity. Key elements of Grounded Theory include an emphasis on induction-based conceptualisation of theory from descriptive participant indicators and the continuous comparison of data for the emergence of ‘theoretical categories’ or codes. The ultimate aim of Grounded Theory is to demonstrate how conceptual categories inter-relate within a common theoretical explanation for the behaviour of participants (the ‘core category’). This grounded study of professional learners identified a number of theoretical models of behaviour for engaging with Blended Learning, including innovative self-led use of Information Technology and collaborative learning. The emergent ‘core category’ - reflecting all dependant codes or variables was defined as ‘Improvised Learning’, explaining conceptually how students employ self-led strategies and skills to engage with disparate systems, environments and resources