Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Future And Value: The Library As Strategic Partner, Antje Mays

Library Presentations

Broader economic trends spawn budget pressures for education and libraries, prompting a plethora of studies on the value and relevance of libraries. Numerous reports on economic decline in libraries and studies with mixed pronouncements on the value of libraries have led to a negative self-image within the library profession. Yet libraries' leadership in connecting learners to knowledge is at the heart of producing many of the key skills sorely needed in robust societies and economies. Librarianship has many untapped opportunities for positioning itself as a prominent strategic partner. This paper outlines current research on the economic and societal context for …

Project Management In Libraries, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

This issue's "New and Noteworthy" column focuses on several books, journal articles, and websites that will serve as an introduction to project management in library and information organization settings.

Can Maternity Benefits Have Long-Term Effects On Childbearing? Evidence From Soviet Russia, Olga Malkova

Economics Faculty Publications

This paper quantifies the effects of Russia’s 1981 expansion in maternity benefits on completed childbearing. The program provided one year of partially paid parental leave and a small cash transfer upon a child’s birth. I exploit the program’s two-stage implementation and find evidence that women had more children as a result of the program. Fertility rates rose immediately by 8.2% over twelve months. The increase in fertility rates not only persisted for the ten-year duration of the program, but it reflected large increases in higher-order births to older women who already had children before the program started.

Mayflower: Ode To New Beginnings — A New Column For New Times With A Positive Mission, Antje Mays

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Numerous studies and articles downplay the value of libraries, citing instances of library defunding, layoffs, and outright closures, along with studies on the waning usefulness of libraries based on flawed quantifiables. Such pronouncements spread fear of obsolescence and irrelevance, contributing to dissatisfaction in the library profession. Yet polls in the United States and Great Britain reveal the library profession's enduring value among the most trusted professions.

To kick off the column "Mayflower: Ode to New Beginnings", this article frames library pressures in a context of broader trends affecting economic and educational conditions, examines professional stewardship and the library profession’s enduring …

Practical Management Or Practical Magic: A Conversation With Lance Werner And Julene Jones. Managing Dysfunctional Environments, Julene L. Jones

Library Presentations

Presentation and discussion on the topic of working in or managing dysfunctional environments.

Practical Management Or Practical Magic: A Conversation With Julene Jones And Nyama Reed. Difficult Conversations With Those You Supervise, Julene L. Jones

Library Presentations

Presentation and discussion on the topic of difficult conversations between supervisors and those they supervise.

What Drives Consumers In China To Buy Clothing Online? Application Of The Technology Acceptance Model, Zhenqian Wei, Min-Young Lee, Hong Shen

Retailing and Tourism Management Faculty Publications

An enormous number of Internet users have made China a profitable e-commerce marketplace, and clothing is one of the most frequently purchased items. This study explores the predictors of consumers’ motivation to buy clothing online in China by extending the technology acceptance model. Data were collected via an online questionnaire, resulting in 504 returned responses. The results indicate that perceived usefulness has a significant effect on consumers’ intention to buy clothing online; however, no direct relationship between perceived ease of use and buying intention was found. Furthermore, perceived convenience, perceived money saving, and perceived time-saving can explain why consumers perceive …

Client Protection Regulations For Microfinance Institutions In Ghana, Kenya, And Tanzania, Hanna Carlson

Oswald Research and Creativity Competition

This paper examines the financial sectors of Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania in relation to the regulation of microfinance institutions, specifically looking into client protection policies. The first section introduces the topic of microfinance in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the impact it has on the financial sector. A frame of reference is created by a brief introduction of the financial and regulatory climate in each of the three countries. Following this introduction, regression analyses demonstrate the impact of client protection policies on the performance of microfinance institutions in Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania.