Digital Transformation Challenges for Universities: Ensuring Information Consistency Across Digital Services

Abstract

Universities struggle to offer complete, up-to-date and consistent information about their key assets to their numerous users across various digital services and communication channels. Key assets include people, papers, books, dissertations, patents, courses, and research projects. The main difficulty stands in the intrinsic data fragmentation and data diversity: data about the key assets is scattered across multiple information silos, data is often duplicated and difficult to correlate due to the diversity in the format, metadata, conventions, and terminology used. We illustrate how this difficulty can be tackled and describe the work carried out at the University of Trento in Italy.     

Database Mobile Accessibility Assessment at Adelphi University Libraries

An increasing number of users are reaching out to their academic library from their mobile devices to search for scholarly content. As a result, the resources offered through the library Web site should be equally accessible on all devices. Database content is a critical library resource, and vendor products must evolve to function effectively on all types of devices. This study examined 197 databases at Adelphi University Libraries to determine if they are universally accessible either through the provision of an app or a mobile-optimized Web site. The study concluded that the majority of vendor platforms are not optimized for viewing across smart devices. These findings indicate that libraries should encourage vendors to offer mobile-optimized databases, and desktop computers may still be necessary for database searching.     

为高校教师党员发挥主体作用搭建五个平台

尊重党员主体地位,党的建设新的伟大工程才能全面推进。以改革创新精神加强党的建设,要求牢固树立“党员主体”的思想,尊重党员的智慧和首创精神,始终把基层党组织和广大党员在实践中探索积累的经验,作为推动党的各方面建设改革创新的源泉。针对新形势下高校基层党组织建设和教师党员队伍管理中出现的新情况、新问题,为高校教师党员搭建体验校园生活、大兴学习之风、积极谏言献策、表达模范作用、获得激励评价五个平台,构建凝聚党员的新载体、服务师生的新网络建设思路。     

Facebook usage and mental health: An empirical study of role of non-directional social comparisons in the UK

The present paper explores the relationship between nature of Facebook usage, non-directional comparisons and depressive syndromes. The extant research on linkage between social media usage and mental health is inconclusive. The paper uses data collected through an online survey of 399 Facebook users in the UK. A Facebook frequency rating scale was developed and validated as a part of the study. The Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure was modified and used to measure social comparison. The depressive syndromes were captured by the modified Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. The Rank Theory of Depression was used a guiding framework. The data collection had focused on the 20–29 year olds, as justified by the literature.The study found a negative relationship between active Facebook use and non-directional social comparisons. The relationship was reversed in the case of passive usage. There is small but significant causal linkage between increased non-directional social comparisons and depressive symptoms among the users.     

A revised model of e-brand equity and its application to high technology products

Given the growing importance of online social media platforms (OSM) in brand management, the authors attempt to extend the relationship between e-brand equity and repurchase intention with two mediator variables, namely visual appeal and e-preference in which willingness to pay a price premium (WPPP) serves as a moderator. Drawing on the perspective of digitalized engagement (PDE), the authors confirm the mediating effects on the e-brand equity-repurchase intention link while evidencing both positive and negative effects of WPPP on the linkage of e-brand equity and mediators. Contributions to theory, practice, and future studies are also provided.     

Governing online platforms: From contested to cooperative responsibility

Online platforms, from Facebook to Twitter, and from Coursera to Uber, have become deeply involved in a wide range of public activities, including journalism, civic engagement, education, and transport. As such, they have started to play a vital role in the realization of important public values and policy objectives associated with these activities. Based on insights from theories about risk sharing and the problem of many hands, this article develops a conceptual framework for the governance of the public role of platforms, and elaborates on the concept of cooperative responsibility for the realization of critical public policy objectives in Europe. It argues that the realization of public values in platform-based public activities cannot be adequately achieved by allocating responsibility to one central actor (as is currently common practice), but should be the result of dynamic interaction between platforms, users, and public institutions.     

Social media platforms and social enterprise: Bibliometric analysis and systematic review

A considerable number of contributions at the intersection of social media platforms and social entrepreneurship has been witnessed over the past decade. The multi-disciplinary nature of current literature necessitates integrative insights on the topic. We thus undertake a two-pronged approach – bibliometric analysis followed by systematic review – to map the extant literature in a structured, objective, and quantitative way. We contribute to the literature as we (i) offer a classification of the literature in three clusters, namely ‘social media platforms, social collaboration and social marketing’, ‘social media platforms and crowdfunding, and ‘social media platforms and crowdsourcing’; (ii) analyze recent research development in each cluster, methodological development, countries co-authorship and evolution of research in the area; and (iii) propose a conceptual framework -accompanied by research propositions- that provides an overview of the literature at the intersection of social media platforms, various social entrepreneurial practices and their influence on the social enterprise performance. Our review culminates with numerous impactful research avenues for scholarly progression in the area. From a practical standpoint, this review integrates scattered findings into one body, allowing the practitioners and policymakers to discern the role of social media platforms in dealing with emerging societal problems and increasing operational efficiencies of social enterprises (SEs). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review of its kind, offering unique perspectives at the nexus of social media platforms and SE’s performance.     

An Overview of Autonomous Learning and Reflections on EFL Teaching

This paper mainly focuses on the development of autonomous learning worldwide and its reflections on English teachingin China. Autonomous learning, which is beneficial to one’s lifelong journey, is the ability to take responsibility for one’s learning.The final goal of education is to cultivate students with autonomous learning skills. As for EFL teachers, three steps are as followed.Firstly, EFL teachers need to be trained to learn autonomously. Secondly, EFL teachers should construct some onli...     

国家科技基础条件平台的内涵探讨

在对国家科技基础条件平台的体系结构、基本特征、功能定位等进行论述的基础上,指出国家科技基础 条件平台的建设过程是一项复杂的系统工程,认为其建设的主线是整合科技资源,运行的核心是共享,关键是机制创 新,目的是提高效率和效益。