Perceived value of interactive digital textbook and adaptive learning: Implications on student learning effectiveness

The authors studied the perceived value of an interactive digital textbook LearnSmart (McGraw-Hill Education, New York, NY) and examined its implications on adaptive learning and student learning effectiveness. Constructionism and constructivism provided the theoretical foundation. Data were collected from an American public university over three semesters. Multiple regression analysis results show that LearnSmart improves students’ perceived competency and their satisfaction with LearnSmart, thus increasing their perceived value of using LearnSmart. In addition, perceived value of LearnSmart varies across different course delivery formats and devices, while perceived challenge has no influence on perceived value. Pedagogical implications and future research directions are discussed.     

LearnSmart,adaptive teaching,and student learning effectiveness: An empirical investigation

Facing the growing number of digital natives entering the classroom, business professors look for innovative ways to enhance the student learning experience. The authors focus on the online interactive learning tool LearnSmart (McGraw-Hill, New York, NY), and examine its impact on student learning effectiveness by testing the direct and indirect relationships among perceived competence, perceived challenge, instructors, perceived value, and satisfaction with LearnSmart. Constructionism served as the theoretical foundation for this study. About 215 students at a public university in the United States took the survey and 197 valid responses were received. Regression analysis results showed that the use of LearnSmart improved students' perceived competency, thus increasing their perceived value of using LearnSmart, as well as their satisfaction with LearnSmart. Perceived value was also found to mediate the impact of perceived competency on satisfaction with LearnSmart, and the instructor played a significant role in facilitating and improving student learning. Perceived challenge impacted student's perceived value of using LearnSmart, but it did not influence satisfaction with LearnSmart.     

Case study competitions and perceptions of learning among undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates

Higher education institutions are increasingly employing competitive formats such as case study competitions in business education to enhance students’ learning experience. The authors explore students’ perceptions and experiences regarding affective, cognitive, and skills development factors and whether these perceptions and experiences determine students’ participation in case study competitions in the United Arab Emirates. The authors attempt to contribute to the rather nascent body of literature on case study competitions. The results highlight statistically significant differences between perceived and actual learning with respect to cognitive and affective benefits. Furthermore, a significant positive association is found between participation in case study competitions and respondents’ perceptions and real experiences about various aspects of learning.     

Utilizing mobile devices to enrich the learning style of students

As digital technologies evolve in education, business faculty have increased access to an extensive range of mobile devices and online applications to help them inspire students' passion for learning. Adopting new digital approaches to teaching can also enhance the learning style of students who are immersed in the use of digital devices. How can the use of these devices and associated applications (apps) help students broaden the opportunities for a more effective learning experience? In this exploratory article, the authors examine the impact of two mobile apps—Flipboard and Stitcher—on students' learning and engagement with class-assigned marketing materials. Students enjoyed Flipboard more than Stitcher in contributing to the requirements of class work.     

Exploring entrepreneurial learning: a comparative study of technology development projects

In this paper, we report findings from a comparative study of factors that influence the learning process that underlies entrepreneurial innovation, as entrepreneurs move from an initial intuition to a well-developed new product or service. Evidence from our comparative study highlights the self-reinforcing effect of prior related knowledge, perceived incentives and the degree of control on the allocation of entrepreneurs' limited time, attention and resources. Combining theory and evidence from our study, we propose an interpretative model that suggests that innovation in entrepreneurial ventures rests on self-reinforcing learning cycles that lead entrepreneurs to dedicate increasing resources to the exploration of some opportunities at the expense of others, following a sensemaking process affected by their previous knowledge and their degree of involvement in the projects.     

Effects of cooperative learning on Chinese students performing a formal table setting for American style service

This study examined the effectiveness and self-efficacy of employees following a training session employing a cooperative learning (CL) model with Chinese students hired as foodservice employees for university dining services. More specifically, the study examined the effect of such a learning technique on potential foodservice employees’ accuracy, speed, and perceived self-efficacy when performing a foodservice task of table setting, as well as on their level of satisfaction with the overall training. It was found that speed and accuracy did improve significantly with the cooperative learning technique. Additional measures indicated higher perceptions of both self-efficacy and quality of the learning environment. The findings could have implications for how workers from Chinese cultures are trained in the North American hospitality sector.     

Pattern of information technology use and relationship learning in international customer-supplier relationships

While information technology (IT) has been widely applied in global supply chain relationships, academic research in this area is still limited. Drawing on resource-based view (RBV) and interpartner learning theory, we investigate how different pattern of IT use (IT exploitation and IT exploration) influences relationship learning and performance in international customer-supplier relationships. Further, we look into two contingent conditions including technological uncertainty and cultural distance in the proposed model. Based on 240 Taiwanese-based electronics suppliers, this empirical study reveals that only exploration side of IT use was significant on relationship learning and finds significant positive relationship between relationship learning and relationship performance. Moreover, the effect of IT exploration on relationship learning was positively moderated by technological uncertainty but negatively moderated by cultural distance. However, the effect of IT exploitation on relationship learning was negatively moderated by technological uncertainty but positively moderated by cultural distance.     

Theory of Planned Behavior and Ethics Theory in Digital Piracy: An Integrated Model

Since digital piracy has posed a significant threat to the development of the software industry and the growth of the digital media industry, it has, for the last decade, held considerable interest for researchers and practitioners. This article will propose an integrated model that combines the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and ethics theory, the two theories that are most often used in digital piracy studies. Data were obtained from university students in China, and the model was examined using the structural equation model (SEM). The results show that moral obligation and justice, derived from ethics theories and TPB variables, such as attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, influence the behavioral intentions of individuals to commit digital piracy. The attitude of individuals toward digital piracy is also found to be influenced by perceived benefits, perceived risk, and habit.     

The effects of leader‐member exchange and employee learning on perceived employability

In today’s rapidly changing society, the critical issues for organizations are how to attract individuals with high‐level employability and what role to play in maintaining and enhancing that employability. This study primarily aimed to investigate the effects of leader‐member exchange and employee learning on perceived employability. The literature review showed that leader‐member exchange is about the mutual relationship between the leader and members of an organization, and that employee learning consists in the individual employees’ continuing learning behaviours. The data for this study were collected from 257 South Korean insurance company employees. The study findings demonstrated that leader‐member exchange has a significant positive influence on the one dimension of perceived employability: corporate sense. Employee learning, on the contrary, was shown to have statistically significant positive effects on all the five dimensions of employability. Conclusions were drawn, and the implications and limitations of the study are discussed.     

Internationalization's effect on marketing learning: A study of Syrian firms

The aim of the present study is to understand the effects of international expansion on firms' acquisition of marketing learning. This study's focus on marketing learning complements previous research on the impact of internationalization on the development of foreign-market and technological knowledge. The research finds that the scope of a firm's international activities, perception of gaps in marketing knowledge, and external social capital positively influence firms' acquisition of marketing learning. However, firm's age at initial international market entry appears not to be a significant factor. The study adds to the very limited body of research on the marketing learning outcomes of international expansion, while also offering rare empirical insights from the Middle East on this important subject matter. The paper discusses implications for international managers, policy makers, and future researchers.     

The Role of Perceived University Support in the Formation of Students' Entrepreneurial Intention

Entrepreneurship education is central to student entrepreneurship. Previous research has attempted to understand the role of entrepreneurship education in the formation of students' entrepreneurial intention and behavior, albeit in an isolated manner. Universities can support entrepreneurship in many ways, but it is important to measure students' perception of the support that they receive in order to understand the extent of such support and its impact on students. The current study proposed and tested an integrative, multiperspective framework. We have hypothesized that the three dimensions of university support, that is, perceived educational support, concept development support, and business development support, together with institutional support, shape students' entrepreneurial self‐efficacy. In turn, entrepreneurial self‐efficacy and individual motivations constitute the fundamental elements of the intention to start a business. A sample of 805 university students took part in the study and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Our findings showed that perceived educational support exerted the highest influence on entrepreneurial self‐efficacy, followed by concept development support, business development support, and institutional support. Self‐efficacy in turn had a significant effect on entrepreneurial intention. Individual motivations such as self‐realization, recognition, and role had an additional impact on intention. However, intention was not related to financial success, innovation, and independence. The findings suggest that a holistic perspective provides a more meaningful understanding of the role of perceived university support in the formation of students' entrepreneurial intention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

The impact of blockchain technology on the online purchase behavior of green agricultural products

The purpose of this study is to identify and investigate the types of trust and their impact mechanisms in the application of blockchain technology for green agricultural products. A mixed research approach was used in this study. First, qualitative in-depth interviews with consumers were conducted to identify the technological path (blockchain technology), and the information disclosure path (environmental information of green agricultural products) that affect consumer trust. Two types of consumer trust were also identified, namely, cognitive trust in blockchain technology (digital trust), and instantaneous trust in blockchain technology disclosure information (swift trust), both of which play a role in influencing consumers’ immediate purchase. Then, based on the interview results, a theoretical model for this study was developed by combining signal theory and trust transfer theory. Through a quantitative survey, 474 valid data were collected to empirically examine the role of consumer blockchain technology experience and environmental information transparency perceived on digital trust and swift trust, and the role of both types of trust on impulse buying. The results show that consumer blockchain technology experience can significantly and positively affect the environmental information transparency perceived. And both have a positive effect on digital trust and swift trust. Also both trusts have a significant effect on impulse buying. Further mediating effects confirm the environmental information transparency perceived as an important intrinsic mechanism by which the blockchain technology experience influences consumer trust. The results of this study add an empirical basis for the role of blockchain technology. It also provides a reference for technology adoption by related companies.     

Differences in business undergraduate perceptions by preferred classroom learning environment

Online education continues to grow at business schools. The authors compared undergraduate business student perceptions across three different classroom learning delivery environments: online, hybrid, and face to face. Based on the survey responses using two independent samples, the authors' analyses found that students who preferred online delivery perceived higher timely graduation and were more likely to recommend online or hybrid courses, whereas students' perceptions of persistence and institutional commitment were not related to classroom learning delivery preference.     

Inter-partner learning in global supply chains: lessons from NOVO Nordisk

The interdependent forces of global competition and technological development have fundamentally changed the way in which firms define the boundaries of their own activities and those that are left to subcontractors. Joint skill development and inter-partner learning have become important in the global sourcing policies of firms. The purpose of the present paper is to develop a conceptual model for understanding inter-partner learning processes in international subcontractor relationships. We see this as a process of developing shared skills. Furthermore, we demonstrate how inter-partner diversity impedes this process. Because of a lack of previous research in this area, a reconstructive approach is taken, which involves extending the conceptual framework through a case study.     

Self‐regulated learning in the workplace: strategies and factors in the attainment of learning goals

The research reported here is an exploratory qualitative study aimed at identifying professionals' self‐regulatory strategies underpinning the planning and attainment of learning goals in the workplace and showing how a number of organizational factors affect these strategies. The rationale for the study is that existing research tells us little about how professionals regulate their learning, largely because much of the literature on the self‐regulation of learning has been conducted with pupils and students in schools and universities rather than with professionals. Data were obtained through 29 semi‐structured interviews with professional employees in a company in the energy sector – including engineers, scientists and managers of various kinds – in 12 countries. Findings suggest that self‐regulatory learning practices in, from and for work are iterative and fluid rather than delineated into discrete stages as suggested by phase models of self‐regulation. There was little deliberate, systematic self‐reflection on learning in the workplaces studied. Learning goals were driven by short‐term work tasks and individuals' longer term development needs. Professionals draw extensively upon supervisors, mentors and colleagues when planning and attaining their learning goals. Formation of learning goals was constrained by individuals' perceptions of their career development potential and of how their progression potential is viewed by the organization in which they work.     

There's an app for that: The impact of reminder apps on student learning and anxiety

Today's students experience increased anxiety around school and have difficulty keeping track of course assignments. The authors conceptually develop and empirically test a model of the impact of a homework reminder mobile application (app) on executive function skills and learning outcomes with undergraduate business students. The findings suggest that perceived usefulness of Homework Suite Planner app positively predicted students' executive functioning by increasing their organization and time management. Increases in executive functioning due to the Homework Suite app led to more completed assignments, lower anxiety about forgetting homework assignments, and greater overall learning satisfaction with the course. Future research and implications for higher education instructors are discussed.     

Team creativity: the effects of perceived learning culture,developmental feedback and team cohesion

This study investigates the influence of perceived learning culture, developmental feedback and team cohesion on team creativity. The results showed that the demographic variables, the three antecedents and their interactions explained 41 per cent of variance in team creativity. Team creativity was positively correlated with a higher level of learning culture, developmental feedback and team cohesion. In addition to the main effects, two interaction effects (developmental feedback and team cohesion; learning culture and team cohesion) were significant. In view of these results, organizations seeking to increase team creativity need an integrated strategy incorporating elements of culture management, effective coaching and team development. Implications, limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Factors involved in the learning of consumer studies

This study explored links between students’ psychological traits and their expressed preferences for learning approaches, and performance, on a consumer studies degree course. Measures to assess field independence, convergence–divergence and Perry position (a developmental classification based on students’ attitudes to knowledge and learning), and students’ preferences with regard to directed, group, project and practical learning approaches, were administered to 60 final‐year and 56 first‐year students on a consumer studies degree course. Perry position and a preference for a project learning approach were found to correlate most highly with overall performance. Field independence and convergence–divergence did not correlate at statistically significant levels with any element of final degree performance. As students proceeded through the course, they developed an enhanced view of a project learning approach and a diminished view of a group learning approach. On the basis of these findings, a number of recommendations for the teaching and learning consumer studies are put forward.     

Perceived work conditions and self-directed learning in the process of work

Self-directed learning at work is becoming a megatrend in training and organisational development. However, there is a wide range of meanings subsumed under this concept. Referring to theoretical considerations in the domains of motivation, interest, strategies of learning and control, a conceptual model of self-directed learning, called the Two-Shell Model of Motivated Self-Directed Learning was developed and validated. The impact of selected perceived work conditions (experienced autonomy, competence and social integration) on this type of learning was structurally modelled with a sample of 67 employees in the fish processing industry. On the basis of these theoretical considerations and results the instrument ‘project group’ is analysed and recommended to support motivated self-directed learning.     

Using informal learning for business decision making and knowledge management

The process of making decisions in business requires, among other things, the efficient management of information to do with employee competencies. Dealing solely with competencies that employees learn in institutional contexts, however, is insufficient, as employees also acquire competencies through informal learning activities outside the organization. If an organization is to make well-informed decisions, the entity must gather information about the external activities of its employees that contribute to their competency development. This paper proposes a methodology to facilitate the identification and recognition of an employee's informal learning instances, which receives support from a technological framework. To validate the methodology, a pan-European project implements the framework, and a panel of experts evaluates its modus operandi. The main findings from this study suggest that, although making decisions on the basis of instances of informal learning is possible, both the methodology and the tools behind the gathering of this information should be flexible enough to satisfy the needs of the organization.