Ethel Auster

Environmental scanning by CEOs in two Canadian industries

The work of managers is information‐intensive. Managers receive a huge amount of information from a wide range of sources and use the information to make day‐to‐day decisions and to formulate longer‐term strategies. Yet much remains to be learned about the information behavior of managers as a distinct user group. This article reports on how top managers acquire and use information about the external business environment. Todays firms have to adapt to turbulent environments in which the competition, market, technology, and social conditions are constantly changing. Environmental scanning is the activity of gaining information about events and relationships in the organizations environment, the knowledge of which would assist management in planning future courses of action. We present the findings of a survey of the environmental scanning behavior of 207 CEOs in two Canadian industries—publishing and telecommunications. The CEOs indicated their perceptions of the level of uncertainty in the external environment, which sources they used to scan the environment, and their perceptions of the accessibility and quality of various sources. The survey found that the amount of scanning increases with perceived environmental uncertainty, and that the CEOs use a mix of internal and external, as well as personal and impersonal sources, to scan the environment. Analysis suggests that between environmental uncertainty, source accessibility, and source quality, source quality is the most important factor in explaining source use in scanning. This runs contrary to earlier user studies, particularly those of engineers and scientists, which concluded that perceived source accessibility was the overwhelming factor in source selection. A number of plausible explanations for this difference are discussed.

How senior managers acquire and use information in environmental scanning

Abstract Environmental scanning is the acquisition and use of information about events and trends in an organizations external environment, the knowledge of which would assist management in planning the organizations future courses of action. This paper reports a study of how 13 chief executives in the Canadian publishing and telecommunications industries scan their environments and use the information in decision making. Each respondent was asked to relate two critical incidents of information use. The incidents were analyzed according to their environmental sectors, the information sources, and their use in decision making. The interview data suggest that the chief executives concentrate their scanning on the competition, customer, regulatory, and technological sectors of the environment. In the majority of cases, the chief executives used environmental information in the Entrepreneur decisional role, initiating new products, projects, or policies. The chief executives acquire or receive environmental information from multiple, complementary sources. Personal sources are important for information on customers and competitors, whereas printed or formal sources are also important for information on technological and regulatory matters.

Factors contributing to the professional development of reference librarians

This article provides a model of the factors affecting the participation of librarians in professional development activities. Reference librarians working in large urban public libraries in Ontario participate in formal and informal updating activities. This article reports on their activities and individual characteristics and organizational factors. A supportive manager has a positive effect on participation in formal updating activities, whereas the presence of situational barriers and working part-time have a negative effect. Participation in informal updating activities is positively influenced by a favorable attitude to updating and a supportive manager, and is negatively influenced by the presence of situational barriers, feeling old, working part-time, and the organizational climate for updating knowledge and skills. It is recommended that libraries develop and implement policies that support formal and informal training, and emphasize the links between updating and rewards. In addition, the updating needs of part-time librarians should be addressed.

Search Interview Techniques and Information Gain as Antecedents of User Satisfaction with Online Bibliographic Retrieval

The purpose of this research study was to undertake a systematic investigation into the relationships among: (1) the techniques used by search analysts during preliminary interviews with users before engaging in online retrieval of bibliograpThe purpose of this research study was to undertake a systematic investigation into the relationships among: (1) the techniques used by search analysts during preliminary interviews with users before engaging in online retrieval of bibliograpThe purpose of this research study was to undertake a systematic investigation into the relationships among: (1) the techniques used by search analysts during preliminary interviews with users before engaging in online retrieval of bibliograpThe purpose of this research study was to undertake a systematic investigation into the relationships among: (1) the techniques used by search analysts during preliminary interviews with users before engaging in online retrieval of bibliographic citations; (2) the amount of new information gained by the user as a result of the search; and (3) the users ultimate satisfaction with the quality of the items retrieved. A series of controlled experiments were conducted to explore the effects of two interview techniques: the conscious use of “open” and “closed” questions and the use of pauses of different lengths by the search analyst during the online negotiation interview. Data were collected on various aspects of the users need for information, the value he/she placed upon new knowledge, and the consequences of inadequate information. The analytical technique used was path analysis. While search analysts displayed no difficulty in asking open and closed questions, they found considerable difficulty in controlling the lengths of pauses. Among the findings were the following: the asking of open and closed questions had a modest effect on the amount learned by the users; the type of pause did have a significant effect on the amount clients learned; average user satisfaction was higher when open questions were asked; overall satisfaction was lower when moderate pauses were used; those learning most about their topic were, overall, more satisfied than those who learned less; those placing high importance on the information obtained tended to have lower satisfaction scor and “closed” questions and the use of pauses of different lengths by the search analyst during the online negotiation interview. Data were collected on various aspects of the users need for information, the value he/sh and “closed” questions and the use of pauses of different lengths by the search analyst during the online negotiation interview. Data were collected on various aspects of the users need for information, the value he/sh and “closed” questions and the use of pauses of different lengths by the search analyst during the online negotiation interview. Data were collected on various aspects of the users need for information, the value he/she place upon new knowledge, and the consequences of inadequate information. The analytical technique used was path analysis. While search analysts displayed no difficulty in asking open and closed questions, they found considerable difficulty in controlling the lengths of pauses. Among the findings were the followlng: the ask. ing of open and closed questions had a modest effect on the amount learned by the users; the type of pause did have a significant effect on the amount clients learned; average user satisfaction was higher when open questions were asked; overall satisfaction was lower when moderate pauses were used; those learning most about their topic were, overall, more satisfied than those who learned less; those placing high importance on the information obtained tended to have lower satisfaction scores.