Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify and explain the role of individuals’ awareness and motivation in facilitating knowledge sharing (KS) in the real world of practice, as well as to establish areas of convergence between theory and practice that can be of use to both academics and practitioners involved in knowledge intensive organisations. Design/methodology/approach This study used Grounded Theory (GT) as an inductive methodology to collect, analyse and interpret data from multiple case-studies. 44 participants from Chinese software organisations were selected on the basis of their role in SW design and development and were interviewed using a semi-structured interview script. The data analysis followed a Straussian approach to coding, which consists of open coding, axial coding and selective coding. The analysis focused on the impact of individuals’ awareness and motivation to share knowledge. Findings The findings of this research show that the motivation for KS – a time consuming and demanding activity – is indeed related to awareness by managers and developers of the benefits of KS in their professional practice. Practitioners shared their experiences and tacit knowledge with others, partly because it was required by their companies, but also because they have a sound awareness of the need to share knowledge both inside and outside their organisations. Research limitations/implications As a typical social science inductive study, this research is bounded by the context in which the theory proposed emerged from. Further research should be conducted into a richer variety of organisational and national contexts, as suggested by good theoretical sampling practice, which could provide further insights or contrasts. Originality/value Despite a number of theoretical propositions found in the literature, there is a clear lack of implementation strategies and models that explain the role of awareness and motivation in facilitating KS in the world of practice. This issue of applicability of theoretical propositions is now recognised as one of the fundamental key issues in KS. This study provides new and practice grounded insights in this area and is of interest to both practitioners and theoreticians as it explains and bridges the individuals’ awareness and motivation for tacit KS.

Information overload has long been studied as a phenomenon that causes problems at the personal, social and organisational level. This study investigates overload from a new angle, that of the influence of age on perceptions of information overload. A combination of questionnaires, interviews and diaries were used to gain insight into people’s perceptions towards information overload. It was found that people of all ages suffer from information overload but young people are primarily affected by information literacy levels while older people are affected by technology. There was evidence of a link between age and technology use. A link was also found between job role and information overload and the impact technology has had on the quantity of information available. This research will benefit anyone, either individually or within an organisation, looking for ways to combat information overload. It identifies the influence of age on various factors and recommends actions that may be taken to reduce information overload. In particular, recommendations were made for further training in technology and information literacy. The paper is based on an approach not seen before in the literature as it investigates the effects of age on information overload by seeking to understand how perceptions towards information overload may differ between different age groups. It is anticipated that this paper will trigger further studies that could focus on the effect of job role on information overload and the likelihood of information addiction becoming a future concern.

2013),"Applying the motivation-opportunity-ability (MOA) model to reveal factors that influence inclusive engagement within local community festivals ", Abstract Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to debate on community engagement and participation in local community festivals and events by empirically analysing the factors which either inhibit or facilitate engagement. The application of the motivation-opportunity-ability (MOA) model to the analysis of community festivals is an important contribution. Design/methodology/approach -Recognising the complexity associated with community participation in festivals produced a set of four research questions which are addressed via a mixed methodology research design. The model was then tested using four key data collection methods including the interviews and the questionnaires analysed within this paper.Findings -The MOA model can be seen as an appropriate framework with which to analyse community engagement in a local community festival setting, in the case of "The Utcazene-Fesztival", a Street Music Festival in Veszprém, Hungary. Community participation is often interpreted quite simply as a way of involving local people in community planning and development. However, within the realm of community festivals and events the reality reveals a multitude of stakeholder webs and interconnected decision-making processes within a multi-faceted phenomenon. The paper reflects on the value of the MOA model to guide analysis within event studies and further considers the methodological challenges that the study brings to events studies. Research limitations/implications -This paper presents two key data sets as part of a broader study of the MOA model. Due to size restrictions only the primary data derived through qualitative interviews and quantitative questionnaires are analysed here. Originality/value -Currently there is limited understanding, agreement and research within community engagement remains an increasingly important area of academic enquiry. This particular paper explores the central concepts of inclusivity and engagement which can be considered as fundamental to the creation of successful community festivals and events. The paper begins by defining community festivals and events; it builds on Jepson and Clarke's (2012) work on developing inclusive community festivals and events through inclusive participation within the planning and decision making process.

Purpose -This paper aims to illustrate how a company's current 24-hour e-mail culture impacts on employees' lives outside of their contracted working hours. There are two objectives of the studyfirst, to calculate the average time spent on work e-mails by employees per day outside of working hours and, second, to identify what impact e-mail had on employees' work-life balance by addressing three research questions. These questions aims to focus on the relationships between: employees' thoughts about company culture and their belief that their work is dependent on them checking their e-mails outside of working hours; employees' urges to check e-mails out of working hours and their belief that spending time on e-mails outside of work means they are neglecting their social life; and employees sending e-mails out of office hours and their expectation of a quick reply or action. Design/methodology/approach -A case study approach was taken. Employees from a multinational service organisation were invited to complete an online questionnaire and a seven-day diary so as to collect qualitative and quantitative data about their use of e-mail. Findings -Data were analysed with respect to respondents' gender, role and length of service in the organisation and discussed with respect to the current literature. Research limitations/implications -Although the limitations of exploring a single organisation are recognised, it is likely that some of the insights and lessons generated by the study will be transferable to other organisational settings.Practical implications -This study identified some short-term recommendations as to how a particular company could limit the negative impact that e-mails have on its employees' lives outside of contracted working hours. In addition, this study will also raise awareness of the pervasion of work-related communications into employees' personal lives and, hopefully, trigger further research into the long-term psychological and sociological effects of a 24/7 communication culture. Originality/value -There are two novel aspects to this study: the use of diaries as a method of data collection and the notion of exploring e-mail use "out of hours".

Currently there is limited understanding, agreement and research within the phenomena of community engagement and participation in local community festivals and events. This paper aims to contribute to this growing, but limited, debate by justifying the adaption and integration of the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) Model, and proposing a combination of primary data collection and analysis methods, to reveal and understand the factors which either inhibit or facilitate local community engagement in festivals and events. The rationale of this conceptual paper is to determine how sustainability can be defined and achieved within local community festivals and events, by developing sustainable and inclusive community networks where the local population is actively engaged within the creation of events. The paper begins by exploring the literature surrounding communities, community festivals and events, and community engagement. The paper then moves on to discuss the MOA model and its adaption and application to event studies. It builds on concepts discussed by Jepson and Clarke (2012) that support the creation of inclusive community festivals and events through inclusive participation within the planning and decision making process. The paper then moves on to explore the methodological concerns triggered by this model such as the need to be adaptable and flexible across a multifaceted community event in regards collecting primary data whilst maintaining integrity and validity during analysis. Finally the paper comments on the overall suitability of the MOA model to capture primary data and draw conclusions about best practice for community engagement in local festivals and events.