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1 – 10 of 270Brendan T. O'Connell, Paul De Lange, Greg Stoner and Alan Sangster
The overall aim of this paper was to examine the impact of the Australian research assessment exercise on the research approaches (positivist/non-positivist) favoured by…
Abstract
Purpose
The overall aim of this paper was to examine the impact of the Australian research assessment exercise on the research approaches (positivist/non-positivist) favoured by accounting disciplines in Australia. Our key research question examined how the outputs and foci of research in elite accounting disciplines changed over a 16-year period. Our analysis was informed by Bourdieu's notions of academic elitism and symbolic violence.
Design/methodology/approach
We analysed all papers published in 20 major accounting journals across a 16-year period by Australian accounting disciplines that were highly rated in the research assessment exercise. We also compared our results from this group against two case study accounting disciplines that were not rated as “world class”.
Findings
Our key finding is that the introduction of a research assessment exercise in Australia has resulted in research outputs of elite accounting disciplines over this period being increasingly focused on positivist rather than non-positivist research. Our findings evidence a narrowing of accounting disciplines' research agendas and foci across the period.
Research limitations/implications
Our findings highlight a considerable narrowing of the research agenda and paradigms in accounting disciplines that is not in the public interest. Our findings also have implications for the literature on academic elitism. The narrowing of the research agenda and greater foci on positivist research exhibited in our findings demonstrates the role of dominant elites in controlling the research agenda through a research assessment exercise.
Practical implications
A practical implication is that proper research, regardless of the approach used, must be appropriately recognised and accepted by Accounting Disciplines, not ostracised or discouraged. Research implications are the breadth of accounting research should be celebrated and concentration eschewed. Australian accounting discipline leaders should not fall for the illusion that the only good research is that which is published in a small number of North American positivist journals.
Originality/value
Our findings provide insights into Bourdieu's work through demonstrating how dominant players have successfully exploited an external regulatory mechanism, a research assessment exercise, to strengthen their position within a field and exert control over the research agendas of accounting disciplines. Previous work by Bourdieu has not directly examined how actors utilise these outside forces as instruments for shaping their own field.
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This paper aims to show how the concept of “Bibliography” has changed since the late nineteenth century. It proposes discussing what “Bibliography” did and did not include in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to show how the concept of “Bibliography” has changed since the late nineteenth century. It proposes discussing what “Bibliography” did and did not include in the various stages of its development; how the study of “Bibliography” moved from the UK to the USA; how it narrowed down from an originally much wider concept and how, under the influence of French historians over the past three decades, it has widened out again, reaching a better synthesis of the study of books as material objects with the study of the history of the book.
Design/methodology/approach
A discussion and critical assessment of the writings of the major main stream bibliographers and book historians is presented.
Findings
From an original (nineteenth century) emphasis on enumerative bibliography, the concept of “Bibliography” widened out (from the end of the nineteenth century) to include historical bibliography and the study of books as material objects; in the mid‐twentieth century this wider approach narrowed down, as a consequence of much emphasis being placed on descriptive, analytical, critical and textual bibliography. Under influence of French book historians the emphasis has changed again and the value of a wider historical approach and greater inclusivity in subjects has brought the study of historical bibliography and that of the history of the book much closer together.
Research limitations/implications
This research looks only at Western Europe and the USA.
Practical implications
Practical implications of this study are: the widening‐out of the subject to include all physical manifestations of the book; the dimension of creative reading; and the emphasis on the importance of artifactual evidence for correct establishment and interpretation of texts has had implications for preservation.
Originality/value
This paper is a critical assessment of the literature, drawing the logical consequences of its findings. It presents an argument for the inclusion of all aspects of the book as a physical object, as well as for the importance of using all available evidence.
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Addictions without substance editor Martin Weegmann explains why treating a substance user in isolation risks failure ‐ unless family, friends and the wider circle of interested…
Abstract
Addictions without substance editor Martin Weegmann explains why treating a substance user in isolation risks failure ‐ unless family, friends and the wider circle of interested parties are taken into account. Martin outlines well‐tried methods to help the carers of substance users help themselves and in so doing help the user.
Andres Coca-Stefaniak, Alastair M. Morrison, Deborah Edwards, Nelson Graburn, Claire Liu, Philip Pearce, Can Seng Ooi, Douglas G. Pearce, Svetlana Stepchenkova, Greg W. Richards, Amy So, Costas Spirou, Keith Dinnie, John Heeley, László Puczkó, Han Shen, Martin Selby, Hong-bumm Kim and Guoqing Du
Yu Han, Greg Sears and Haiyan Zhang
Drawing on principles of social exchange and equity theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between employee reports of leader-member exchange (LMX) and…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on principles of social exchange and equity theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between employee reports of leader-member exchange (LMX) and two types of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB): affiliative and change-oriented OCB. Further, equity sensitivity, a dispositional variable reflecting one’s tendency to “give” or “take” in their interpersonal interactions, was tested as a moderator of these effects.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a sample of 240 manufacturing employees in China and their respective supervisors. Multilevel analyses were conducted to test the hypothesized effects.
Findings
LMX was found to be positively associated with affiliative, but not change-oriented OCB. Equity sensitivity moderated these relationships, such that LMX was positively associated with both types of OCB when employees are benevolent, but not when they are entitled.
Research limitations/implications
Given the different pattern of relationships that were observed between LMX and affiliative vs change-oriented OCB, the results suggest that LMX may differentially influence these two types of OCB. Future studies should continue to explore the role of dispositional traits in moderating the effects of LMX, including less desirable (“negative”) traits.
Originality/value
Very few studies have examined the role of dispositional variables in moderating the effects of LMX. Consistent with principles of the social exchange and equity theory, the results suggest that LMX will only be associated with OCB when employees are benevolent (i.e. they are “givers”), and not when they are entitled (i.e. they are “getters”).
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Like it or not, change is inevitable if you are to survive. Far better to instigate change than allow other people to inflict it on you. To anticipate the future has to be good…
Abstract
Like it or not, change is inevitable if you are to survive. Far better to instigate change than allow other people to inflict it on you. To anticipate the future has to be good to allow time to implement change rather than having to react to it. This appears quite simple, but is it? This special themed issue of Management Decision contains a number of examples of how organizations have managed change. Lessons can be learned from other industries than your own with regard to best practice and basic principles which can then be applied to your own organization..
This paper introduces narrative theory and therapy, showing its relevance to addiction and recovery. A variety of techniques and clinical sensitivities are illustrated, the…
Abstract
This paper introduces narrative theory and therapy, showing its relevance to addiction and recovery. A variety of techniques and clinical sensitivities are illustrated, the purpose of which is to enable clients to change.
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Andy Ballantyne, Greg Forrest, Martin Goosey, Asta Griguceviciene, Jurga Juodkazyte, Rod Kellner, Aleksandr Kosenko, Rimantas Ramanauskas, Karl Ryder, Algirdas Selskis, Rima Tarozaite and Erik Veninga
The purpose of this paper is to detail progress on the European Commission supported FP7 ASPIS project that is undertaking a multi‐faceted approach to develop novel and improved…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to detail progress on the European Commission supported FP7 ASPIS project that is undertaking a multi‐faceted approach to develop novel and improved nickel‐gold (ENIG) solderable finish chemistries and processes in order to overcome issues such as “black pad” that are known to cause reliability issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The ASPIS project has four key and discrete approaches; research into “black pad” formation mechanisms, development of new aqueous chemical deposition methods, formulation of new processes based on ionic liquids and the development of prognostic screening tools to enable early prediction of reliability issues.
Findings
Key factors influencing “black pad” formation include immersion gold bath pH value, concentration of citrate and thickness of the immersion gold layer. In addition, copper substrate preparation is also important. Work to develop new metal deposition processes using ionic liquids has also been demonstrated and may provide a viable alternative to more conventional aqueous based chemistries, thereby enabling some of the conditions that lead to “black pad” to be avoided.
Research limitations/implications
This paper summarises the work carried out in the first year of a three‐year project and so the outputs to date are relatively limited. The project is continuing for another two years, when further progress will be made. It is hoped to report this progress in a future update paper.
Originality/value
The ASPIS project has undertaken multiple approaches to the development of new high reliability nickel gold finishes and this combination of approaches should offer synergies over more discrete traditional methodologies. As well as undertaking a detailed analysis of the mechanisms causing reliability problems, radical new formulation and prognostic approaches are also being developed.
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As organisational culture has become recognised as a significantphenomenon for understanding both managerial and organisational dynamicsand development, two requirements have…
Abstract
As organisational culture has become recognised as a significant phenomenon for understanding both managerial and organisational dynamics and development, two requirements have risen. On the one hand, we need a conceptual framework for comprehending culture and, on the other hand, we need methodologies for making culture visible. This article offers both – initially describing what is becoming a major conceptual framework for culture work, and then outlining a workshop methodology for making culture visible. An extended case illustrates both the framework and one form of culture‐surfacing methodology.
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Hui Zhang, Luciara Nardon and Greg J. Sears
Various forms of precarious employment create barriers to the integration and inclusion of migrant workers in receiving countries. The purpose of this paper is to review extant…
Abstract
Purpose
Various forms of precarious employment create barriers to the integration and inclusion of migrant workers in receiving countries. The purpose of this paper is to review extant research in employment relations and management to identify key factors that contribute to migrant workers' precarious employment and highlight potential avenues for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a narrative literature review drawing on 38 academic journal articles published between 2005 and 2020.
Findings
The authors’ review suggests that macro- and meso-level factors contribute to the precarious employment conditions of migrant workers. However, there is a limited articulation of successful practices and potential solutions to reduce migrant work precarity and exclusion. The literature on migrant workers' precarious employment experience is primarily focused on low-skilled sector (e.g. agriculture, hospitality, domestic care) jobs. In addition, few studies have explored the role of worker characteristics, such as gender, class, ethnicity, race and migration status, in shaping the experience of migrant workers in precarious employment.
Practical implications
The results of this research highlight the importance of engaging multilevel actors in addressing migrant employment precarity, including policymakers, employers and employment agencies.
Originality/value
This research contributes to a growing conversation of migrant employment precarity by highlighting the heterogeneity of migrant groups and calling for the use of intersectional lenses to understand migrant workers' experiences of precarious employment.
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