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1 – 10 of over 2000This chapter discusses conceptual links among Hazel Kyrk’s A Theory of Consumption (1923), the overall work of Thorstein Veblen, and Wesley C. Mitchell’s essays on spending and…
Abstract
This chapter discusses conceptual links among Hazel Kyrk’s A Theory of Consumption (1923), the overall work of Thorstein Veblen, and Wesley C. Mitchell’s essays on spending and money. The three authors are concerned with transformations in production, related changes in the organization of consumption, and the effects on people. The approach is based on reading of Kyrk’s book in light of an integrated view of Veblen’s overall work. This chapter explains how Mitchell’s essays on money and spending built on Veblen’s work and discusses their relevance for understanding Kyrk’s book as conceptually linked to institutional economics. This chapter delineates the following commonalities: conception of living humans and money as an institution; distinction between business and industrial concerns; connection between distribution, waste, and consumption; and Veblen’s “machine process” of standardization in production and its relation to consumption. This chapter brings more detail in the conceptual and theoretical discussion of Veblen’s influence on Kyrk’s book.
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Andrew Maskrey and Allan Lavell
The interview traces the early discussions in the context of disasters as developmental failures.
Abstract
Purpose
The interview traces the early discussions in the context of disasters as developmental failures.
Design/methodology/approach
The transcript and video was developed in the context of a United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) project on the history of DRR.
Findings
The interview traces the development of disaster risk reduction discussions in different contexts such as “LA RED” network in Latin America.
Originality/value
The interview clearly highlights the need to not forget the early thoughts on vulnerability and disaster risk.
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Xinyue Lin and Liang Meng
Despite its flourishing development since first proposed, job crafting literature has provided limited insights into why people craft their jobs. This study theoretically develops…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite its flourishing development since first proposed, job crafting literature has provided limited insights into why people craft their jobs. This study theoretically develops a two-dimensional integrative framework for the motives of job crafting, including orientation (self-oriented vs work-oriented vs other-oriented) and self-determination (autonomous vs introjected vs external) dimensions. We further investigate the specific motives of job crafting from actor and observer perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted two critical-incident recall surveys among 120 and 100 employees from varied sectors and organizations, who responded from the actor and observer perspective respectively. 395 and 299 valid open-ended responses were then collected and coded following the steps for content analysis.
Findings
Drawing from the proposed two-dimensional theoretical framework, we identified 16 specific job crafting motives from actor and observer perspectives.
Practical implications
Our findings remind managers to pay attention to employees' motives of job crafting and take appropriate managerial actions according to their varied motives.
Originality/value
By incorporating job crafting from the motivation literature and identifying diversified motives that drive employees to engage in job crafting, this qualitative study contributes to both the job crafting literature and the broader application of self-determination theory in the field of organizational behavior.
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Iris Vilnai-Yavetz, Shaked Gilboa and Vincent Mitchell
This study aims to identify the irritating aspects in the mall environment that impact shoppers with disability and explore the opportunities to design inclusive mall environments.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the irritating aspects in the mall environment that impact shoppers with disability and explore the opportunities to design inclusive mall environments.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-methods design was used in which data collected using a survey (n = 1,434 shoppers with and without disability) were analyzed by structural equation modeling (SEM) and repeated-measures two-way ANOVA. In addition, qualitative data were obtained from critical incident technique (CIT) stories (n = 521) from shoppers with and without disability.
Findings
Mall environmental irritants evoke feelings of irritation that mediate the impacts of “inconvenient ambient conditions,” “the annoying socialscape” and “overwhelming design and atmospherics” on decreased mall-visit frequency. Compared with shoppers without disability, shoppers with disability suffer more from these irritating aspects of the mall environment, as evidenced by significantly greater high-activation unpleasant emotions. The “poor access and accessibility” category of irritants mainly affects the mall experiences of shoppers with disability.
Practical implications
Based on the findings, this study offers spatial-, temporal-, social-, material- and virtual-oriented recommendations for the design of inclusive retail spaces. The authors suggest that people with disability have a unique “lived experience” perspective on retail environments and that solutions should be co-created based on ongoing consultations with shoppers and employees with disability.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study offers the first systematic, comprehensive comparison of the impact of environmental irritants on shoppers with and without disability and extends the literature on irritating aspects of retail environments from individual stores to malls.
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Andrea Mariani, Antonella Cifalinò, Irene Eleonora Lisi and Marco Giovanni Rizzo
Despite the literature highlighting the relevance of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as strategic options for organizations’ evolution, such events maintain a high failure rate…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the literature highlighting the relevance of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as strategic options for organizations’ evolution, such events maintain a high failure rate. All stages of M&As generate considerable stress on management accounting systems (MASs) and related actors. This study aims to investigate management accounting change (MAC) throughout M&As to expand knowledge on the technical side of these changes. A deeper understanding of these changes and their relationship to the implementing agents could illuminate the causes of M&A success and failure.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses an in-depth, qualitative case study analysis of two companies that completed an M&A. The MAC process was investigated based on Sulaiman and Mitchell’s (2005) typology. The authors collected information from internal documents, interviews, external reports and public information.
Findings
The findings indicate that MAC in M&As represents a comprehensive change that goes beyond the modifications outlined in Sulaiman and Mitchell’s (2005) original framework; the post-deal integration period can be broken down into early and full sub-phases; and the success of the MAC process rests on the different roles played by various change agents.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to apply and deepen a MAC framework focused on technical changes to MASs in the context of M&As. To date, the literature on M&A has mainly focused on behavioral or organizational changes while neglecting the technical dimension. In addition, by considering all the stakeholders of MASs, this study’s analyses expose the role of change agents who are not generally considered in the accounting literature.
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Limor Kessler Ladelsky and Thomas William Lee
This paper aims to examine whether information technology (IT) managers’ virtual listening, as rated by their high-tech employees, affected turnover behaviour beyond a new…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine whether information technology (IT) managers’ virtual listening, as rated by their high-tech employees, affected turnover behaviour beyond a new constellation of variables, some of which have never been researched as antecedents of turnover behaviour, particularly during a pandemic or crisis. Namely, the main aim, among others, is to answer the research question: does IT employees’ perception of the quality of their supervisors’ virtual listening in the pandemic and crisis era, when employees and managers work remotely, will negatively affect turnover behaviour? If yes, in which constellation of antecedents the virtual listening effecting on turnover behaviour?
Design/methodology/approach
Logistic regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses via SPSS 26 and PROCESS (Model 6). The variance inflation factor was calculated to test multicollinearity. Interaction was tested using the Hayes and Preacher PROCESS macro model. The researchers also used the J-N technique test (Johnson–Neyman via process). The supplemental analysis used also PROCESS MACRO (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA, 2023) Model 4 and Bootstrap test.
Findings
The findings show that perceptions of supervisors’ virtual listening quality as rated by their employees moderated the relationship between organisational deviance as a type of organisational misbehaviour (OMB) and turnover behaviour and had the strongest effect on turnover behaviour beyond other key predictors (organisational deviance as a type of misbehaviour, turnover intention, job satisfaction, embeddedness and alternatives in the labour market). Alternatives to current work moderated the association between the perception of managers’ virtual listening behaviour as rated by their employees and turnover behaviour. Specifically, when alternatives in the labour market were high or medium, the perceived quality of managers’ virtual listening reduced turnover behaviour. Finally, the perception of the IT employees supervisors’ virtual listening moderated the relationship between organisational deviance and turnover intention among high-tech employees.
Originality/value
Evaluating supervisor listening in the high-tech firm may have value in terms of its relationship to outcomes such as retaining employees, turnover intention and especially turnover behaviour. The effect on turnover behaviour and of that new constellation of antecedents on turnover behaviour when people work remotely was not researched yet and important for the post COVID-19 era. Additionally, in contrast to most studies of turnover, this study also focus on the positive aspects of turnover and especially turnover behaviour to organisations in general and especially to high-tech firm and not just the negative aspect as was researched until now. Another contribution is the finding that when employees perceived their managers’ virtual listening quality as high, the effect of deviance as a type of OMB on turnover behaviour was positive. Namely, the listening as a moderator and turnover assisted in making the organisation cleaner from inappropriate behaviour. Additionally, when alternatives in the labour market are high or medium, perceived quality of virtual listening of managers as rated by their employees can reduce turnover behaviour. This virtual listening–turnover relationship and the moderator of alternatives to current work had not previously been found in the turnover literature and this is also significant a contribution to the turnover and withdrawal literature.
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With the launch of the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), the Canadian government named solidarity as a shared value and a driving motivation behind the FIAP. This…
Abstract
Purpose
With the launch of the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), the Canadian government named solidarity as a shared value and a driving motivation behind the FIAP. This paper explores how development workers understand and apply solidarity to their work, uncovering the opportunities and constraints they face.
Design/methodology/approach
In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 development workers from Canada’s federal development agency between 2019 and 2020. Transcribed data were coded by the author to identify how workers made sense of solidarity within the development industry.
Findings
The majority of workers were unsure of how to define or operationalize solidarity, demonstrating confusion. Commonality was routinely mentioned as a facet of solidarity, but workers understood this term in diverse ways, with some considering commonality as a precondition that inhibited a sense of solidarity with development partners in the global South due to differences in living conditions. About a quarter identified power and privilege as necessary considerations in the process of building solidarity, showing potential for bonds across the inequalities that define development. About 40% of workers identified the institutional structure of the organization as an obstacle to solidarity.
Originality/value
This paper presents original data from Canadian development workers, providing the first study of their understanding of solidarity as a development ethic. It shows the gaps between rhetoric and practice while recommending ways for development organizations to meaningfully engage with solidarity in their work.
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Diversity policies have become widespread in modern organizations. Such policies often have the goal of improving the workplace experiences of marginalized groups, and…
Abstract
Purpose
Diversity policies have become widespread in modern organizations. Such policies often have the goal of improving the workplace experiences of marginalized groups, and understanding dominant group reactions to such policies is vital to their effectiveness. This paper investigated the dominant group (i.e. White individuals) response to diversity policies, specifically how White individuals’ modern racism beliefs influence their organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) intentions when exposed to a diversity policy.
Design/methodology/approach
Using experimental methodology and a combination of social exchange theory and literature on modern racism, the two studies explore how exposure to a diversity (versus neutral) policy influences White individuals’ OCB intentions in two different settings (lab and field).
Findings
The results of these studies make clear that certain people respond negatively to diversity policies. In Study 1, White participants with relatively high modern racism beliefs showed lower OCB intentions directed at their organization when exposed to a diversity versus neutral policy. No differences emerged for White participants with relatively low modern racism beliefs. In Study 2, the results were replicated using a field sample of working adults in which they indicated their likelihood of OCB toward their employing organization.
Originality/value
The findings suggest that diversity policies can have unintended, adverse consequences for organizations, but are dependent upon employees’ modern racism beliefs. The results of the two studies provide a richer understanding of dominant group reactions to diversity policies by examining a downstream consequence of great organizational importance, i.e. OCB.
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Scott Strachan, Louise Logan, Debra Willison, Rod Bain, Jennifer Roberts, Iain Mitchell and Roddy Yarr
As higher education institutions (HEIs) have increasingly turned to consider sustainability over the last decade, education for sustainable development (ESD) has emerged as a way…
Abstract
As higher education institutions (HEIs) have increasingly turned to consider sustainability over the last decade, education for sustainable development (ESD) has emerged as a way of imbuing students with the skills, values, knowledge, and attributes to live, work, and create change in societies facing complex and cross-cutting sustainability challenges. However, the question of how HEIs can actively embed ESD more broadly in and across curricula is one that continues to challenge institutions and the HE sector as a whole. While traditional teaching practices and methods associated with subject-based learning may be suitable for educating students about sustainable development, a re-orientation towards more transformational, experiential and action-oriented methods is required to educate for sustainable development. The need for educators to share their practices and learn lessons from each other is essential in this transformation.
This paper presents a selection of practical examples of how to embed a range of interactive, exploratory, action-oriented, problem-based, experiential and transformative ESD offerings into HE teaching practice and curricula. Presented by a group of academics and professional services staff at the University of Strathclyde who lead key modules and programmes in the institution’s ESD provision, this paper reflects on five approaches taken across the four faculties at Strathclyde (Humanities and Social Sciences, Science, Engineering and the Strathclyde Business School) and examines the challenges, practicalities and opportunities involved in establishing a collaborative programme of ESD.
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Alberto Tonelli, Fabio Rizzato, Donatella Busso and Alain Devalle
The purpose of this research is to verify whether the disclosure of intellectual capital (IC) positively affects the level of integration of financial and sustainability…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to verify whether the disclosure of intellectual capital (IC) positively affects the level of integration of financial and sustainability information.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample of the analysis relies on European public companies. The data were gathered from Refinitiv, focussing on a multi-year observation from 2013 to 2021 and performing a fixed-effect regression. According to the extant literature, the authors developed the Intellectual Capital Score and the Integrated Thinking and Reporting Score.
Findings
The more disclosure of IC, the more financial and sustainability information is integrated. Indeed, the results confirm that the disclosure of IC enhances the level of integration of financial and sustainability information.
Research limitations/implications
The study enriches academic knowledge about IC in conjunction with integrated reporting (IR) and integrated thinking by highlighting its relevance in the value-creation process and acting as a trait d’union of the disciplines.
Practical implications
For standard setters, the research may be framed to redefine the guidelines explaining the information on IC to be disclosed. Moreover, it could be helpful for practitioners when identifying the IC information that deserves to be disclosed, other than being exploitable to conduct enterprises geared towards adopting integrated reports.
Originality/value
This study answers the call for further research on the relationship between financial information and sustainability information to highlight their joint perspectives quantitatively.
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