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1 – 10 of 304How do young members of disadvantaged communities in countries like the United States, which has been affected by political polarisation and attacks from far-right populist…
Abstract
How do young members of disadvantaged communities in countries like the United States, which has been affected by political polarisation and attacks from far-right populist politicians on women's rights, make sense of messages on reproductive health in the misinformation age? Following from the conclusion of a Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)-funded project which examined how 52 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from across the world are making use of communications tools for advocacy on sexuality and reproductive health (SRHR), this study engaged with communities in Florida, US, in partnership with the NGO Open Arms, to assess how they consume media content on reproductive health, particularly on social media, within a context of proliferation of ‘fake news’. 3 , 4 Applying a feminist methodological epistemology and a participatory approach which aims to ‘empower’ participants, two focus groups with males and females from diverse ethnicities, between 18 and 40 years of age, were conducted with Open Arms in July and August 2023. Findings revealed how groups are exposed to a lot of inaccurate news, misinformation and ‘myths’ around fertility treatments on the web, and how they feel there is a need for better scientific information on reproductive health in the media and on the internet, one which is also more ‘entertaining’ and which speaks directly to their experiences. This study concludes in favour of improving health literacy approaches as well as communications on reproduction health.
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Synchronous virtual classes are becoming more common as universities expand access. However, instructors can feel hesitant as they move to a new style of teaching, especially if…
Abstract
Purpose
Synchronous virtual classes are becoming more common as universities expand access. However, instructors can feel hesitant as they move to a new style of teaching, especially if they are not sure their chosen pedagogy will work with virtual instruction. The purpose of this dialogic analysis is to examine the experiences of a dialogic teacher in a synchronous virtual English methods course.
Design/methodology/approach
The 75-min methods class met on Zoom twice a week. Class sessions were recorded. Dialogic analysis was used to analyze moments of whole-class discussion to explain what kinds of discussions happened and determine to what extent the class functioned as a dialogic class.
Findings
Overall, there was more student voice than teacher voice, and students spent over a third of the class in small group discussions. Even though the teacher still took over, and controlled discussions, the overall class maintained dialogic teaching principles. Despite this, the professor felt displaced for three reasons. In addition, some ideas for increasing the dialogic nature of the class are mentioned.
Originality/value
Synchronous virtual teaching will continue to grow, but as instructors move to that format, they can examine whether their pedagogies match the format. This paper explored one professor’s pedagogy of dialogic teaching and its compatibility with synchronous virtual teaching. This method of self-analysis could work with any pedagogy and could help instructors be successful in a new format.
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This article investigates the construction of risk within trustworthy digital repository audits. It contends that risk is a social construct, and social factors influence how…
Abstract
Purpose
This article investigates the construction of risk within trustworthy digital repository audits. It contends that risk is a social construct, and social factors influence how stakeholders in digital preservation processes comprehend and react to risk.
Design/methodology/approach
This research employs a qualitative research design involving in-depth semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the Trustworthy Digital Repository Audit and Certification (TRAC) process, and document analysis of the TRAC checklist and audit reports. I apply an analytic framework based on the Model for the Social Construction of Risk in Digital Preservation to this data.
Findings
The findings validate the argument that risk in digital preservation is indeed socially constructed and demonstrate that the eight factors in the Model for the Social Construction of Risk in Digital Preservation do indeed influence how stakeholders constructed their understanding of risk. Of the eight factors in the model, communication, expertise, uncertainty and vulnerability were found to be the most influential in the construction of risk during the TRAC audit process. The influence of complexity, organizations political culture, were more limited.
Originality/value
This article brings new insights to digital preservation by demonstrating the importance of understanding risk as a social construct. I argue that risk identification and/or assessment is only the first step in the long-term preservation of digital information and show that perceptions of risk in digital preservation are shaped by social factors by applying theories of social construction and risk perception to an analysis of the TRAC process.
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Weapon use is as risky in prison as it is in the community, but the type, use and meaning of weapons differ between these settings. Consequently, knowledge about community-based…
Abstract
Purpose
Weapon use is as risky in prison as it is in the community, but the type, use and meaning of weapons differ between these settings. Consequently, knowledge about community-based weapon violence may not generalise to prison contexts. The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning and use of weapons in a prison setting.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a framework for understanding weapon selection derived from a community setting, six prisoners in a remand setting in England who had a history of weapon possession and use in prison discussed their selection and use of weapons in prison.
Findings
Respondents described a hyperviolent milieu for some in which access to weapons was essential and wherein the official consequences of weapon carrying were outweighed by the potential costs of victimisation. Weapons served a variety of purposes for prisoners. At the individual level, they reduced the uncertainty of a hyperviolent environment, and they were used to construct and manage a violent identity as an aggressive precaution against victimisation.
Originality/value
This study develops the literature on weapon decision-making, extending it into a novel setting and addresses a significant gap in the prison research literature about the meaning and utility of weapons in a custodial setting. The use of a community-derived framework for understanding weapon carrying translated well into a prison environment and offers support for the synthesis of community and prison models of violence but distinctive features of the prison environment, such as how weapons are acquired, limits the fit of the model to a prison setting.
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This study aims to explore the intersection of English and education through a systematic review of academic literature. It focuses on identifying key research themes and future…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the intersection of English and education through a systematic review of academic literature. It focuses on identifying key research themes and future research areas, particularly in sustainable teaching and learning practices within the field of English education.
Design/methodology/approach
This study analyzed 84 papers published between May 2000 and May 2024 using a bibliometric approach. Keyword co-occurrence analysis was used to identify clusters of research themes. These clusters helped in categorizing research areas and provided a systematic overview of the current literature in English education.
Findings
This study identified four distinct research clusters that represent core themes in English education research. These themes informed the development of a research agenda focusing on areas that require further exploration, particularly in sustainable teaching and learning practices. This study also examined the theoretical and practical implications of these themes.
Practical implications
The findings provide educators and policymakers with a framework to prioritize research efforts, allocate resources and develop strategies to enhance sustainable teaching and learning practices in English education.
Social implications
By emphasizing the importance of sustainability in teaching and learning, this study promotes educational practices that contribute to long-term improvements in both student outcomes and teacher development. It identifies opportunities for sustainable growth in English education that benefit diverse learners.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to apply a bibliometric approach to systematically review the intersection of English and education. By identifying core research clusters and creating a research agenda, this study contributes new insights into sustainable practices in English education.
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The purpose of this study is to develop a model of a starting situation for relationship initiation in turbulent business networks.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a model of a starting situation for relationship initiation in turbulent business networks.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is designed as an extreme single case study that takes its point of departure in a company’s bankruptcy in the Swedish automotive industry.
Findings
This study illustrates how a new business relationship can start from a resource combination previously controlled by one actor (i.e. a single company) in a turbulent business network, thereby bringing nuances to the common understanding that new relationships start in stable business networks where resource combinations are developed between actors in established business relationships.
Originality/value
Previous studies have stated that the development of a mutual orientation between actors leads to the formation of a business relationship. The business relationship then leads to resource adaptations between the two companies. The developed model, however, illustrates that this pattern can be reversed in situations of turbulence. Hence, previously adapted resources might lead to the formations of a business relationship. Based on this observation, the authors argue that there are reasons to question if previous models of business relationship initiation and development in business networks are adequately equipped for analysis in turbulent business networks.
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Marian Mahat and Chris Bradbeer
Teacher-led inquiry in school learning environments is the critical and systematic analysis of pedagogical practice in flexible and agile learning environments that teachers…
Abstract
Teacher-led inquiry in school learning environments is the critical and systematic analysis of pedagogical practice in flexible and agile learning environments that teachers undertake as researchers of their own practice. It is an iterative approach, combining theory and practice, operates over reasonably short time spans and involves substantial collaboration and participation amongst peers. Akin to action research, it works most effectively when it is combined with evidence on what works (and what works well) and what does not, specifically as it relates to student learning outcomes. In this introductory chapter, the authors synthesize scholarly research to set the context for teacher-led inquiry in school learning environments. The authors discuss the challenges and opportunities for schools and educators embarking on evidence-based teacher-led inquiry as a powerful form of professional learning for contemporary teachers.
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Asad Abbas Jaffari, Pantea Foroudi, Maria Palazzo and Morteza Akbari
The purpose of this paper is to extend the research on employer branding (EB) by identifying elements of EB according to the perceptions of employees working in the service sector…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to extend the research on employer branding (EB) by identifying elements of EB according to the perceptions of employees working in the service sector and investigating the impact of EB on employer of choice and organizational performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Around544 respondents helped to test the model. The research considers development, growth opportunities, equality and justice as new elements of EB, along with organizational culture, salary, incentives and work–life balance.
Findings
EB significantly influences employer of choice through organizational commitment and employer brand advocacy. Organizational performance is influenced by EB through job satisfaction and employee performance. Nevertheless, no significant relation was observed between EB and employer of choice through person–organization fit. The EB’s impact on employee performance through employee retention was not significant.
Originality/value
The study suggests reflecting on the importance of the role played by new elements of EB and on the existence of a direct relationship between employee performance and EB. Despite the widespread belief that EB primarily serves as a recruitment tactic to attract candidates, this paper shows that the positive impacts on company performance stem more from outcomes related to current employees than from prospective applicants.
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Samuel Agbemude, Dorcas Nuertey, Emmanuel Poku and Felix Owusu
This study aims to assess the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on supply chain performance both directly and indirectly through entrepreneurial competence, as well as the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on supply chain performance both directly and indirectly through entrepreneurial competence, as well as the moderating role of local community networking in these relationships, within the context of institutional voids in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilized a cross-sectional survey data from 225 small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in order to test the hypotheses. The data analysis was conducted using partial least squares structural equation modelling techniques.
Findings
The results revealed that entrepreneurial orientation is a significant positive predictor of both entrepreneurial competence and supply chain performance. Similarly, entrepreneurial competence was shown to positively predict supply chain performance, both directly and as a mediator between entrepreneurial orientation and supply chain performance. Local community networking, however, positively moderated the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial competence but not the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and supply chain performance.
Originality/value
This study contributes to literature by looking at the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial competence, local community networking and supply chain performance within the context of an emerging economy with institutional voids. The study shows the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset in developing the necessary skills, competences and abilities needed to survive in the turbulent business environment.
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Rabiya Nawaz, Maryam Hina, Veenu Sharma, Shalini Srivastava and Massimiliano Farina Briamonte
Organizations increasingly use knowledge arbitrage to stimulate innovation and achieve competitive advantage. However, in knowledge management its use in startups is yet…
Abstract
Purpose
Organizations increasingly use knowledge arbitrage to stimulate innovation and achieve competitive advantage. However, in knowledge management its use in startups is yet unexplored. This study aims to examine the utilization of knowledge arbitrage by startups, specifically during COVID-19.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed an open-ended essay methodology to explore the drivers and barriers that startups face in utilizing knowledge arbitrage. We collected data from 40 participants to understand the role of knowledge arbitrage in startups’ knowledge management practices.
Findings
This study’s findings highlight the significance of knowledge arbitrage for startups. The benefits identified include organizational benefits such as building networks, innovating new products and achieving competitive advantage and financial benefits such as cost reduction and sales growth. The study also identifies several technological and organizational drivers and barriers that startups confront during knowledge arbitrage.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing literature on knowledge management by extending our understanding of knowledge arbitrage’s role in startups. Additionally, it sheds light on the importance of knowledge arbitrage for startups and the challenges they face, particularly in a disrupted environment reared by COVID-19. The study provides insights for the scholars and practitioners interested in effective knowledge management in startups.
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