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Book part
Publication date: 30 January 2025

Seyi S. Stephen, Ayodeji E. Oke, Clinton O. Aigbavboa, Opeoluwa I. Akinradewo, Pelumi E. Adetoro and Matthew Ikuabe

This chapter explored health and safety considerations in stealth construction, emphasising the integration of advanced technologies and innovative practices. It commences with a…

Abstract

This chapter explored health and safety considerations in stealth construction, emphasising the integration of advanced technologies and innovative practices. It commences with a general introduction, followed by a historical overview of safety practices in the construction industry, highlighting the evolution of a safety culture. The chapter examined various health and safety management techniques, including policy formulation, safety training programs, and job safety analysis. Additionally, it discussed current trends such as wearable technology, IoT, VR/AR, and predictive analytics. The unique requirements of stealth construction are addressed, focusing on building cross-section design, visibility, application of radio frequency emission and countermeasures. Finally, it presents a comprehensive approach to achieving stealth construction, emphasising environmental protection, safety, speed, economy, and aesthetics, and provides practical examples to illustrate these concepts.

Details

Stealth Construction: Integrating Practices for Resilience and Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83608-183-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 January 2025

Joanne Jojczyk, Francois Lambotte and Christel Christophe

This article explores the interpretive process of ethnographic research within the framework of Communicative Constitution of Organization (CCO) approaches. Specifically, it…

Abstract

Purpose

This article explores the interpretive process of ethnographic research within the framework of Communicative Constitution of Organization (CCO) approaches. Specifically, it examines the role of Ricoeur’s triple mimesis as a hermeneutic tool in making sense of the extensive data gathered during a three-year ethnographic study of a cultural event, “Le Grand Huit,” part of the Mons 2015 European Capital of Culture initiative.

Design/methodology/approach

The research employs a filmed ethnographic methodology to capture the participatory processes of the “Le Grand Huit” project. The study is guided by CCO principles, focusing on communication events as the central unit of analysis. The interpretive framework of Ricoeur’s triple mimesis is utilized to navigate and textualize the complex data collected, including fieldnotes, interviews and video footage.

Findings

The study demonstrates how the process of textualizing ethnographic data through Ricoeur’s triple mimesis – prefiguration, configuration and refiguration – unpacks the interpretative process of CCO ethnographers. The narrative construction not only aids in data interpretation but also establishes the authority of the ethnographic account by making the researcher’s biases and preunderstandings explicit.

Originality/value

This article contributes to CCO scholarship by providing a methodological tool that integrates hermeneutic phenomenology into ethnographic research. It addresses the often-criticized vagueness of ethnographic methods and emphasizes the importance of reflexivity in legitimizing scientific knowledge. The application of Ricoeur’s triple mimesis offers a novel approach to understanding the constitutive role of communication in organizing processes.

Details

Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5648

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Article
Publication date: 1 October 2024

Deribe Assefa Aga and Berhanu Belayneh Beyene

By extending corporate social responsibility research to a megaproject context, the purpose of this study is to examine the effect of megaproject external social responsibility…

Abstract

Purpose

By extending corporate social responsibility research to a megaproject context, the purpose of this study is to examine the effect of megaproject external social responsibility (SR) on community acceptance through the mediating role of public trust.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from legitimacy theory as well as corporate social responsibility literature, this study developed hypotheses linking the constructs of SR, (public) trust and community acceptance of a megaproject. Thereby, a household survey questionnaire was administered to collect data from randomly selected 328 households in the local community who reside near the construction site of a mega hydropower project in Ethiopia. Guided by structural equation modelling, Smart Partial Least Squares4 (SmartPLS4) was utilized to analyze the data.

Findings

The empirical findings show that community-targeted SR has a significant positive effect on community acceptance of a megaproject, whereas the direct effect of natural environment-targeted SR on community acceptance was found to be non-significant. More importantly, the study reveals that trust in the contractor of the megaproject mediates the relationships between a megaproject SR (fully in the case of the natural environment and partially for community-targeted responsibility) and community acceptance.

Originality/value

The present study contributes to legitimacy theory by illustrating the consequences of megaproject external SR in terms of trust and community acceptance, an issue which has not received adequate attention in the project management literature.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2024

Xing Li, Guiyang Zhang, Fangyuan Zheng, Yong Qi and Chang Lu

Well-constructed transportation infrastructure may effectively decrease barriers to the flow of innovative human resources and inventive elements, accelerating enterprise…

Abstract

Purpose

Well-constructed transportation infrastructure may effectively decrease barriers to the flow of innovative human resources and inventive elements, accelerating enterprise innovation activities. This study will explore how HSR helps enterprises achieve ambidextrous innovation, including the mediating mechanism of absorbed slack resources, innovative talents, and the heterogeneous effects of management shareholding ratio and financing constraints.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on resource dependence theory and social network theory, this study employs a quasi-natural experiment of China’s high-speed railway and builds a multi-time point DID model to investigate its influence on enterprise ambidextrous innovation.

Findings

Results suggest that the HSR positively influences both exploitative and exploratory innovation, and the influence is more substantial on exploitative innovation. Further analysis finds two influencing channels through which HSR influences enterprise ambidextrous innovation: providing redundant resources and attracting innovative talents. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that HSR has a more significant positive effect on exploratory innovation for enterprises with high management shareholding. In the low financing constraint group, the HSR opening has a more significant impact on ambidextrous innovation.

Practical implications

In ambidextrous innovation, enterprises should rationalize the allocation of resources, attach importance to the innovative talent introduction, and choose differentiated paths based on intrinsic characteristics. Meanwhile, the government should actively improve the HSR routes and continuously improve the innovative environment.

Originality/value

This study enriches the theoretical research framework of HSR and ambidextrous innovation by identifying the channel mechanisms and boundary conditions through which HSR affects ambidextrous innovation and expands the consequences of HSR and the antecedents of ambidextrous.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 30 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 February 2025

Yamisel Chong Espino, Daniel Sampaio and Susana Cardoso

This study aims to analyze the psychological benefits of digital and paper-based cognitive training in users with a lack of technological knowledge and a low level of education.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the psychological benefits of digital and paper-based cognitive training in users with a lack of technological knowledge and a low level of education.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 60 individuals (Mage = 78.38; SDage = 9.15) attending a day center were recruited to complete a cognitive training program, 30 of them in digital format. They were all assessed on cognitive skills, technological knowledge and depressive symptomatology before and after the training. Regardless of age, education and technological knowledge, all participants completed the respective cognitive training program.

Findings

The results of this study indicate that it is feasible to use both digital and paper-based tasks in cognitive training for individuals aged over 60, with low levels of education and digital literacy. Although different, in both cases it will be possible to obtain cognitive benefits.

Research limitations/implications

Cognitive training with digital or paper-based material can facilitate visual mnesic processing. Both visual and verbal skills can be trained through other non-digital materials.

Originality/value

This study contributes to understanding the benefits of both types of materials used in working with older people.

Details

Working with Older People, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-3666

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 December 2024

Jess Smith and Nicholas R. Werse

March 2020 signaled school closures and moves online for many institutions, but an online EdD program at a midsize, Christian university featured fewer than-expected programmatic…

Abstract

Purpose

March 2020 signaled school closures and moves online for many institutions, but an online EdD program at a midsize, Christian university featured fewer than-expected programmatic changes. Because of its modality, program operations continued with relatively few changes. Although COVID-19-related campus closures did not interrupt these students’ scheduled courses, they substantively impacted their personal and professional lives. As a result, the authors in the program-specific writing center serving these students found themselves helping them navigate not only stresses related to the already-strenuous task of writing a dissertation but also personal and professional anxieties related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to explore and reflect on the strategies employed by a program‐specific writing center to support doctoral students during the COVID‐19 pandemic, focusing on relaxed scheduling policies, emotional support beyond writing, and fostering deeper interpersonal connections to address the unique challenges students faced during this period.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted an autoethnographic exploration of their experiences to consider and examine effective strategies for supporting students in times of stress. The authors guided this inquiry by reviewing logs, notes and video recordings of sessions held or rescheduled in Spring 2020.

Findings

The authors identified three major themes in how they adjusted their approach to considering the pandemic: relaxed scheduling policies, emotional support beyond the writing process by permitting students to set the writing aside while they focused on the more immediate concerns emerging from the rapid onset of pandemic life and intentionally using the opportunity to form deeper interpersonal connections with students in their home environments.

Originality/value

As institutions reflect on lessons learned during pandemic stresses, closures and mandates, intentional exploration and reflection allow for a greater understanding of what improvements the authors can make to future practice. This uniquely positioned study offers a valuable perspective on supporting students through crisis.

Details

Information and Learning Sciences, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-5348

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 August 2024

Lorenzo Pratici, Fiorella Pia Salvatore, Simone Fanelli, Antonello Zangrandi and Michele Milone

The purpose of this paper is to understand whether and how the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) paradigm can be useful in social reporting in the context of nonprofit…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand whether and how the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) paradigm can be useful in social reporting in the context of nonprofit healthcare organizations. In other words, the study deals with non-financial reporting and information, allowing external stakeholders to comprehensively evaluate the organization’s performance and behavior, investigating internal stakeholder perception over ESG paradigm application.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a case study approach investigating four cases among nonprofit healthcare organizations in Italy. Analyses of available primary sources have been conducted, followed by semi-structured interviews. Interviews were then transcribed and coded in a joint blinded process by all authors. More specifically, three areas have been investigated: (1) factors motivating the development of non-financial disclosure practices; (2) the rationale behind the organization’s decision to include specific topics; and (3) the future perspective on the future of non-financial disclosure within the specific sector.

Findings

ESG may serve as a suitable framework to create comparable documents that can act as benchmarks for similar institutions. However, while nonprofit organizations (NPOs) can draw inspiration from ESG, the utility of these criteria should be thoughtfully tailored to align with the organization’s mission. The ESG using as a general guide, instead of implementing it as a real tool to assess performances, emerges as a positive practice. NPOs should not focus on fulfilling ESG requirements bur rather take inspiration from them. Otherwise, the risk is an excess of focus on the formal aspect rather than on its content.

Originality/value

The study contributes to a better understanding of social and ESG’ reporting activities and approaches in the healthcare sector by describing some case studies and the effect of sustainability in the social reporting of nonprofit healthcare organizations.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 63 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 August 2024

Zuhairan Yunmi Yunan and W. Alejandro Pacheco-Jaramillo

This paper aims to examine various indicators related to corruption and determine their impact on financial globalization in emerging countries. It will consider other factors…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine various indicators related to corruption and determine their impact on financial globalization in emerging countries. It will consider other factors that may impact financial globalization and focus on how corruption within political, executive and public sector institutions can affect this process.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a generalized method of moments (GMM) for a data sample of emerging countries covering 2000–2020. Corruption measurements are derived from the varieties of democracy data sets and Transparency International. It also includes data on foreign direct investment, portfolio flows, foreign exchange and international debt as separate indicators of financial globalization. These measures provide more detailed information on the types of financial transactions occurring across countries.

Findings

The results reveal that foreign investors may be less likely to enter certain sectors of the economy due to concerns about unethical practices and difficulties navigating the regulatory landscape in countries with high levels of corruption. This can lead to underdevelopment in sectors that are attractive to foreign investment and a reliance on a narrow range of sectors.

Originality/value

This paper offers valuable insights by integrating corruption and financial globalization indicators, using the GMM for robust analysis. It highlights how corruption influences foreign investment decisions, potentially leading to sectoral underdevelopment and overreliance in emerging countries.

Details

Journal of Financial Crime, vol. 32 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-0790

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 September 2024

Grace Hui-Chen Huang and Monica Miller Marsh

This study aims to explore the experiences of newly resettled refugee-background high school students participating in the Teen Response program, a community-based initiative to…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the experiences of newly resettled refugee-background high school students participating in the Teen Response program, a community-based initiative to assist refugee-background adolescents (RBAs) in navigating educational and career opportunities in the midwestern USA.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a mixed-methods approach, this study examined twenty-two RBAs through survey and focus groups.

Findings

The findings reveal significant growth and transformation in the students' self-efficacy and advocacy skills. This growth underscores the critical role of social support and community engagement in helping RBAs, empowering them to advocate for themselves and others in pursuing educational and career goals.

Originality/value

This study contributes new insights into the community-based support programs for RBAs, focusing on enhancing self-efficacy and advocacy. It offers valuable implications for developing effective support frameworks and recommends future research on these approaches.

Details

Journal for Multicultural Education, vol. 18 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-535X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 November 2024

Tamara Cumming, Laura McFarland, Mari Saha, Rebecca Bull, Sandie Wong, Ee Lynn Ng, Jin Sun, Justine O’Hara-Gregan, Kiri Gould and Brooke Richardson

This paper describes the development of the WECARE cross-national research alliance for investigating early childhood educators’ wellbeing, and details the experiences of some of…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper describes the development of the WECARE cross-national research alliance for investigating early childhood educators’ wellbeing, and details the experiences of some of WECARE’s 17 members.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explores and situates the WECARE team’s experiences within extant literature on cross-national and collaborative research groupings alongside a strongly practical focus.

Findings

The study’s findings included effects of member mindsets and motivations, differentiated benefits and challenges of membership, cultural sensitivity, research capacity-building, leadership, communication, data security and planning.

Originality/value

Cross-national research is seen as an important part of academic researchers’ activities. Yet, little has been written about how cross-national research groups form and operate, and what benefits and challenges their members experience.

Details

Qualitative Research Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1443-9883

Keywords

1 – 10 of 138