This chapter describes the possibilities for fusing ethnography and evaluation to transform educational inquiry and educational entities (programs, systems, and policies). The…
Abstract
This chapter describes the possibilities for fusing ethnography and evaluation to transform educational inquiry and educational entities (programs, systems, and policies). The central question explored is, how do we best pursue work connecting evaluation and ethnography to fulfill our commitments to diversity, justice, and cultural responsiveness in educational spaces, to make tangible transformative change? With 40 years of literature on ethnography-evaluation connections as a foundation, this chapter describes three coalescing themes: transformative, intersectional, and comparative. These themes are proposed as valuable for guiding contemporary educational inquiry that serves social justice. The transformative theme denotes educational inquiry in which the researcher or evaluator ethically collects data, makes defensible interpretations, and facilitates social change in collaboration with others. Doing transformative work that meaningfully fuses ethnography and evaluation rests on essential factors like time, values engagement, collaboration, and self-work. The intersectional theme describes intersectionality as an evolving analytical framework that promotes social problem-solving and learning via investigating the significance of intersecting social identities in (a) how people's lives are shaped, (b) their access to power across circumstances, and (c) their everyday experiences of subordination and discrimination. Finally, the comparative theme refers to sensibilities and practices gleaned from the interdisciplinary and transnational field of comparative education, including developing comparative cultural understanding and analyzing complex systems in one's inquiry projects. Across themes, this chapter emphasizes positionality, responsibility, and theory-bridging to make sense of the uses of ethnographic concepts and practices in transformative evaluation work in educational spaces.
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Jakob Kost, Leping Mou and Michael O’Shea
This paper explores the profound philosophical and conceptual foundations that underpin comparative international education research, particularly concerning the evolving roles of…
Abstract
This paper explores the profound philosophical and conceptual foundations that underpin comparative international education research, particularly concerning the evolving roles of universities and colleges that transcend mere skills training or human capital development in contemporary times. Universities and colleges have predominantly focused on measuring their success through criteria such as research excellence and their ability to adapt to the ever-evolving demands of the job market. It is imperative to recognize that the diversity of postsecondary institutions is not only providers of human capital with curriculum shaped by labor market needs; rather, they should be recognized as institutions dedicated to human development, community anchors, the promotion of the public good, democratic education, the cultivation of civil society, and global citizenship. Relying on an extensive review of selected literature pertaining to the mission, goals, aims, and roles of the postsecondary sector in three regions (East Asia, Germanic Europe, and North America), this paper considers the question, “How do different approaches and traditions in different social contexts contribute to our understanding of the civic roles of postsecondary education institutions in shaping future global citizens, transcending the confines of national boundaries?” Throughout the paper, the unique contexts and traditions of these regions are meticulously examined alongside thematic discussions, culminating in comprehensive analyses on what factors are considered as the civic roles of institutions and what challenges are there for them to realize their goals.
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Diwan U. Odendaal, Lelanie Smith, Kenneth J. Craig and Drewan S. Sanders
The purpose of this study is to re-evaluation fuselage design when the main wing’s has the ability to fulfill stability requirements without the need for a tailplane. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to re-evaluation fuselage design when the main wing’s has the ability to fulfill stability requirements without the need for a tailplane. The aerodynamic requirements of the fuselage usually involve a trade-off between reducing drag and providing enough length for positioning the empennage to ensure stability. However, if the main wing can fulfill the stability requirements without the need for a tailplane, then the fuselage design requirements can be re-evaluated. The optimisation of the fuselage can then include reducing drag and also providing a component of lift amongst other potential new requirements.
Design/methodology/approach
A careful investigation of parameterisation and trade-off optimisation methods to create such fuselage shapes was performed. The A320 Neo aircraft is optimised using a parameterised 3D fuselage model constructed with a modified PARSEC method and the SHERPA optimisation strategy, which was validated through three case studies. The geometry adjustments in relation to the specific flow phenomena are considered for the three optimal designs to investigate the influencing factors that should be considered for further optimisation.
Findings
The top three aerodynamic designs show a distinctive characteristic in the low aspect ratio thick wing-like aftbody that has pressure drag penalties, and the aftbody camber increased surface area notably improved the fuselage’s lift characteristics.
Originality/value
This work contributes to the development of a novel set of design requirements for a fuselage, free from the constraints imposed by stability requirements. By gaining insights into the flow phenomena that influence geometric designs when a lift requirement is introduced to the fuselage, we can understand how the fuselage configuration was optimised. This research lays the groundwork for identifying innovative design criteria that could extend into the integration of propulsion of the aftbody.
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Andreia de Bem Machado, Gabriel Osório de Barros, João Rodrigues dos Santos, Silvana Secinaro, Davide Calandra and Maria José Sousa
Humans now enjoy a better life because of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI has a significant impact on the creation of smart cities. Modern applications based on big data…
Abstract
Humans now enjoy a better life because of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI has a significant impact on the creation of smart cities. Modern applications based on big data, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, and deep learning require extensive use of complex computational solutions. Thus, the following problems arise: (1) what are smart cities? (2) what is AI? (3) How is AI used in smart cities? To respond to this problem, the following objective was set: to map how AI is used in smart cities. For this purpose, a qualitative methodology based on a narrative analysis of the literature was used. It is concluded that AI and smart cities are complementary technologies that can assist cities in tackling difficult issues including public safety, transportation, energy management, environmental monitoring, and predictive maintenance. This chapter’s findings, while broadly applicable, offer valuable insights into the Gulf region’s unique context, where rapid urbanization and technological adoption intersect with cultural and environmental considerations. The integration of AI in smart cities presents a promising avenue for the Gulf region to address its specific challenges and leverage its economic and infrastructural strengths, thereby contributing to the broader goals of innovation, development, prosperity, and well-being as envisioned in the region’s Vision 2040 initiatives.
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Maxwell Kwabena Asare and Martin Schnitzer
Leadership is a key factor that shapes an athlete’s development, also within team sports; most of this responsibility falls on the coaches. The purpose of this paper is to provide…
Abstract
Purpose
Leadership is a key factor that shapes an athlete’s development, also within team sports; most of this responsibility falls on the coaches. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the relationship between a coach’s reputation and athlete creativity as perceived by athletes within team sports.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper examined the reputational construct of coaches vis-a-vis athlete creativity. The researchers surveyed athletes from a variety of team sports and professional levels (N = 203). Structural equation modelling was utilised for testing the hypotheses.
Findings
Findings suggest that a coach’s reputation has a significant influence on the development of an athlete’s creativity. Coach reputation affects the creative development of an athlete, with knowledge sharing and openness to experiences being the principal means of influence.
Originality/value
Our study (1) examines the influence of a coach’s reputation on an athlete’s creativity, (2) tests the role of knowledge sharing in the influence on an athlete’s creativity and (3) considers openness to experiences in the development of an athlete’s creativity.
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Kaixuan Hou, Zhan-wen Niu and Yueran Zhang
The purpose of this study is to explore how to select a suitable supply chain collaboration paradigm (SCCP) based on the intelligent manufacturing model (IMM) of enterprises.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore how to select a suitable supply chain collaboration paradigm (SCCP) based on the intelligent manufacturing model (IMM) of enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the fit between internal collaboration and external collaboration, we propose a model to select a suitable SCCP based on two-sided matching between SCCPs and IMMs. In this decision problem, we invited five university scholars and seven related consultants to evaluate SCCPs and IMMs based on the regret theory, which is used to obtain the perceived utility and matching results. The evaluation values are comfortably expressed through probabilistic linguistic term sets (PLTSs). Also, we set the lowest acceptance threshold to improve the accuracy of matching results.
Findings
The findings indicate that the characteristics of IMMs can significantly influence the selection of SCCPs, and an SCCP is not suitable for all IMMs. Interestingly, the study findings suggest that the selection of SCCP is diverse and multi-optional under the constraints of IMMs.
Originality/value
Existing studies have explored supply chain collaboration (SCC) in Industry 4.0 to improve supply chain performance, but less attention has been paid to the impact of the match between SCCPs and IMMs on supply chain performance. And even fewer studies have addressed how to select a suitable SCCP in different IMMs. This study provides a unique contribution to the practice of SCC and expands the understanding of supply chain management in Industry 4.0.
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Sohail Ahmad, Afaq Ahmed, Sadia Muzaffar Bhutta and Aisha Naz Ansari
Given the existing quality concerns of higher education (HE), particularly in the global South, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been seen as a panacea to…
Abstract
Given the existing quality concerns of higher education (HE), particularly in the global South, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been seen as a panacea to improve the quality of teaching learning in HE. AI Chatbots, like ChatGPT, have created profound resonance across HE systems with both positive and negative impacts. Within HE, expectations and concerns related to the quality of HE in general, and teaching learning in particular, loom. It is yet to be investigated how university teachers use AI chatbots in their teaching inside classrooms and its potential to enhance the quality of teaching learning in HE. This chapter sheds light on these questions based on in-depth qualitative interviews with faculty members from six universities in Pakistan. Using a thematic analysis approach, the findings highlight both positive and negative aspects of ChatGPT when used for teaching in HE. Based on the findings, we developed a four-stage framework highlighting faculty members' response to integrating ChatGPT for transforming teaching learning activities. We explain that transformation of teaching learning with AI requires educators to rethink teaching and learning – navigative response – and assess its integration – evaluative response. In conclusion, we discuss how the adoption of AI chatbots provides educators with authentic assessment but will certainly require skills to properly navigate. We further discuss the findings in literature around the quality of HE making some plausible predictions regarding whether chatbots can serve as a quality enhancement tool, mainly in the global South.
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Geethika Raj and Krishnan T. N.
The purpose of this study is to clarify the definitional inconsistencies around the concept of “leadership potential” and differentiate it from related constructs, provide a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to clarify the definitional inconsistencies around the concept of “leadership potential” and differentiate it from related constructs, provide a comprehensive review of the literature and propose a research agenda to guide future studies.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopt a systematic literature review method to achieve this purpose. Adhering to the established guidelines, they analyzed 81 empirical articles published in 27 leading journals from 2011 to 2024.
Findings
Despite its prominence in discussions of leadership emergence, development, effectiveness and promotability, the literature lacks consensus on operationalizing leadership potential. In response, the authors propose a novel operationalization based on Pinder’s (1988) three dimensions of motivation, namely – direction, intensity and persistence of behavior. The analysis of this paper structured through the theory-context-characteristics-method (TCCM) framework identifies several critical gaps: One-third of the reviewed studies lack a theoretical foundation, while the remaining predominantly rely on trait and cognition-based approaches; most research emphasizes individual-level predictors and outcomes, with limited exploration of contextual factors; and quantitative approaches dominate the field leaving room for alternative methodological approaches. Based on these observations, a future research agenda using TCCM has been proposed.
Originality/value
This study contributes uniquely to the leadership literature by clarifying the distinctions between “leadership potential” and related constructs, introducing an operationalization grounded in Pinder’s motivational framework and presenting a holistic view of the literature on leadership potential. Further, this study advances the field by proposing a future research agenda, an aspect previously unexplored. Additionally, the authors use the TCCM framework, a guided framework for systematic literature review that has not been adopted in the leadership literature.