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Thomas Lopdrup-Hjorth and Paul du Gay
Organizations are confronted with problems and political risks to which they have to respond, presenting a need to develop tools and frames of understanding requisite to do so. In…
Abstract
Organizations are confronted with problems and political risks to which they have to respond, presenting a need to develop tools and frames of understanding requisite to do so. In this article, we argue for the necessity of cultivating “political judgment” with a “sense of reality,” especially in the upper echelons of organizations. This article has two objectives: First to highlight how a number of recent interlinked developments within organizational analysis and practice have contributed to weakening judgment and its accompanying “sense of reality.” Second, to (re)introduce some canonical works that, although less in vogue recently, provide both a source of wisdom and frames of understanding that are key to tackling today’s problems. We begin by mapping the context in which the need for the cultivation of political judgment within organizations has arisen: (i) increasing proliferation of political risks and “wicked problems” to which it is expected that organizations adapt and respond; (ii) a wider historical and contemporary context in which the exercise of judgment has been undermined – a result of a combination of economics-inspired styles of theorizing and an associated obsession with metrics. We also explore the nature of “political judgment” and its accompanying “sense of reality” through the work of authors such as Philip Selznick, Max Weber, Chester Barnard, and Isaiah Berlin. We suggest that these authors have a weighty “sense of reality”; are antithetical to “high,” “abstract,” or “axiomatic” theorizing; and have a profound sense of the burden from exercising political judgment in difficult organizational circumstances.
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Walker J. Ross, Jessica R. Murfree and Zhelun Wang
Despite an abundance of literature regarding the motivations of sport and entertainment managers to adopt environmentally sustainable practices (ESPs) within their venue, there is…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite an abundance of literature regarding the motivations of sport and entertainment managers to adopt environmentally sustainable practices (ESPs) within their venue, there is little offered on which particular stakeholders motivate such action. This study examined the venues which host such events to identify the stakeholders who influence the adoption of ESPs, their specific roles and to highlight salient stakeholders who primarily motivate ESP adoption.
Design/methodology/approach
Guided by stakeholder theory as a framework for analysis, a qualitative study was employed which consisted of sixteen semi-structured interviews with venue personnel including presidents, general managers, operations directions and recycling coordinators. Participants were asked to discuss their venue’s management structure, stakeholder relations and ESPs.
Findings
Internal stakeholders – particularly ownership and operations personnel – were salient stakeholders motivating ESP adoption, but the most unique stakeholder identified was that of a motivated “doer” from no particular role who simply possessed the power, legitimacy and urgency to act on ESPs. Thus, there was no single, identifiable stakeholder role to champion ESPs so much as there was a motivated, normatively legitimate stakeholder who wanted to be that champion.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the growing sport ecology literature and is the first to present the idea of a non-particular, doer stakeholder to champion ESPs within this industry rather than one with a more defined role within organizational structure.
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Phuong Thanh To and David Grierson
Providing improved access to nature within educational settings can promote stronger child–nature connections and is conditional on making evidence-based decisions for the…
Abstract
Purpose
Providing improved access to nature within educational settings can promote stronger child–nature connections and is conditional on making evidence-based decisions for the planning, design and refurbishment of school architecture. The study offers insight into ways of reconnecting children with nature by examining the distribution and classification of diverse natural elements for enhancing children's visual and non-visual experiences of educational environments.
Design/methodology/approach
This study combines quantitative and qualitative analysis of data gathered through measurement and observation at three schools in Glasgow, with a total of 75 students, to identify key issues influencing child–nature multi-sensorial connections within indoor and outdoor environments and on building envelopes and layouts. It applies children's open-questions and diagrams to investigate children's discovery of nature, their feelings around natural attributes and their environmental preferences within school contexts.
Findings
This study's findings reveal that architectural features and landscape settings have significant influence on the quantitative and qualitative degrees of children's natural exploration through visual and non-visual sensorial modalities and environmental preferences.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of this study are that the data was gathered in the Spring season and with different groups of children from The Glasgow Academy who received the same educational curriculum. Thus, there is a need for further investigation on children's experiences of nature based on temporal and contextual differences, and varying educational-socio-cultural and economic factors.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that applications of natural diversity, accessible and flexible pathways and indoor natural settings, are potential approaches to connect children with nature within their study and play environments.
Originality/value
The authors provide a deeper understanding of how nature-based settings, including indoor and outdoor environments, constructively benefit children's multi-sensorial experiences, knowledge and biophilic feelings toward nature.
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Esmeralda Correa Macana, Thamires Zaboto Mirolli, Ana Luíza Farage Silva, Lauana Rossetto Lazaretti, Lorenzo Luiz Bianchi, Gustavo Saraiva Frio and Marco Tulio Aniceto França
The purpose of this article is to investigate factors related to the time students spent on remote activities during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. Specifically, it…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to investigate factors related to the time students spent on remote activities during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. Specifically, it analyzes whether the school’s relationship with the family and the guardians’ support are associated with longer study times for children and youth.
Design/methodology/approach
This was performed using an ordered logit model on data from two waves of the survey Remote Education in the Perspective of Students and Their Families (PENP) with a nationally and regionally representative sample of Brazilian public school students.
Findings
Results show the importance of contact between the school and the family and, to a greater extent, the direct support of parents or guardians. The odds of learners spending more hours studying increase 36% when schools provide guidance for parents and guardians; in turn, when they provide support for students during activities, these odds increase 144%.
Originality/value
Moreover, students spend more time doing school activities in the later years of elementary school, high school and when they attend a state school.
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Stuart J. Barnes and Weisha Wang
Sports advertisements such as the Super Bowl showcase products and brands that have invested increasingly large sums financially to gain viewers’ attention. However, how audio…
Abstract
Purpose
Sports advertisements such as the Super Bowl showcase products and brands that have invested increasingly large sums financially to gain viewers’ attention. However, how audio features in advertisements impact viewers' behavior remains unexplored.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the lens of signaling theory, this research uses advanced data analytics of voice and music audio in Super Bowl advertisements to examine its impacts on viewers.
Findings
Results show that advertisement viewers prefer more voiced frames and have a greater liking behavior of voiced frames with a low intensity (less loud) and a higher F1 frequency, which is typically associated with male vocal tracts. A fast music tempo works better for longer advertisements. The model controls for various types of ad appeals. The research underlines the importance of voice and music in signaling successful brand features that are likely to increase the ad-liking behavior of consumers (positive effect).
Research limitations/implications
The current research implies that brands advertising through sports ads must carefully select voice actors and music in order to provide the most positive signals for a brand to have the most significant effect and, thus, a greater return on the high sums invested in the ads.
Originality/value
First, this research contributes in terms of a new research process for using audio analytics in advertising. The detailed research process outlined can be used for future research examining audio and music from advertisements. Second, our findings provide additional support to the important role of voice features (e.g. intensity and frequency) as signals in inducing responses from consumers (Biswas et al., 2019; Hagtvedt and Brasel, 2016). Third, the study surfaces a new theoretical association: the effect of tempo in moderating the relationship between duration and propensity to like an ad.
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Mohamed A. Khashan, Thamir Hamad Alasker, Mohamed A. Ghonim and Mohamed M. Elsotouhy
The success of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system is determined by the numerous facilitators and obstacles that influence physicians' intentions toward using these…
Abstract
Purpose
The success of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system is determined by the numerous facilitators and obstacles that influence physicians' intentions toward using these technologies. This study examines physicians' intentions to use EHR by applying the extended technology readiness and acceptance model (TRAM) factors, the result demonstrability, colleagues' opinions, perception of external control, and organizational support.
Design/methodology/approach
Convenience sampling was used to collect data from physicians in Egypt (n = 520). To evaluate the model's hypotheses, this study used the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method with WarpPLS.7.
Findings
The results revealed that positive TR factors (innovativeness and optimism) positively affect perceived usefulness and ease of use, while negative TR factors (discomfort and insecurity) negatively impact perceived usefulness and ease of use. Furthermore, the result demonstrability and colleagues' opinions positively influence perceived usefulness, while the perception of external control and organizational support positively influence perceived ease of use. In addition, significant relationships between perceived ease of use and usefulness and adoption intention were identified.
Originality/value
This is the first study to apply the TRAM to understand physicians' adoption intentions to use EHR systems. Moreover, this study determined the different roles of positive and negative TR affecting physicians' cognition regarding using EHR systems.
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