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1 – 4 of 4Kim Brown, Lara Sanderson, Rachel Spronken-Smith and Claire Cameron
This paper aims to understand the experiences of disabled doctoral students at one Aotearoa New Zealand University, identifying barriers to accessibility and meaningful…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to understand the experiences of disabled doctoral students at one Aotearoa New Zealand University, identifying barriers to accessibility and meaningful participation, and enabling practices.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was underpinned by the social model of disability and used an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach. A survey comprising closed and freeform questions was distributed to all doctoral students. From the 64 respondents, 12 also took part in an unstructured, narrative interview. Data were analysed using a combination of methods: descriptive statistics, thematic analysis and poetic inquiry.
Findings
Findings are presented mainly as data poetry. The poems centre on complexities faced by disabled doctoral students, and articulate challenges, enabling practices and possibilities for the future encountered by students in this study. Findings are additionally supported with quotes from narrative interviews, open-ended survey questions and descriptive data analysis.
Originality/value
The poetic inquiry approach gives voice to the collective experiences of disabled students. The poetic texts bear witness to the intersections of disability, impairment, chronic illness, neurodiversity and doctoral study, and the lives of students who navigate these intersections. These poems voice and seek to be lightning-rods for social change.
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Aneta Pieczka and Miłosz Miszczyński
The rise of app-based work in the gig economy, particularly within the food delivery sector, challenges traditional employment paradigms and raises questions about the potential…
Abstract
Purpose
The rise of app-based work in the gig economy, particularly within the food delivery sector, challenges traditional employment paradigms and raises questions about the potential for achieving meaningful work experiences. This study explores whether such work can be considered meaningful for food delivery couriers in Poland.
Design/methodology/approach
This research adopts a qualitative, case-study approach, conducting 30 in-depth interviews with food delivery couriers in Poland. The study investigates how these workers perceive the meaningfulness of their work, focusing on the interplay between subjective and organisational aspects of their work.
Findings
The findings reveal that despite the precarious nature of app-based work, couriers often find meaningful experiences through perceived autonomy, gamified control and the physical demands of their job. The study highlights the dual nature of app work, where the same elements that contribute to worker engagement and a sense of independence also perpetuate exploitation and job insecurity.
Research limitations/implications
The study’s reliance on a convenience sample of 30 interviews conducted via social media may not represent the broader population of food delivery couriers. Future research should expand the sample size and include a more diverse range of participants to improve generalisability.
Practical implications
The insights from this study can inform platform designers and policymakers to create more supportive environments for gig workers. Enhancing algorithmic transparency, providing better social protections and implementing fair gamification strategies can help mitigate the negative aspects of gig work and improve job satisfaction.
Social implications
The study underscores the need for regulatory changes to ensure minimum guaranteed earnings and health and safety provisions for gig workers. By fostering a supportive and transparent work environment, the gig economy can better contribute to worker well-being and social equity.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the limited body of literature on meaningful work within the gig economy, particularly focusing on food delivery couriers in Poland. It provides new insights into how workers create and perceive meaningful work in a highly digitised and algorithmically managed environment.
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Nadin Augustiniok and Ayça Özmen
This paper acknowledges the limitations of conventional heritage conservation, where the reuse of iconic modern houses as museums or exhibits often sacrifices their original…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper acknowledges the limitations of conventional heritage conservation, where the reuse of iconic modern houses as museums or exhibits often sacrifices their original residential function. We explore four aspects of the narrative approach – significance, reversibility, expandability and craftsmanship – to assess its potential for preserving and allowing change over time in the modern house.
Design/methodology/approach
Four iconic modern houses are analysed in this study: Villa Tugendhat-Brno frozen as a museum house, Chabot Museum-Rotterdam refunctioned as an art museum, Haus Schminke-Löbau used as a guest house and Maison Guiette-Antwerpen still in use. Employing aspects of the narrative approach (Walter, 2020a, b), the analysis evaluates recent heritage management practices in preserving the building’s multifaceted history and associated perspectives.
Findings
The narrative approach in heritage conservation values the evolving significance of cultural heritage by recognising different perspectives and preserving the traces of past changes. It promotes sustainability by enabling adaptive reuse while preserving historical integrity by respecting past and future heritage. Despite its obvious weaknesses, such as potential subjectivity, the dilution of valuations and the loss of historic fabric, it particularly responds to the ephemeral nature and challenges of modernity.
Originality/value
The cross-case analysis of practical conservation approaches, encompassing varied strategies for conservation and adaptive reuse, offers valuable insights for theorizing the significance of modernist architecture for both the present and future.
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Lorenz Affolter, Caroline Straub and Daniel Spurk
This study investigates the diverse career experiences of gig workers by looking at a sample of gig workers that are living a calling through online labor platforms (OLPs)…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the diverse career experiences of gig workers by looking at a sample of gig workers that are living a calling through online labor platforms (OLPs). Drawing from the systems informed positive psychology (SIPP) framework we examine the experiences and dynamics through which individuals can enact their calling through OLPs.
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted 34 semi-structured interviews with gig workers who are able to live their calling through OLPs. The interviews were analyzed by using a grounded theory approach.
Findings
Our findings reveal that gig workers sense of living a calling is rooted in the experience of being and feeling independent. Furthermore, we identify three dynamics of calling enactment through OLPs which are: (1) engaging in personal development, (2) constructing social fit and (3) stabilizing finances.
Originality/value
While many studies document the precarious nature of the gig economy, our paper offers rich insight into positive career experiences of gig workers. Through taking a systemic view on individuals’ ability to live a calling, we illustrate how individuals interact with different features of OLPs to enact their calling. Finally, we suggest that besides direct dynamics of calling enactment there are also indirect dynamics of calling enactment that play an important role in individuals’ ability to live a calling in the gig economy.
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