Caroline Essers, Maura McAdam and Carolin Ossenkop
This paper explores the ways women entrepreneurs in male-dominated industries do identity work in order to gain legitimacy. In particular, we consider such identity work as a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores the ways women entrepreneurs in male-dominated industries do identity work in order to gain legitimacy. In particular, we consider such identity work as a process being prompted by their direct environment, while demonstrating the gendered structural power relations in these women’s entrepreneurial contexts. We use a postfeminist lens to show how, in their quest for more legitimacy, they seem to be interpellated by postfeminist discourse.
Design/methodology/approach
We have used a narrative approach to show how women entrepreneurs in masculinised contexts do identity work to acquire legitimacy, and moreover use a postfeminist perspective to reflect on this identity work as to demonstrate how these Dutch businesswomen consider their agency in specific feminist terms within these men-dominated industry environments.
Findings
We present empirical data of ten women entrepreneurs in the Netherlands and how they discursively and subjectively make sense of their surrounding gendered contexts, in order to illustrate how local gender regimes and individual actions may conspire to constrain as well as stimulate these women’s entrepreneurship. By reflecting on three different ways of identity work through a postfeminist lens, we show how these women are interpellated by postfeminist discourses when trying to gain legitimacy.
Research limitations/implications
The rather small sample does not allow us to generalise our findings to the whole population of women entrepreneurs in men-dominated contexts, yet this was not our goal anyway.
Practical implications
Such a reflection might help policy makers and such women themselves realise how, after all, gender inequality is still persistant in the entrepreneurship field and drawing on postfeminism does not necessarily help to support these women entrepreneurs' work–life balance.
Social implications
Our findings underline the importance of a more gender inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem, in which women entrepreneurs in both masculinised ánd feminised sectors are seen and treated as legitimate entrepreneurs.
Originality/value
Postfeminism, to our knowledge, has hardly been applied to women entrepreneurs' experiences in men-dominated environments, and is in itself still a rather new field in entrepreneurship studies.
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Jenny Nilsson Vestola and Maria Ek Styvén
This study aims to gain insights into the drivers and inhibitors of proenvironmental behaviors (PEB) among Gen Z tourists through the lens of the goal-framing theory (GFT) and the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to gain insights into the drivers and inhibitors of proenvironmental behaviors (PEB) among Gen Z tourists through the lens of the goal-framing theory (GFT) and the motivation–opportunity–ability (MOA) framework. It also aims to propose interventions for promoting proenvironmental tourist behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach was adopted, building on 20 in-depth interviews with Swedish teenagers. The thematic data analysis was guided by a conceptual model integrating MOA and GFT.
Findings
The findings indicate that teenagers primarily lack motivation for eco-friendly travel. Their ability is hindered by limited knowledge, while low involvement in travel decisions and unsupportive destination norms restrict their opportunities. Overcoming these challenges requires interventions that boost engagement in PEB through informational and structural strategies, making eco-friendly options more affordable, efficient, enjoyable and desirable.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to combine MOA and GFT, providing an in-depth exploration of the drivers and inhibitors of proenvironmental travel among Gen Z tourists.
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Olena Shevtsova, Jenny Madestam and Anders Ivarsson Westerberg
Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine threw all spheres of life in that country into turmoil. The public service was tasked to foster resilience and ensure the continued…
Abstract
Purpose
Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine threw all spheres of life in that country into turmoil. The public service was tasked to foster resilience and ensure the continued functioning of the state. Our purpose is to study how a war-shaped public leaders’ understandings of the leadership necessary for tackling emerging crises in a swiftly shifting environment while delivering services to citizens and continuing reforms toward EU membership.
Design/methodology/approach
The research reflects the analysis of 15 semi-structured interviews with members of Ukraine’s public service from various parts of the country conducted in September–October 2023. Heroic/post-heroic ideals of leadership, as well as the distributed model of leadership, are selected as the theoretical framework.
Findings
According to Ukraine’s public managers, the collectivistic ideal of public leadership has persisted. Since 2022 and Russia’s full-scale war, they claim the distributed form of public leadership has developed further. Based on the analysis of the interviews, we suggest these managers differentiated intraorganizational, intergovernmental and intersectoral types of distributed leadership.
Research limitations/implications
The study is conducted during the full-scale war; therefore, observations and field work are restricted. Face-to-face interviews are impeded by air raids: missile and drone attacks; online interviews are sometimes hindered by constant electricity blackouts and alarms. The results of the study reflect the subjectivity of the participants’ thoughts and feelings and may not be more broadly generalizable.
Originality/value
This is an explorative study that shows how public leaders speak and think about public leadership in the ongoing crisis of war.
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Koraljka Golub and Daniel Ocic Ihrmark
Many end users turn to Google Books and social tagging services to identify books of interest. How successful they are will depend on subject indexing applied in these services…
Abstract
Purpose
Many end users turn to Google Books and social tagging services to identify books of interest. How successful they are will depend on subject indexing applied in these services (among other factors). The study aimed to determine: (1) to what degree are Queerlit books identified as LGBTQ+ books in widely used information services, in particular Google Books, LibraryThing and Goodreads; and, (2) whether metadata in these information services could be considered of value for the Queerlit database and complement its highly extensive and highly specific indexing.
Design/methodology/approach
The study compared keywords (subject index terms, tags) assigned to works of Swedish LGBTQ+ fiction across three commercial services: Google Books, Goodreads and LibraryThing, against the curated database, Queerlit.
Findings
Of the 1320 LGBTQ+ works in Queerlit, only a small portion was found in the three web services: 8.26% on Google Books (n = 109), 13.26% on Goodreads (n = 175), while about half on LibraryThing (55.3%, n = 730). This underrepresentation of Swedish LGBTQ+ works in the three international commercial information services makes them hardly of value to the readers. This is exacerbated by the fact that only a minority of Queerlit books found in the three services are categorised as LGBTQ+. The Queerlit database might benefit from consulting social tagging services when indexing both LGBTQ+ specific and general themes.
Originality/value
No earlier study compared in a systematic manner four different information retrieval systems and identified challenges as well as potential benefits in relation to finding LGBTQ+ fiction.
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Building on the forms of immersion in computer games, this chapter argues that games, whether played alone or with others, require a level of engagement equal to that of immersive…
Abstract
Building on the forms of immersion in computer games, this chapter argues that games, whether played alone or with others, require a level of engagement equal to that of immersive artworks. Drawing on concepts from Ernest Adams, Staffan Björk and Jussi Holopainen, the chapter explores how games and digital worlds engage and immerse the viewer through sensory-motoric, cognitive, emotional and spatial elements. These digital spaces position the audience as both participants and co-creators, similar to immersive art forms dating from the 1950s and 1960s, where the shift from passive spectator to active participant, as seen in the works of Allan Kaprow and the Light and Space Movement, is mirrored in contemporary digital practices. This chapter examines how digital tools and new thinking enable unique opportunities for representation, display, engagement and interpretation, where the concept of an expanded narrative, incorporating active spaces and cross-disciplinary collaboration, is crucial for contemporary digital and new media practice. This chapter explores the intersection of art and VR gaming, using Half-Life: Alyx as a case study to demonstrate immersive engagement. Highlighting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this chapter also discusses how cultural and heritage institutions have adopted technology to engage remote audiences. By linking research with practical examples, the chapter illustrates how VR and gaming push the boundaries of immersive experiences, creating novel opportunities for audience interaction and engagement.
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Beverly Best, Paul Lassalle and Katerina Nicolopoulou
We aim to explore the role of digital technologies for enhanced sustainability, hope, empowerment, resilience and optimism (SHERO) among female entrepreneurs in the Caribbean and…
Abstract
Purpose
We aim to explore the role of digital technologies for enhanced sustainability, hope, empowerment, resilience and optimism (SHERO) among female entrepreneurs in the Caribbean and the importance of embeddedness and contextualisation as a premise for integrating gender as a socially constructed situational practice.
Design/methodology/approach
The study presents qualitative data results of semi-structured interviews with 30 female digital entrepreneurs who own and operate their businesses in a range of sectors in three national contexts in the Caribbean. Narratives of the participants were used to develop the themes that emerged from the interviews.
Findings
The Caribbean context is an overarching factor that influences every facet of the lived experiences of female digital entrepreneurs. From the different contextual dimensions, we gained insights into the nuances and paradoxes of dominant assumptions related to how digital technologies influence the business transformation of female entrepreneurship as it relates to sustainability, hope, empowerment, resilience and optimism. Through a contextual gendered lens, these five business areas are found to be overlapping and mutually reinforcing features of the lived experiences of female digital entrepreneurs.
Originality/value
The Caribbean region, comprising of small island developing states, epitomises a unique spatially fragmented entrepreneurial context described as islandness which also offers a “fresh” context within the Global South that captures the novelty and heterogeneity of female entrepreneurs in the digital space.
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Yu-Feng Wu, Yu-Tai Wu and Bo-Ching Chen
With the rise of esports, research on the perceived fit between esports sponsors and events remains limited. This study uses the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to investigate…
Abstract
Purpose
With the rise of esports, research on the perceived fit between esports sponsors and events remains limited. This study uses the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to investigate how the perceived fit between sponsors and esports events effects brand awareness, consumer attitudes and purchasing behavior, aiming to offer insights for more effective marketing strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 245 participants during the Taipei Game Show 2024, using purposive sampling of individuals aged 18 and above. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with Smart PLS 4.0.1.6 to examine the relationships among perceived fit, brand awareness, consumer attitudes and purchasing behavior, and to investigate the mediating effects.
Findings
The results discovered that brand awareness, perceived fit and consumer attitudes had significant positive effects on purchasing behavior, explaining 75% of its variance. Additionally, perceived fit positively affected both brand awareness and consumer attitude. Mediating effect showed that both brand awareness and consumer attitude play significant mediating roles between perceived fit and purchasing behavior, with consumer attitude having a stronger mediating effect.
Originality/value
This study highlights to the limited body of research on esports sponsorships by demonstrating that perceived sponsor-event fit is crucial for enhancing brand awareness, advancing positive consumer attitudes and driving purchasing behavior. The ELM framework highlights the importance of central and peripheral routes in influencing consumer decisions, offering strategies for companies to optimize sponsorship effectiveness and improve brand competitiveness.
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Kylie L Kingston, Belinda Luke and Eija Vinnari
The purpose of this research was to seek a more refined understanding of the ways beneficiaries are evaluating nonprofit organisations (NPO), from the beneficiaries’ perspectives…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research was to seek a more refined understanding of the ways beneficiaries are evaluating nonprofit organisations (NPO), from the beneficiaries’ perspectives. Understanding evaluation from beneficiaries’ perspectives is not only important theoretically, but also for enabling evaluation processes to authentically contribute toward enhanced downward accountability.
Design/methodology/approach
Theorisation of immanent evaluation (Deleuze, 1998), the ontological view that there is no form imposed from outside or above but instead an articulation from within, was drawn upon to direct attention toward understanding beneficiaries’ inherent productive evaluative capacity and agency. This theorisation enabled a different way of observing and understanding beneficiary evaluation within a qualitative case study conducted in an Australian NPO. Data was sourced from interviews, observations and document analysis.
Findings
Findings suggest beneficiaries largely viewed the NPO’s evaluation processes to be unsatisfactory toward meeting their needs in relation to meaningful engagement. However, beneficiaries’ evaluative capacity was noted to include their own evaluation criteria and evaluative expressions indicating the production of an evaluative account. Here beneficiaries’ evaluative expressions are representations of events of evaluation, initiated by them. Findings enable a more refined understanding of beneficiaries’ engagement in evaluation, moving beyond traditional considerations of participative evaluation, and illustrating beneficiaries’ agency and active role in the production of evaluation.
Originality/value
This research furthers understandings of downward accountability and participative evaluation by detailing how beneficiaries’ evaluative capacity is part of an NPO’s evaluative environment, and as such, conceives of an immanent theory of beneficiary evaluation. Findings highlight how evaluation, as a mechanism of downward accountability, functions from beneficiaries’ perspectives and the type of organisational environment capable of enabling and better supporting beneficiary engagement.