Search results
1 – 10 of 65Jean-Louis Ermine, Denise Bedford and Alexeis Garcia-Perez
This chapter considers the challenges of applying engineering practices to knowledge. Knowledge cannot be managed like other forms of capital because it is tacit and intangible…
Abstract
Chapter Summary
This chapter considers the challenges of applying engineering practices to knowledge. Knowledge cannot be managed like other forms of capital because it is tacit and intangible. Research has identified economic properties and behaviors that set it apart from physical and financial capital. The authors translate the economic typology of human, structural, and relational capital to Blackler’s four forms of characterizations: embrained, embodied, embedded, and encultured. Knowledge elicitation techniques are discussed, and aligned with Blakely’s four forms of characterizations.
This study aims to test whether a) differences existed in dissent expression between women in management and nonmanagement positions and b) the differences varied between white…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to test whether a) differences existed in dissent expression between women in management and nonmanagement positions and b) the differences varied between white women and women of color.
Design/methodology/approach
Responses from 1,011 employed women in the US were analyzed for the study.
Findings
Results revealed that in management vs nonmanagement status, women employees were more likely to express upward dissent and employ dissent strategies that signified both influence and lack of influence in organizations. However, race-based differences existed in the expressions of some forms of dissent.
Originality/value
Research has shown that employees in management vs nonmanagement status express more upward dissent and employ dissent strategies that signify influence in organizations. However, can this be the case for women employees? Although previous research has explored dissent expression extensively in US organizations, women employees' dissent expression has not received much attention in social-scientific studies. In these studies, gender and race were treated as mere demographic variables to describe sample compositions despite these variables being influential factors in organizational life. Through an intersectional approach to identities, this study’s findings call upon organizations to address iniquities that limit dissent expression based on identity hierarchies.
Details
Keywords
Feliza Marie Santos Mercado and Sungwon Shin
In response to challenges in traditional professional development, educators are increasingly utilizing social media platforms to customize their learning experiences and…
Abstract
Purpose
In response to challenges in traditional professional development, educators are increasingly utilizing social media platforms to customize their learning experiences and facilitate their professional growth. This systematic literature review seeks to examine articles published between January 2018 and July 2023 to synthesize evidence on the ways in which teachers are leveraging social media to improve their teaching practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to guide the literature review process. First, the authors established synthesis questions, set up eligibility criteria and determined search engines and search terms to identify the relevant literature. Second, the authors sorted and selected from the preliminary article search and screened based on the established criteria. Finally, the authors analyzed each selected article’s content, which included coding, interpreting the themes and organizing the findings.
Findings
Teachers are increasingly using social media for professional development, engaging in collaboration, empowering connection, and relationship-building through teacherpreneurship. They take on various roles, from info-consumers and info-networkers to self-seeking contributors, vocationalists and lurkers. Despite these benefits, challenges remain, such as potential for unexpected misunderstandings, social comparison that can lead to low self-esteem, which can hinder effective engagement in social media-based professional development. Additionally, this paper observed a growing trend in scholarly articles on this topic, particularly from 2020, 2021 and 2022, highlighting its increasing relevance and impact on the educational community.
Research limitations/implications
This systematic literature review focused exclusively on studies involving in-service K-12 teachers as participants, excluding perspectives from preservice teachers, higher education instructors, instructional coaches and school administrators. While these other educational professionals undoubtedly offer valuable insights into improving teaching practices and contribute significantly to social media-based professional development, this review aimed to center the experiences of K-12 in-service teachers to understand their unique professional development needs and practices. Consequently, it does not capture the potential synergies between K-12 teachers and other educator groups, such as the ways in which school administrators might support or enhance in-service teachers’ professional development through social media. Future studies could explore these interactions more deeply to provide a fuller picture of the collective expertise within these groups.
Practical implications
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the value of social media for informal professional development, as shown by the increased number of publications on this topic during that period. However, some social media platforms prioritize consumerism over educational resources, emphasizing the need for educators to critically evaluate their sources. Teachers should be discerning in their resource selection, ensuring that educational references are credible and free of hidden costs.
Social implications
This study uncovered several unique patterns in how teachers use social media, revealing both benefits and challenges. Notably, some teachers are leveraging social media not only to build professional connections but also to engage in commercial activities. While this practice can create a supportive network – where teachers promote one another’s visibility, share products and seek support – it can also detract from the intended purpose of professional learning. The focus on brand-building and profit-making may overshadow authentic community-building and collaborative growth. Additionally, the presence of paid content introduces financial barriers, as many teachers have limited resources for professional development.
Originality/value
This study provides a comprehensive review of recent literature (January 2018 to July 2023) on teachers' use of social media for professional development and learning, offering fresh insights into emerging trends. Notably, findings of this study highlight the role of teacherpreneurship in fostering beneficial social connections within digital spaces, a factor that has gained prominence as teachers seek collaborative and supportive networks. Additionally, this research sheds light on lurking as a common strategy among teachers to avoid conflict and misunderstandings when engaging in social media-based professional development. Furthermore, by addressing various challenges, this paper presents suggestions for thoughtfully integrating social media into school professional development programs, with the intention of supporting the diverse needs of teachers and fostering their professional growth.
Details
Keywords
Melissa Pepper and Karen Bullock
Neighbourhood Watch is a voluntary movement which brings people together with the aim of creating safer, stronger and more active communities. This paper aims to explore the…
Abstract
Purpose
Neighbourhood Watch is a voluntary movement which brings people together with the aim of creating safer, stronger and more active communities. This paper aims to explore the contemporary position of Neighbourhood Watch in the UK through three key themes: the focus of Neighbourhood Watch schemes and how this extends beyond crime; Neighbourhood Watch membership and efforts to expand this beyond traditional residential boundaries; and the operation of Neighbourhood Watch, with a particular focus on technology-enabled methods.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on data generated through interviews with key stakeholders working in the field of Neighbourhood Watch (n = 7) and interviews (n = 7) and two focus groups with Watch volunteers (n = 5) in the United Kingdom (UK).
Findings
Findings highlight aspects of Neighbourhood Watch that have remained the same – most notably the initial “roots” of schemes which have always looked beyond crime to tackle issues of health and well-being. In addition, issues of scale and diversity continue to present challenges within membership. However, there have also been changes, in particular the use of technology and moves to a model which offers more flexibility in terms of Neighbourhood Watch membership.
Originality/value
Findings position contemporary Neighbourhood Watch as a responsive and adaptable model; however, they also highlight how this must operate alongside traditional face-to-face, in-person methods to achieve meaningful community engagement.
Details
Keywords
Xiaodong Li, Zibing Liu, Yuan Chen and Ai Ren
Message stream advertising (MSA) has become an increasingly popular option for advertising on mobile social media. However, MSA is often avoided by consumers, and this avoidance…
Abstract
Purpose
Message stream advertising (MSA) has become an increasingly popular option for advertising on mobile social media. However, MSA is often avoided by consumers, and this avoidance deserves more research attention. The purpose of this study is therefore to identify the underlying mechanism and key variables that affect consumer avoidance of MSA in the context of mobile social media.
Design/methodology/approach
A face-to-face survey was administered to current mobile users of WeChat (N = 438). Structural equation modeling was conducted to test the relationships in the research model.
Findings
Results revealed that mobile consumers employ mechanical avoidance methods (i.e. zipping, muting and zapping) against MSA. The findings also demonstrated that advertising intrusiveness (stimulus) is directly linked to negative emotions, perceived entertainment and sense of control (organism), which, in turn, relate to MSA avoidance (response).
Originality/value
The study contributes to the MSA avoidance literature by using the stimulus-organism-response model to deepen the understanding of consumers' MSA avoidance on mobile social media, and it suggests important managerial implications for advertising practitioners and platform operators.
Details
Keywords
Eileen Z. Taylor and Paul F. Williams
To argue current calls to address grand challenges like income inequality are unlikely to succeed until the academy acknowledges how accounting is constitutive of these problems…
Abstract
Purpose
To argue current calls to address grand challenges like income inequality are unlikely to succeed until the academy acknowledges how accounting is constitutive of these problems. We demonstrate how accounting is part of the problem because of its adherence to a legal model of the corporation erected on false suppositions.
Design/methodology/approach
Using multiple disciplines, e.g. history, economics, law and philosophy, pertaining to the nature of the corporate form, we present a logical argument that the official telos of accounting obstructs any fruitful effort to address grand challenges.
Findings
The global legal concept governing corporations (an aggregate of members) makes corporations a major cause of the grand challenges humans face. Adherence to a legal theory of the corporation leads accounting policy to rationalize income and wealth inequality by subsuming the legal powers of corporations to expropriate wealth into a singular maximand labeled “earnings.”
Originality/value
Though accounting is essentially “of” law, scholarly efforts to understand accounting’s social role are based on an information metaphor. We provide reasons for skepticism of any efforts addressing grand challenges until accounting acknowledges the legal nature of its social role as a regulator of business conduct. There are no accounting solutions to grand challenges without acknowledging how the accepted legal nature of the corporate form makes the corporation the cause of the grand challenges we face.
Details
Keywords
Kelly R. Maguire, Amy M. Anderson and Tara E. Chavez
The purpose of this study is to contribute to the existing literature on the importance of mentorship in academia, particularly in higher education. Specifically, this study aims…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to contribute to the existing literature on the importance of mentorship in academia, particularly in higher education. Specifically, this study aims to address the research gap related to academic mentorship from a gendered perspective. The Productive Mentoring Framework and relational–cultural theory theoretically support this study.
Design/methodology/approach
In this qualitative descriptive study, purposive sampling was used to recruit 19 participants for semi-structured interviews and a focus group. Two research questions guided this study: (1) How do individuals who identify as women describe the importance of mentorship in academia? (2) How do individuals who identify as women describe mentorship in academia from a gendered perspective? Using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis, a total of six themes emerged, with three themes identified for each of the two research questions from the data: (a) guidance and support, (b) personal and professional development, (c) inclusive and accountable relationships, (d) empathetic and supportive mentorship, (e) interpersonal connectivity and (f) gender empowerment and advocacy.
Findings
The research findings suggest that the participants held perceptions of gender disparity within academia. Additionally, empowering interpersonal relationships with other women and supportive environments were crucial in overcoming challenges and developing personally and professionally in higher education institutions. Future research is recommended to explore the perspectives of women supporting women and the perception of gender disparity in academia.
Research limitations/implications
While successfully addressing the research questions, this study has limitations. One limitation was that this study had a relatively small sample size of participants who identified as women, which limited the focus of this research. Another limitation was that interview and focus group participants did not mention working with mentors who fall outside the traditional binary of male and female. Finally, limitations can occur in qualitative research as there is potential bias in the data analysis process. However, member-checking and codebook verification were utilized to minimize this constraint.
Practical implications
There are practical implications from the research for mentoring practices in academia. Since the results indicated benefits to women, institutions could prioritize mentoring programs, especially pairing same-gender mentors and mentees. This helps new employees navigate academia. Mentoring fosters interpersonal connectivity, improving academic culture. By supporting mentoring relationships and professional friendships, leaders positively impact dynamics within institutions. Gender disparities and systemic barriers call for advocacy within higher education. Mentor training programs should address these issues, providing a platform for solutions. Administrators' awareness may support efforts to improve equity.
Originality/value
The study is original in its focus on academic mentorship from a gendered perspective, as described by women in academia, notably higher education.
Details