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1 – 10 of 10Over its almost 25 years of existence (1964–1988), the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS, or Centre) was chronically understaffed, at times thriving academically and…
Abstract
Over its almost 25 years of existence (1964–1988), the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS, or Centre) was chronically understaffed, at times thriving academically and politically, and all too often on the edge of closure. It however left a tangible trace in the history of academia and political activism, not only by laying the groundwork for a new research field, that of cultural studies, but also by having been a place of nearly constant pedagogical freedom and experimentation. By being a space of cooperation and confrontation both within and without, the Centre has been deeply influenced by political events and university reforms alike. It became a democratic space: guarding the walls of an unstable academic praxis, reinventing itself over and over, redefining its aims and objects, publishing ground-breaking research in the realm of social science and doing field work in constant relationship to left wing politics. This paper aims at situating the CCCS and analysing the ways in which it has invested the concept of fragmented powers: first, by replacing the Centre in the wider context of British post-war politics, then by retracing its steps alongside the evolution of the British university system over the second half of the 20th century and finally by examining its administrative, pedagogical and publishing practices, as so many instances of fragmented powers inside a university research study.
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Li Ding and Caifen Jiang
This study aims to explore the impact of tourists’ perceptions of two rural destination attractiveness dimensions on tourists’ environmentally responsible behavioral intentions…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the impact of tourists’ perceptions of two rural destination attractiveness dimensions on tourists’ environmentally responsible behavioral intentions (ERBI). Further, the mediating effects of tourists’ green self-identity on the relationship between the perception of rural destination attractiveness and ERBI are investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
This study collected survey data from 188 tourists who had visiting experiences in rural attractions located in the Guangdong Province of China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results found that rural destination specialty fresh food attractiveness perceived by tourists was positively associated with their ERBI. Moreover, tourists’ green self-identity positively mediated the perception of rural destination attractiveness and ERBI.
Originality/value
This study explains how the tourists’ perceptions of two rural destination attractiveness dimensions influence their ERBI. By exploring the mediating role of tourists’ green self-identity, this study also emphasizes the transforming mechanism from tourists’ perceived experience to their ERBI. The study provides insights into nature-based tourism destination management and sustainability practices.
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Burton A. Abrams and James L. Butkiewicz
Richard Nixon and his advisors were aware of the inherent economic problems of wage–price controls: suppressed inflation, shortages, biases, avoidance, cheating, etc. Nixon's…
Abstract
Richard Nixon and his advisors were aware of the inherent economic problems of wage–price controls: suppressed inflation, shortages, biases, avoidance, cheating, etc. Nixon's secret White House tapes reveal that Nixon disliked controls, never expecting them to extinguish inflation but only agreed to them to deflect attention from devaluation of the dollar. The political popularity of his controls changed his view of them, even producing a second freeze on retail prices in 1973. Importantly, the tapes reveal that Nixon pushed for inflationary monetary policies long after his 1972 reelection. Federal Reserve Chair, Arthur Burns, seemingly capitulated to Nixon's pressures by restraining interest rate increases in Federal Open Market Committee meetings. Politics won out over economics. Nixon and his advisors avoided addressing the reason for increasing inflation – the monetary expansion that Nixon pressured Arthur Burns to pursue in support of his 1972 re-election – an expansion that continued long after the election. This tragic policy failure was avoidable had the administration focused on controlling the true cause of the inflation.
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Joanna Radomska, Arkadiusz Kawa, Monika Hajdas, Patrycja Klimas and Susana C. Silva
Retail omnichannel implementation faces barriers hindering accurate and efficient integration across marketing channels. Our desk examination identified a need for a broader…
Abstract
Purpose
Retail omnichannel implementation faces barriers hindering accurate and efficient integration across marketing channels. Our desk examination identified a need for a broader perspective in investigating these barriers, moving away from a dominant, narrow approach. This research aims to develop a comprehensive set of items to measure retail omnichannel obstacles, refine the scale and assess its reliability and validity for a robust measurement tool.
Design/methodology/approach
Our approach combines quantitative and qualitative methods, using data from primary and secondary sources to create and validate the omnichannel obstacles scale.
Findings
This study emphasises the inclusive nature of retail functional areas, departing from prior literature that examined them in isolation. Instead of focussing on separate domains where retail omnichannel obstacles may arise, we adopt a holistic perspective by integrating previously disconnected elements.
Originality/value
We assert that challenges in retail omnichannel operations encompass three distinct dimensions: operational efficiency, channel inefficiency, and strategy and organisational culture within retailing. In our final validated measurement model, we consolidate the channel inefficiency dimension and refine the omnichannel obstacles scale to emphasise two areas of consideration.
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Christina Zacharia Hawatmeh, Iman Abu Hashish and Rawand Rami Alazzeh
This article aims to illuminate the gendered organisational structure of higher education in Jordan by collecting and analysing a national-level snapshot of the current…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to illuminate the gendered organisational structure of higher education in Jordan by collecting and analysing a national-level snapshot of the current distribution of women and men in leadership positions and academic ranks across Jordanian universities to pinpoint inequalities in specific levels and fields.
Design/methodology/approach
Grounded in gendered organisational theory, this study presents a snapshot of the gender composition of 10 public and 14 private universities in Jordan. The snapshot, collected in September 2022 from these universities’ websites, examines counts of male and female administrative leaders as well as academic staff across all ranks for all faculties in both STEM and liberal arts fields.
Findings
The distribution of women and men in leadership positions in universities across Jordan is highly unequal, with men outnumbering women in the uppermost positions by nearly 10:1. This gap decreases as the rank of positions decreases, indicative of a highly gendered organisational structure, with only three to four fields approaching gender parity.
Research limitations/implications
This paper offers a comprehensive and detailed quantitative foundation for researchers to investigate the underlying social, cultural, legal, political and economic factors perpetuating gender inequality in academia in Jordan and in comparative studies.
Practical implications
This study is relevant for targeting policies for advancing sustainable development goals, specifically 5.5, which aim at women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making.
Originality/value
This study provides the most detailed and extensive macro-level analysis of the gender composition of universities in Jordan.
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The purpose of this study is to determine the funding ratio of BRICS nations in various research areas. The leading funding institutions that support research in the developing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine the funding ratio of BRICS nations in various research areas. The leading funding institutions that support research in the developing world have also been researched.
Design/methodology/approach
This study involves the funding acknowledgment analysis of the data retrieved from the “Clarivate Analytics' InCites database” under “22 specific research areas” to determine whether the publication was funded.
Findings
This study shows that China achieves the highest funding ratio of 88.6%, followed by Brazil (73.74%), Russia (72.93%) and South Africa (70.94%). However, India has the lowest funding ratio of 58.2%. For the subject areas, the highest funding ratio is by microbiology in Russia (86.6%), India (84.3%) and China (96.9%) and space science in Brazil (93.7%) and South Africa (94.82%). However, economics and business achieves the lowest funding ratio in Brazil (38.6%), India (20.1%) and South Africa (30.24%). Moreover, the regional funding agencies are the leading research sponsors in the BRICS nations.
Practical implications
This study implies increasing the funding ratio across various research areas, including arts, humanities and social sciences. The nations, particularly India, also need to gear up sponsoring the research to improve the funding ratio for scientific development, bringing overall good.
Originality/value
This study efforts to show the status of countries and research subjects in terms of funding ratio and reveals the prominent funders working toward scientific growth.
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Wajhat Ali, Don Amila Sajeevan Samarasinghe, Zhenan Feng, Suzanne Wilkinson and James Olabode Bamidele Rotimi
This study identifies key challenges to adopting smart real estate (SRE) technologies and offers insights and recommendations to enhance decision-making for stakeholders…
Abstract
Purpose
This study identifies key challenges to adopting smart real estate (SRE) technologies and offers insights and recommendations to enhance decision-making for stakeholders, including buyers and property investors.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve the aim of the study, a rigorous research approach was employed, conducting an in-depth analysis of 41 academic papers utilising PRISMA guidelines and checklists. The chosen methodology also applies a PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological) framework to identify factors influencing technology adoption in the real estate sector.
Findings
The study uncovers critical challenges to adopting smart real estate technologies, such as regulatory ambiguity, high implementation costs, and societal resistance. PEST analysis reveals that unclear standards and guidelines, coupled with the high financial burden of technology implementation, are significant obstacles. Socially, resistance to change and difficulties in integrating new technologies are prevalent. The study also underscores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for predictive analytics and blockchain for secure transactions and records, though their adoption is currently hindered by inadequate infrastructure and regulatory challenges. These findings underscore the need for strategic interventions to address these challenges and facilitate the effective integration of advanced technologies in the real estate sector, thereby enhancing industry innovation and competitiveness.
Practical implications
The study offers insights for real estate stakeholders to embrace technology effectively, with a conceptual framework contributing to industry advancements.
Originality/value
The study’s key contribution is offering real estate stakeholders execution tactics and recommendations to navigate challenges and utilise technology, thereby driving industry innovation and enhancing competitiveness.
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Diogo Correia, João Lourenço Marques and Leonor Teixeira
Information and communication technologies brought a new paradigm that allows policymakers to ground their actions on real-time events. Smart cities were initially conceived as a…
Abstract
Purpose
Information and communication technologies brought a new paradigm that allows policymakers to ground their actions on real-time events. Smart cities were initially conceived as a technological vision separate from urban planning. As a result, projects were rarely connected between departments, objectives were not aligned with strategic goals and there was a lack of citizen participation. This study aims to propose a framework to guide and support the design and implementation of a smart city.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews with eight policymakers and one secretary of state are conducted to explore current decision-making processes, specifically, to understand if and how smart city strategies are designed and who their main contributors are. Based on these findings, an inductive thematic analysis of existing literature studies to inspire the steps of the proposed framework is performed. Finally, these steps are discussed in a focus group with nine smart city experts to characterize the guidelines comprehensively.
Findings
Policymakers confirmed the lack of a standard method and approach to orient their smart city strategies. Results describe a flexible, participatory framework that envisions 12 steps divided into 4 phases with dedicated guidelines.
Originality/value
This paper integrates the plan-do-check-act cycle approach into the thinking for urban planning design. In addition, it raises the need to reflect on the definition of a country’s strategic plan and the alignment and execution of cities’ roadmaps.
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Van Dai Nguyen and Thi Thuc Anh Phan
The purpose of the current study is to examine how market orientation mediates the impact of business ties and cultural embeddedness of products on product innovation among…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the current study is to examine how market orientation mediates the impact of business ties and cultural embeddedness of products on product innovation among Vietnamese artisan businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
The institutional logics perspective was applied to provide theoretical framework for hypotheses development and analysis of results. A sample of 214 artisan business owners in Northern Vietnam was created.
Findings
The findings of the current study revealed partial mediation effects of market orientation on the impact of business ties and cultural embeddedness of products on product innovation. On the one hand, the research findings showed that business ties have a direct positive impact on product while cultural embeddedness of products has a direct negative impact on product innovation. On the other hand, market orientation mediates the impacts of both business ties and cultural embeddedness on product innovation.
Research limitations/implications
This study did not consider the factors related to personal attributes (e.g. identity) as well as the broader context beyond the Northern Vietnam. Further, this study did not analyze how generational conflicts affect artisan innovation. That may limit the generalization of the research findings.
Practical implications
This paper offers recommendations for future research, government and managerial practices. Future studies can analyze how level of trust and the identity of business owners affect the extent to which firms innovate their products. Government can provide suitable support for the formation of business networks and culture-based groups to help artisan businesses address challenges facing their product innovation. Finally, artisan business owners can re-organize their business model to innovate product without encountering the resistance of cultural dimensions.
Originality/value
The application of the institutional logics helped further shed light on the impacts of business ties and cultural embeddedness on product innovation among artisan businesses. This field was often hidden in the existing literature under the cover of small businesses. The multilayered relationships between factors improved our understanding of organizational product innovation in a unique context of artisanship.
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Aleksandra Gaweł and Bartosz Marcinkowski
Immigrant integration through entrepreneurship is hindered by the prevalent informality of their ventures. This study aims to examine the factors influencing the formalisation of…
Abstract
Purpose
Immigrant integration through entrepreneurship is hindered by the prevalent informality of their ventures. This study aims to examine the factors influencing the formalisation of immigrant entrepreneurship, with special focus on those who are under the impact of the host country.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on a series of focus groups conducted among a total of 59 Ukrainian immigrants in Poland. Based on coding into first-order categories, second-order themes and aggregate dimensions, the authors created a model of immigrant entrepreneurship formalisation.
Findings
The results of the research included in the model show the groups of factors influencing the formalisation of immigrant entrepreneurship. Immigrants bring both their personal attitudes and embeddedness in their country of origin during immigration. Then, factors of the host country’s institutions, interactions between local authorities and local communities and the need for a new place of belonging interact in the formalisation process. Formal entrepreneurs, as a new identity for immigrants, are the result of the formalisation process.
Originality/value
The results not only focus on social capital or the institutional failures of formal and informal institutions in transforming immigrants into formal entrepreneurs, but we also recognise the individual aspect of the new identity as formal entrepreneurs and a new place of belonging. In addition, the authors distinguish the importance and interactions between local communities and local authorities in this process. The paper contributes to the theory of entrepreneurship, migrant study and institutional theory.
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