The very large number of books at present being issued relating to, or connected with the War, conclusively shows to what a great extent the intellectual as well as the material…
Abstract
The very large number of books at present being issued relating to, or connected with the War, conclusively shows to what a great extent the intellectual as well as the material strength of the nation is engrossed by the terrible struggle in which we are engaged. But without abating any of our own interest in the supreme events now taking place, we may well pause to remember that things will not always be thus, and consider carefully before we crowd our shelves with works that are in many cases of very ephemeral value.
John Sanders, Joanne Moore and Anna Mountford-Zimdars
This chapter provides an introduction to the problematic notion of teaching excellence in higher education, which is a focus of this collection. It draws on an extensive review of…
Abstract
This chapter provides an introduction to the problematic notion of teaching excellence in higher education, which is a focus of this collection. It draws on an extensive review of relevant literature to explore how teaching excellence is defined and conceptualised and what factors underpin different conceptions. It notes that definitions are disparate, often context-specific and are influenced by a range of different ‘players’. It then examines how different conceptualisations play out at the macro, meso and micro levels and highlights the tensions between performative and transformative notions of teaching excellence. It notes the move from ‘surface’ to ‘deep’ excellence and efforts to articulate a more holistic conception of teaching excellence that emphasises the relational, emotional and moral dimensions of teaching. It suggests that, rather than seeking singular definitions and conceptions, it may be more useful to talk of ‘teaching excellences’, to reflect a stratified and plural sector, a diverse student body and different disciplinary families. Equally, it argues for further investigation of the intersections of teaching excellence with other key drivers of institutional change, such as student engagement and well-being, inclusion and diversity, widening participation and retention and success.
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Presents the results of a first research survey of consulting firmswithin the United Kingdom. Examines the usefulness of knowledge typologyas a way of categorizing firms and the…
Abstract
Presents the results of a first research survey of consulting firms within the United Kingdom. Examines the usefulness of knowledge typology as a way of categorizing firms and the differences, if any, between the firms. Explores the firms′ sources of knowledge, knowledge networks, transfer of knowledge or expertise, and consultant knowledge and skills. Discusses the implications of the survey and presents an agenda for action which comprises of future research into the usefulness of the typologies. Concludes by saying that a more precise instrument is needed to classify parts of organizations as well as the whole and there is a need to examine the particular problems of managing a consultancy firm.
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Signs are not wanting that the policy we have so often urged in these pages, that the present is the appropriate time for all public libraries to pay strict and systematic…
Abstract
Signs are not wanting that the policy we have so often urged in these pages, that the present is the appropriate time for all public libraries to pay strict and systematic attention to their collections upon science and its technological and industrial applications, is being adopted by several libraries. An interesting example is that of Richmond, where a special “trades” section is to be formed having as its purpose the collecting and segregating of industrial literature, and Aberdeen has formed a sub‐committee to revise its collections similarly. No librarian believes there is anything novel in either case, since the competent librarian is continually reviewing his collections with the object of replacing obsolete works; but the public particularising of the technology sections is at the moment a policy the wisdom of which cannot be gainsaid. Moreover, numbers of books on important, but little understood, industries are coming from the press at present, and an unusual alertness is necessary to prevent them passing out of notice. Further, definite advertising of the books was never more desirable. In this connexion we have not seen any recent lists more calculated to serve the purpose than those issued by the Coventry Public Libraries, and not their least virtue is their unpretentious character— they are single leaflets with brief library information, a carefully selected set of titles, and an invitation to manufacturers, artisans and other readers to use the telephone in their search for information. We do not suppose that a very great number will avail themselves of the privileges these collections and bulletins offer; but it is all‐important that they should exist. A keen publicity spirit, which is not ashamed of or deterred by lack of visible results, is required now in order to reach the employer and the young worker in particular. Many methods suggest themselves: Lists posted at workshops, special catalogues such as that issued by Gateshead, bulletins such as those at Coventry, even visits from the librarian to the various factories, workshops, business houses and schools. Some of these have been tried, we know, but the circumstances of two years ago are not those of to‐day; and, if results were discouraging in the past, they need not be so now; and, in any case, new efforts should be made.
John Beech, Simon Horsman and Jamie Magraw
This paper identifies five types of insolvency in English football: clubs that have failed to cope with relegation; failed to pay monies due to the UK government; seen 'soft…
Abstract
This paper identifies five types of insolvency in English football: clubs that have failed to cope with relegation; failed to pay monies due to the UK government; seen 'soft debts' become 'hard debts'; lost the ownership of their stadium; or have been 'repeat offenders'. As the second of a three-phase research project, the paper concludes with an indication of the final phase research and implications of the findings so far for other professional sports.
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Malcolm J. Beynon, Paul Jones, Gary Packham and David Pickernell
The purpose of this paper is to investigate student motivation for undertaking an entrepreneurship education programme and their ultimate employment aspirations through a novel…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate student motivation for undertaking an entrepreneurship education programme and their ultimate employment aspirations through a novel data mining technique. The study considered what relationship certain motivation characteristics have to students’ aspirations, specifically in terms of their intention to be self-employed or employed.
Design/methodology/approach
The study examined enrolment data of 720 students on an entrepreneurial education programme, with work statuses of full-time, part-time or unemployed and have known aspirations to either employment or self-employment. The Classification and Ranking Belief Simplex (CaRBS) technique is employed in the classification analyses undertaken, which offers an uncertain reasoning based visual approach to the exposition of findings.
Findings
The classification findings demonstrate the level of contribution of the different motivations to the discernment of students with self-employed and employed aspirations. The most contributing aspirations were Start-Up, Interests and Qualifications. For these aspirations, further understanding is provided with respect to gender and student age (in terms of the association with aspirations towards self-employed or employed). For example, with respect to Start-Up, the older the unemployed student, the increasing association with employment rather than self-employment career aspirations.
Research limitations/implications
The study identifies candidate motivation and the demographic profile for student's undertaking an entrepreneurial education programme. Knowing applicant aspirations should inform course design, pedagogy and its inherent flexibility and recognise the specific needs of certain student groups.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature examining motivations for undertaking entrepreneurship education and categorising motivating factors. These findings will be of value to both education providers and researchers.
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In this chapter, I present the scientific pillar of the project. Given the political proposal that informs the book, it is necessary for me to show why and how such an activist…
Abstract
Summary
In this chapter, I present the scientific pillar of the project. Given the political proposal that informs the book, it is necessary for me to show why and how such an activist endeavour as I propose produces valid and reliable knowledge. To this end, I deal with the historical debate about the role of the intellectual in society based on the ideal types of the neutral expert and the academic activist introduced in Chapter 2.
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The purpose of this paper is to compare and discuss the evolution of six important management systems: Japanese Total Quality Control (JTQC), Total Quality Management (TQM)…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare and discuss the evolution of six important management systems: Japanese Total Quality Control (JTQC), Total Quality Management (TQM), Deming's system of profound knowledge, Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Lean Thinking and Six Sigma. Indeed, the contribution of this paper lies in the concurrent analysis and classification, by the means of a literature review, of the results and critical implementation factors of the six systems. Deming's Plan‐Do‐Check‐Act (PDCA) has been used to classify the findings from the literature review.
Design/methodology/approach
The research methodology is based on a literature review. The literature review has been carried out for each single system, trying subsequently to compare and discuss the results.
Findings
Inside the six systems, nine common factors have been found and proposed. They are: results and benefits; management style; deployment of the system; employee management, deployment and participation; voice of the customer; tools, techniques and IT; optimisation of the system; day‐by‐day check and control of the results and review of the system.
Research limitations/implications
This paper presents some limits due to the fact that it is based on a literature review. This implies that more research about the findings should be carried out: TQM in Western companies, Six Sigma that could have substituted TQM, Six Sigma and TQM in Japan, Deming's system developments and the influence of the Japanese style on Lean Six Sigma.
Originality/value
For the first time a paper tries to compare and discuss the six most important systems dedicated to quality and operations improvement.
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WE note that Llandudno has appointed as librarian a lady whose principal qualifications appear to be that “during the war she served as a V.A.D. nurse at Llandudno and Bristol.”…
Abstract
WE note that Llandudno has appointed as librarian a lady whose principal qualifications appear to be that “during the war she served as a V.A.D. nurse at Llandudno and Bristol.” We have every admiration for the services rendered by the lady during the war. She may be a qualified nurse, but is she a qualified librarian? We make no further comment except to say that it is a pity that her nursing qualifications are given so much prominence and that her library abilities are secondary. Personally, we prefer a certificated librarian to a certificated nurse for a library, and vice versa for a hospital!
Lorna Collins, Paul D. Hannon and Alison Smith
Provides a review of the gap between student's entrepreneurial needs and aspirations and the entrepreneurship education offerings within higher education institutions (HEIs) in…
Abstract
Provides a review of the gap between student's entrepreneurial needs and aspirations and the entrepreneurship education offerings within higher education institutions (HEIs) in Leicestershire, UK. Utilises data from three surveys of university fresher students, held in 2001. Uses the findings as the basis to assess the gap between fresher students' entrepreneurial needs and aspirations and the capability of HEIs to meet them. Draws on multiple surveys from universities in Leicestershire and so will be of relevance to other HEIs with similar student demographics. Fulfils a need to take a strategic review of how HEIs can develop the capability to meet the entrepreneurial needs of new students in supporting their future aspirations.
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Jinzhong Li, Ming Cong, Dong Liu and Yu Du
Robots face fundamental challenges in achieving reliable and stable operations for complex home service scenarios. This is one of the crucial topics of robotics methods to imitate…
Abstract
Purpose
Robots face fundamental challenges in achieving reliable and stable operations for complex home service scenarios. This is one of the crucial topics of robotics methods to imitate human beings’ advanced cognitive characteristics and apply them to solve complex tasks. The purpose of this study is to enable robots to have the ability to understand the scene and task process in complex scenes and to provide a reference method for robot task programming in complex scenes.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper constructs a task modeling method for robots in complex environments based on the characteristics of the perception-motor memory model of human cognition. In the aspect of episodic memory construction, the task execution process is included in the category of qualitative spatio-temporal calculus. The topology interaction of objects in a task scenario is used to define scene attributes. The task process can be regarded as changing scene attributes on a time scale. The qualitative spatio-temporal activity graphs are used to analyze the change process of the object state with time during the robot task execution. The tasks are divided according to the different values of scene attributes at different times during task execution. Based on this, in procedural memory, an object-centered motion model is developed by analyzing the changes in the relationship between objects in the scene episode by analyzing the scene changes before and after the robot performs the actions. Finally, the task execution process of the robot is constructed by alternately reconstructing episodic memory and procedural memory.
Findings
To verify the applicability of the proposed model, a scenario where the robot combines the object (one of the most common tasks in-home service) is set up. The proposed method can obtain the landscape of robot tasks in a complex environment.
Originality/value
The robot can achieve high-level task programming through the alternating interpretation of scenarios and actions. The proposed model differs from traditional methods based on geometric or physical feature information. However, it focuses on the spatial relationship of objects, which is more similar to the cognitive mechanism of human understanding of the environment.
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Eiddwen Thomas and Shanaz Dorkenoo
Both authors have been involved as lay members in research and other activities for a number of years, ensuring they represent the views of members of the public. This chapter…
Abstract
Both authors have been involved as lay members in research and other activities for a number of years, ensuring they represent the views of members of the public. This chapter identifies what is, and what is not, patient and public involvement as well as highlighting the importance of involving members of the public in all aspects of the research process. Best practice is explored as identified in the UK Standards for Public Involvement 2019 and the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research 2020. The implications of the Mental Capacity Act and its wording on research matters are also considered. Case studies have been incorporated to highlight the impact of involving patients and members of the public in all aspects of the research process. These include the lessons learnt by researchers and lay members of the team. The aspiration is to move towards more collaboration between members of the public and researchers; therefore, we discuss co-production of research or community-based participatory research (CBPR). We highlight the need for a better partnership between researchers and members of the public. The benefits of this are explored along with the consequences for all involved.
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Cathy Beaudoin, Nandini Chandar and Edward M. Werner
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the significant clustering of defined benefit (DB) pension plan freeze announcements during 2001‐2006 is motivated at least in part…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the significant clustering of defined benefit (DB) pension plan freeze announcements during 2001‐2006 is motivated at least in part by accounting concerns due to the Financial Accounting Standards Board's pending adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 158 (SFAS 158).
Design/methodology/approach
Using logistic regression models, the paper compares 147 “freeze firms” with a matched sample of firms that did not announce a DB plan freeze. Empirical models control for other DB plan motives including as a response to stricter contribution requirements under the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and improving the firm's competitive position.
Findings
The potential SFAS 158 impact is significantly associated with firms' decisions to freeze their DB plans. Firm profitability is also significantly associated with the freeze decision. However, there is no significant association between cash flow positions or pension plan contributions and the freeze decision.
Research limitations/implications
It is possible that economic conditions adversely affecting the funded status of DB plans also motivate the freeze decision. While this study controls for the economic environment, economic factors could exacerbate the potential effect of SFAS 158.
Originality/value
This paper considers potential effects of accounting policy by examining its influence on real management actions and has consequences for a variety of stakeholders including investors, creditors, and, importantly, pension beneficiaries and workers, as DB plans represent implicit contracts between firms and their employees.
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The critical budgetting month of March is over, and we are at liberty to glance at the general position of libraries in regard to finance. As we anticipated, certain retrenchments…
Abstract
The critical budgetting month of March is over, and we are at liberty to glance at the general position of libraries in regard to finance. As we anticipated, certain retrenchments have been effected in the form of reduced contributions from municipal rates, but while these have been regrettable they have in no case been so drastic as utterly to cripple the libraries involved. The unfortunate circumstance in the matter is the haphazard way in which reductions are made. An example worth quoting of this kind occurred at Ealing, where a councillor moved successfully that the appropriation for libraries be reduced to £1,500, without specifying in what directions economies were to be effected, or troubling himself about the working of a system of libraries upon this manifestly inadequate sum; but, after all, to tilt at haphazard methods is to tilt at British character. Naturally, the old exploded arguments against public libraries were advanced in various discussions, as at Croydon, where a councillor stated that the librarian's hours were spent “in handing novels to servant girls, who had nothing better to do,” a statement which he must have known to be untrue; but such arguments have met with small success, and on the whole the libraries have been supported.
Chris Oliver and Peter Aggleton
This paper examines some issues that arise from recent research on mentoring across a range of professional settings including teaching, nursing, medicine and social work. It…
Abstract
This paper examines some issues that arise from recent research on mentoring across a range of professional settings including teaching, nursing, medicine and social work. It discusses different models of mentoring and their potential relevance to the professional development of specialists and non‐specialists involved in health promotion. It recommends the development of an agreed and clear operational definition of what mentoring is and what it is expected to achieve, a policy framework so that those in mentoring relationships are aware of aims and expectations, good “fit” between the underlying ethos of health promotion and the model of mentoring adopted and proper resources and administration. It also suggests that mentoring schemes need the support of senior managers, clear arrangements for the recruitment, training and support of mentors, careful consideration of the basis upon which mentors and mentees are matched, and ground rules for the mentoring relationship, including those relating to confidentiality.
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This article describes the practical steps needed to establish and maintain patients on clozapine within secure psychiatric services, particularly where patients have a history of…
Abstract
This article describes the practical steps needed to establish and maintain patients on clozapine within secure psychiatric services, particularly where patients have a history of non‐adherence to treatment. The role of psychiatric nurses in creating a climate of therapeutic optimism is stressed. A number of techniques which optimise adherence are described.
Aubrey R. Fowler and Clifford A. Lipscomb
Much of the research into the development of home within the business literature has looked at home as a setting or a construct instead of as a process. Additionally, extant…
Abstract
Purpose
Much of the research into the development of home within the business literature has looked at home as a setting or a construct instead of as a process. Additionally, extant research has explored the process of homebuilding within the context of homeownership, often defining home in terms of a place that is owned by the individual living in it. However, nearly 30 percent of all housing units in which people live are rented spaces that are owned by others not living there. The purpose of this paper is to examine homebuilding as a process that can and often does occur in properties that the individual does not own.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a phenomenological approach, in‐depth interviews with renters lead to the development of a conceptual model of how renters build a sense of “home.”
Findings
The paper finds that though ownership does play a part in some individuals' sense of home, apartment dwellers often are able to build a “home” within an apartment context.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of the research include the small sample size; however, the process resulting from a small size may be used to develop hypotheses for future quantitative research.
Practical implications
The process outlined here may provide apartment communities and managers with insight into how they may retain tenants.
Originality/value
This paper focuses on an understanding of home that removes the notion of ownership from its definition, providing insight into how consumers build a sense of home in places they may not be able to physically alter.
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Jamil Razmak and Wejdan Farhan
The purpose of this study was threefold: to trace the extent to which digital transformation strategies are being implemented in organizations; to statistically measure, validate…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was threefold: to trace the extent to which digital transformation strategies are being implemented in organizations; to statistically measure, validate, predict and examine how digital leaders perceive a synthesized digital transformation model (DTM); and to explore whether leaders with different demographic characteristics perceive the DTM similarly.
Design/methodology/approach
The study authors surveyed 778 leaders/managers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to assess the synthetized DTM consisting of four dimensions and nine perception constructs that represent how leaders manage employees in a digital environment. The survey questions were adapted from the 2014 Westerman leading digital book published in Harvard business press.
Findings
The general findings revealed that UAE organizations that were already in the digital transformation stage before COVID-19 reacted and responded extremely quickly to speed up the implementation of their respective digital transformation strategies. We concluded that our proposed and synthetized DTM is valid and predictable, and can be adapted to trace the stages of digital transformation by leaders. A positive relationship was found between the DTM’s four dimensions and their related constructs as perceived by the leaders, regardless of differences in their demographic characteristics.
Originality/value
The synthesized digital transformation model is unique in that the authors believe there is no other research that purports to synthesize, validate and correlate using the digital transformation campus dimensions and its related constructs, reflecting leaders' perceptions toward adopting this campus. As well, this is the first UAE study to explore and compare the perspectives of leaders on their digital practices after COVID-19 in a country that has an established IT infrastructure.
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The purpose of the paper is to present evidence on the impact of enterprise education on young people still at school in London, UK. The study was designed to measure the effect…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to present evidence on the impact of enterprise education on young people still at school in London, UK. The study was designed to measure the effect of participation in a Young Enterprise (YE) Company Program on young people's attitudes toward starting a business, and on their enterprise potential.
Design/methodology/approach
A longitudinal pre and post test design was used, with a sample of 276 young people. A control group provided a method of isolating the impact of the programme and was used as a test for self‐selection bias. An attitudes to enterprise test was administered at the start of the programme and again at the end, nine months later.
Findings
It was found that participation does have a positive impact on young people's enterprise potential, however this is moderated by other factors such as gender, ethnicity, socio‐economic background and type of school attended.
Research limitations/implications
The paper demonstrates the added value of a longitudinal design and the use of a control group. The relatively small sample size limited the extent of multivariate analysis that could be carried out.
Practical implications
The paper provides an example of a robust evaluation methodology for the evaluation of enterprise education programmes in schools.
Social implications
The paper highlights the importance of context in the delivery of enterprise education. The impact of enterprise programmes is likely to be moderated by a number of other factors such as socio‐economic background.
Originality/value
The paper cautions against a one‐size fits all approach to enterprise education, and is relevant to policy makers and providers. The research design used attempted to overcome some of the criticisms often made of evaluations studies.
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Luiz Philipi Calegari, Barkokebas R.D. and Diego Castro Fettermann
The evolution of e-health technologies presents promising alternatives for health-care excellence. Despite the benefits arising from mobile e-health (m-health) and wearables…
Abstract
Purpose
The evolution of e-health technologies presents promising alternatives for health-care excellence. Despite the benefits arising from mobile e-health (m-health) and wearables technologies, the literature stands many contradictories signs regarding how users accept and engage in using these technologies. This study aims to synthesize the estimations about m-health user acceptance technologies.
Design/methodology/approach
A meta-analytic structural equation modeling was carried out using the 778 relationships estimated by 100 previous research. The estimations follow the relations and constructs proposed in the UTAUT2 technological acceptance model.
Findings
The results indicate the performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and habit constructs are most important for predicting the behavioral intention of use of m-health technologies. The Latin American users of e-health technologies are still underestimated in the literature.
Originality/value
The study presents a guide to understanding the acceptance process of m-health technologies and delivers a general orientation for developing new m-health devices considering their acceptance by users.
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The purpose of this paper is to critically discuss state inaction on and NGO responses to the hidden problem of youth disengagement in the form of social withdrawal.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to critically discuss state inaction on and NGO responses to the hidden problem of youth disengagement in the form of social withdrawal.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on data drawn from six focus groups of social workers working with youths experiencing the problem of social withdrawal and another 30 individual interviews with service users having had this vulnerable background.
Findings
Substantiated with empirical findings, the paper argues that young people in social withdrawal characterized by their socially avoidant behavior and deprivation of an engagement status as a worker, student or trainee are largely invisible to the state because of the latter's insensitivity to the heterogeneity and diversity of disengaged youth and reproduction of the anti‐social notion of at‐risk youth. A flexible and tailor‐made strategy initiated by an NGO is argued to be more effective in meeting the needs of silently‐disengaged young people.
Originality/value
This paper critically examines state inaction on the problem of youth disengagement in the form of social withdrawal and argues the importance of adopting a flexible and tailor‐made strategy with regard to both outreaching and service provision efforts.
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This paper describes the origin and work of an independent research and development facility whose role is to catalyse the development of broadband applications for education. The…
Abstract
This paper describes the origin and work of an independent research and development facility whose role is to catalyse the development of broadband applications for education. The paper describes how a three pronged approach is helping content developers understand the opportunities and make use of good research and practice in learning to develop the kinds of application that make use of emergent technologies, creative skills of the media industry and of educational thinkers, practitioners and researchers. Media streaming in itself does not make a contribution to education, and owners and developers of such technology need to develop a dialogue with other actors. This paper describes one such actor that works to catalyse and mediate between the many actors that are needed to make successful experiences and provides two concrete examples of activities that are providing a demand for streaming.
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Soviet, Polish, European, American and British civil and military craft will be displayed — and flying — at Helitech 91, the international helicopter technology and operations…
Abstract
Soviet, Polish, European, American and British civil and military craft will be displayed — and flying — at Helitech 91, the international helicopter technology and operations exhibition being held at Redhill, Surrey, UK, now known as the ‘Farnborough’ of the helicopter world.
Donia M. Bettaieb and Reem Alsabban
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the compulsory quarantine of many of the world's inhabitants, and by staying at home, several functional developments emerged in residential…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the compulsory quarantine of many of the world's inhabitants, and by staying at home, several functional developments emerged in residential spaces in Jeddah that affected the role of the house as a contributor to individuals' quality of life under the pressures of quarantine. Given the necessity of the apartments to adapt to these emerging developments, this study explores the determinants associated with the flexibility of residential apartments by looking at the extent to which they meet the new psychological, social and cultural roles required by their users post-COVID-19.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative approach (1) extracted concepts related to the flexibility of housing from the available literature and (2) extrapolated the flexibility of the residential apartments from the participants' study (12 families) in different areas of Jeddah by analyzing the results of targeted interviews.
Findings
There is a gap in the participant's understanding of the quality of housing and the level of satisfaction with a housing design that differs before and after their quarantine experience. The participant's adaptation to self-quarantine was mainly through furniture distribution, and housing flexibility was less reliant on the physical transformation of the place than on the change in the inhabitants' perceptions. There was an indication that the deficiencies of flexibility in design relates to the functional, cultural and structural aspects of residential buildings.
Originality/value
This study generated suggestions to develop the foundations for flexible housing design and activate its role under the post-quarantine context according to social and cultural variables. Some proposals should become future requirements for residential apartments to benefit officials and stakeholders to develop housing flexibility.
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Joan Ballantine and Patricia McCourt Larres
The objective of this study is two‐fold. First, it provides guidance to educators and trainers on establishing a cooperative learning environment. Second, it examines final‐year…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this study is two‐fold. First, it provides guidance to educators and trainers on establishing a cooperative learning environment. Second, it examines final‐year undergraduate accounting students' opinions on the effectiveness of a cooperative learning environment in delivering generic skills for their future professional accountancy careers. In particular, the study examines relative perceptions of effectiveness between students of differing academic abilities.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was administered to elicit students' views on whether they believed cooperative learning had enhanced their generic skills development. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and Mann‐Whitney U tests of differences.
Findings
Students found the cooperative learning approach beneficial in developing their generic skills. Further, no significant differences were found between the perceptions of the less and more able students.
Research limitations/implications
The study addresses perceptions of the benefits derived from cooperative learning rather than measuring benefits using an objective measure of achievement. Therefore, an interesting extension of this work would be to chart changes in personal development as a consequence of implementing cooperative learning over a number of years.
Practical implications
The findings provide some level of assurance for educators in accounting and other vocational disciplines that students of different academic abilities believe they have enhanced their generic skills as a result of engaging in cooperative learning.
Originality/value
This paper provides guidance to educators on establishing a cooperative learning environment and provides empirical evidence on its contribution to the enhancement of generic skills.
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The aim of this study is to identify some of the reasons for the failure of firms, particularly within the licensed trade, so as to offer some advice to assist practitioners. This…
Abstract
The aim of this study is to identify some of the reasons for the failure of firms, particularly within the licensed trade, so as to offer some advice to assist practitioners. This will be done by a review of the general literature on business failure, looking particularly the small and micro‐business. The trading conditions within the public house sector are examined, and the importance of business knowledge is recognised. In addition, several people who have experienced serious financial problems have offered their comments. These include one owner of a free house who was obliged to close the doors; two tenants and one lessee whose businesses were repossessed; one lessee who suffered serious financial difficulties but survived, and a wholesaler who went into receivership. It is not suggested that these are representative of the trade as a whole. However, an expert in insolvency, with much experience of pub failure, added his views, so that some conclusions could be drawn.
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This paper aims to give a picture of the entrepreneurship education programs currently provided in Hong Kong secondary schools, to present teachers' evaluations of the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to give a picture of the entrepreneurship education programs currently provided in Hong Kong secondary schools, to present teachers' evaluations of the effectiveness of the programs offered, and to point out the factors that hinder the development of entrepreneurship education in Hong Kong secondary schools.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire about entrepreneurship education was designed and piloted and then faxed to all Hong Kong secondary schools, inviting teachers teaching business related subjects and those in charge of extra‐curricular activities to complete it. One hundred and twenty‐eight usable questionnaires were received, which gave a valid response rate of 31 percent. Close‐ended and multiple‐choice questions were adopted to maintain readability of the questionnaire and encourage participation. As the participants of the quantitative research did not have the opportunity to elaborate their responses, in‐depth phone interviews were conducted.
Findings
Half of all respondents reported the presence of entrepreneurship education in one form or another at their schools. Of the remaining respondents, nearly 80 percent said their schools were not planning to implement entrepreneurship programs. Around 70 percent of the schools running entrepreneurship programs had more than three years' experience in entrepreneurship education, and forty‐three percent had even been running these programs for more than 5 years. The survey revealed that schools tended to take a comprehensive approach in delivering entrepreneurship education.
Originality/value
This study shows that entrepreneurship programs in Hong Kong are largely similar to those in the West in terms of objectives of provision, content and teaching strategies.
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Michael Clark, Michelle Cornes, Michela Tinelli, Jo Coombes, Stan Burridge, Raphael Wittenberg, Jess Carlisle and Jess Harris
People experiencing homelessness often have multiple health and other support needs, requiring complex, coordinated support. Admission to hospital is potentially an opportunity to…
Abstract
Purpose
People experiencing homelessness often have multiple health and other support needs, requiring complex, coordinated support. Admission to hospital is potentially an opportunity to address these needs and begin integrating care, but so often it is a missed one. Our purpose in this research was to evaluate an ongoing, roll-out programme that offered government funding to 17 “test sites” across England to develop integrated care as part of post-discharge “step-down” support. In this paper, we examine senior stakeholder experiences of seeking to implement integrated care as part of specialist step-down care.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, we focus on data collected in interviews with key stakeholders (N = 10) who managed the mobilisation of local out of hospital care models for people experiencing homelessness. Interviews were conducted and analysed from a relational perspective, that is focusing on relationships between interactants, through which, for example, identities, understanding and integrating practice emerge.
Findings
A relational perspective on the data provides insights to better understand the complexity of integrating care at the point of hospital discharge for people experiencing homelessness.
Research limitations/implications
Although in depth, the data were limited to certain perspectives on the issues. Other perspectives and data collection from in-depth study of case sites would be invaluable in developing the empirical evidence base for a relational understanding of integrating care.
Practical implications
A relational perspective highlights the emergent and ongoing nature of integrating care in this context of support for people experiencing homelessness. The need for different system agents to work to be constantly enacting the desired support is crucial to understanding future system changes for integrating care.
Originality/value
This is the first paper developing a relational analysis of integrating care. It highlights a different theoretical perspective on the issues and important insights.
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Asha Sukumaran and Thomas Brindha
The humans are gifted with the potential of recognizing others by their uniqueness, in addition with more other demographic characteristics such as ethnicity (or race), gender and…
Abstract
Purpose
The humans are gifted with the potential of recognizing others by their uniqueness, in addition with more other demographic characteristics such as ethnicity (or race), gender and age, respectively. Over the decades, a vast count of researchers had undergone in the field of psychological, biological and cognitive sciences to explore how the human brain characterizes, perceives and memorizes faces. Moreover, certain computational advancements have been developed to accomplish several insights into this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper intends to propose a new race detection model using face shape features. The proposed model includes two key phases, namely. (a) feature extraction (b) detection. The feature extraction is the initial stage, where the face color and shape based features get mined. Specifically, maximally stable extremal regions (MSER) and speeded-up robust transform (SURF) are extracted under shape features and dense color feature are extracted as color feature. Since, the extracted features are huge in dimensions; they are alleviated under principle component analysis (PCA) approach, which is the strongest model for solving “curse of dimensionality”. Then, the dimensional reduced features are subjected to deep belief neural network (DBN), where the race gets detected. Further, to make the proposed framework more effective with respect to prediction, the weight of DBN is fine tuned with a new hybrid algorithm referred as lion mutated and updated dragon algorithm (LMUDA), which is the conceptual hybridization of lion algorithm (LA) and dragonfly algorithm (DA).
Findings
The performance of proposed work is compared over other state-of-the-art models in terms of accuracy and error performance. Moreover, LMUDA attains high accuracy at 100th iteration with 90% of training, which is 11.1, 8.8, 5.5 and 3.3% better than the performance when learning percentage (LP) = 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80%, respectively. More particularly, the performance of proposed DBN + LMUDA is 22.2, 12.5 and 33.3% better than the traditional classifiers DCNN, DBN and LDA, respectively.
Originality/value
This paper achieves the objective detecting the human races from the faces. Particularly, MSER feature and SURF features are extracted under shape features and dense color feature are extracted as color feature. As a novelty, to make the race detection more accurate, the weight of DBN is fine tuned with a new hybrid algorithm referred as LMUDA, which is the conceptual hybridization of LA and DA, respectively.
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Matthew Draycott and David Rae
The period 2002‐2010 has seen significant growth in enterprise education in schools in England, accompanied by the growth of guidelines and frameworks to provide educational and…
Abstract
Purpose
The period 2002‐2010 has seen significant growth in enterprise education in schools in England, accompanied by the growth of guidelines and frameworks to provide educational and assessment structures. This paper intends to explore the questions: What does “enterprise” mean in the context of 14‐19 education? What is the purpose and contribution of competence frameworks and related structures for the learning and assessment of enterprise education? How effective are they? and How might enterprise education frameworks evolve in response to changes in the post‐ recessionary economic, employment and educational landscape?
Design/methodology/approach
The paper conducts a critical review of competency frameworks introduced in England to assist with enterprise education primarily for the 14‐19 age group. These are compared on the basis of their educational purpose and rationale (“why?”), their content (“what skills and knowledge they include”), and the approaches to teaching, learning and assessment they recommend (“how?”).
Findings
The analysis discusses the following questions to reflect on the progress and direction of enterprise education: How broadly or narrowly should enterprise be defined? How useful is the term? Are the skills and related knowledge and attributes too broad or too soft?; and Is there too much emphasis on assessable outcomes, rather than on how enterprising learning takes place?
Practical implications
The paper contributes to the development of enterprise education for researchers, policymakers and practitioners in schools at an important point in the economic, educational and political cycle.
Originality/value
Enterprise education in schools requires critique of and reflection on what has been achieved, together with consideration of its future purpose, value, orientation and nature. There is a concern that the “delivery” of enterprise education takes place in ways which are not “enterprising” forms of learning, and that assessment drives the curriculum. Changes to definitions, frameworks and pedagogy are needed to clarify its future educational role.
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George J. Avlonitis, Athanassios Kouremenos and Nicos Tzokas
Presents research which: introduces a new multidimensional concept ofthe innovativeness of organizations; develops an approach for itsmeasurement involving a cross‐section of…
Abstract
Presents research which: introduces a new multidimensional concept of the innovativeness of organizations; develops an approach for its measurement involving a cross‐section of innovations adopted by multiple organizations in multiple industries; identifies different economic, organizational/managerial, industry specific and governmental/legislation and infrastructure factors which influence the various dimensions of the innovativeness of organizations; and suggests how this alternative approach can be used for the better understanding of the concept of the innovativeness of organizations and its applied context within the marketing discipline.
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Firms involved in international business are affected by many crisis andcrisis‐like events not generally associated with normal operations.Crisis management provides a business…
Abstract
Firms involved in international business are affected by many crisis and crisis‐like events not generally associated with normal operations. Crisis management provides a business firm with a systematic, orderly response to crisis situations. Many crises can be prevented – or at least coped with more effectively – through early detection. The real challenge is not just to recognize crises, but to recognize them in a timely fashion and with a will to address the issues they represent. A crisis in an international business firm can consist of as many as four different and distinct phases: prodromal crisis stage, acute crisis stage, chronic crisis stage and crisis resolution stage. Recognizing these phases, and dealing with them effectively, gives the business manager an important edge in addressing issues of importance to the organization.
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The paper deals with the mode of film formation from urea–formaldehyde and melamine–formaldehyde resins combined with alkyd resin based on castor oil‐modified alkyd. The…
Abstract
The paper deals with the mode of film formation from urea–formaldehyde and melamine–formaldehyde resins combined with alkyd resin based on castor oil‐modified alkyd. The properties of hardened coatings (such as hardness, chemical stability, and adhesion to substrate) were followed in dependence on the ratios of reaction components. An apparatus was built for measuring the formaldehyde emissions escaping from the solid coating films. The determination was performed by the pararosaniline method. The addition of imidazolidine in a concentration up to 10 per cent can reduce the emissions of formaldehyde escaping from the solid films to a considerable amount.
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Marie-Claude Lallier Beaudoin, Irène Samson, Émilie Dionne and Pierre-Yves Kusion
The field of organizational consulting is often criticized for the lack of data supporting the practice and limited understanding of individual characteristics required for…
Abstract
Purpose
The field of organizational consulting is often criticized for the lack of data supporting the practice and limited understanding of individual characteristics required for consultants to make a positive impact on organizations. The aims of this study were (1) to identify existing evidence on consultants’ knowledge, skills, abilities and other personal attributes (KSAO) related to organizational consulting effectiveness and (2) to lay the foundation of an empirically derived competency framework for effective consulting.
Design/methodology/approach
A scoping review of scientific peer-reviewed papers published between 1973 and 2023 and exploring attributes of the consultant related to consulting effectiveness was carried out among three academic databases and one consulting-specific journal. Content analysis was conducted in NVivo using an inductive/deductive approach.
Findings
In total, 32 single individual characteristics were extracted from 13 empirical papers and organized into 3 broad categories: (1) knowledge, (2) skills and abilities, and (3) other personal attributes. Results showed that skills and abilities have received the most attention from scholars, emphasizing the importance for consulting training programs to focus on the development of process-related and relational skills. Knowledge and personal attributes, including personality traits, were marked by a paucity of research.
Originality/value
The findings laid the foundation of a first data-based competency model for consulting effectiveness, useful for both researchers and practitioners. The current review identified gaps in the literature and highlighted opportunities for consolidating research in the field of organizational consulting.
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Shahd A.A. Alsayari, Rehab F.M. Ali, Sami A. Althwab and Mona S. Almujaydil
This study aims to assess the oxidative stability of avocado oil (AO) at various temperatures, using butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as an artificial antioxidant and different…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the oxidative stability of avocado oil (AO) at various temperatures, using butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as an artificial antioxidant and different concentrations of ultrasonic extract of Chlorella vulgaris.
Design/methodology/approach
Extracts of C. vulgaris were obtained using four solvents: water, acetone, ethanol and 80% ethanol-aqueous. Standard techniques were used to conduct qualitative phytochemical screening of the extracts. The extracted samples were analyzed for total phenolics, total flavonoids, antioxidant activity and phenolic compound fractionation. Some physicochemical parameters of AO treated with various concentrations of C. vulgaris ultrasonic extract compared to a 200 ppm BHT and exposed to different temperatures were measured.
Findings
The highest phenolic, flavonoids content and antioxidant activity was achieved by 80% ethanolic extract of C. vulgaris . The results showed that exposure of AO to high temperatures led to significant changes in the oil's physicochemical properties. These changes increased as the temperature increased. On the other hand, adding 80% ethanolic extract of C. vulgaris into AO reduced the effect of heat treatment on the change in physicochemical properties.
Originality/value
Adding 80% ethanolic extract of C. vulgaris into AO can potentially reduce the impact of heat treatment on the alteration of physicochemical properties.
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The purpose of this research is to investigate the practices of the interim and current CEOs employed in managing a supportive environment conducive for learning as well as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to investigate the practices of the interim and current CEOs employed in managing a supportive environment conducive for learning as well as sustaining organizational change; and second, to describe the theory of practice guiding their efforts.
Design/methodology/approach
An action science approach, coupled with the case‐study data‐gathering method to enable a pragmatic grounding of the change processes and organizational learning.
Findings
A theory of practice defined as three process principles of power that aid in managing a supportive environment conducive for learning as well as organizational change.
Research limitations/implications
The theory of practice set forth combines two advocated views in using power (position power and empowerment) into a framework of reciprocal‐relational power. The theory needs to undergo further research to test its applicable knowledge in an action context.
Practical implications
Potential guide in helping practitioners in recognizing and implementing processes of reciprocal‐relational power to improve organizational learning and the success of change.
Originality/value
The paper presents a new way to recognize and see reciprocal‐relational forces within a cultural‐social‐political context.
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Nukhet Harmancioglu, Cornelia Droge and Roger J. Calantone
This study aims to scrutinize the meaning and domain of “innovation” by providing an extensive theory‐driven review of the new product literature in marketing, management and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to scrutinize the meaning and domain of “innovation” by providing an extensive theory‐driven review of the new product literature in marketing, management and engineering. The overall objective is to classify the recent literature on innovation and to illustrate theoretically derived discourses in the study of innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper organizes this literature by providing typologies of discourses, which define innovation. Based on our review of 238 articles from a comprehensive set of journals publishing innovation research, we propose a theoretical divide in the innovation literature.
Findings
Theoretical underpinnings, namely adoption/diffusion theory versus the resource‐based/contingency theory view, form one dimension of the typology. Jointly considered with the other two dimensions – level of analysis and customer vs firm perspective – a framework is formed of the different discourses and conceptualisations in the innovation literature.
Originality/value
Past researchers have always proposed a definition of innovation that was embedded in a typology of innovation types; in contrast, the paper allows the theoretical discourses to unveil meanings of innovation and associated constructs (and hence it starts with theory specification, not construct definition). It argues for starting with theory as the basic division and proposes a theory driven typology. Through its theoretical genesis, the paper wishes to create a shared understanding among academics and practitioners of what constitutes innovation and constructs within the related theoretical net.
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Explores the application of qualitative research as a plausibility check for quantitative research. Uses the case example of a survey conducted by American LIVES for Douthit…
Abstract
Explores the application of qualitative research as a plausibility check for quantitative research. Uses the case example of a survey conducted by American LIVES for Douthit Communications, looking into aspects of the house purchase process. Outlines a typology of five categories of people in the real estate market, which was developed from the survey. Concludes that neither qualitative nor quantitative techniques have universal applicability, but the use of qualitative techniques can bring quantitative information to life.
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Jane Parker, Amanda Young-Hauser, Janet Sayers, Patricia Loga, Selu Paea and Shirley Barnett
Despite the need for such, little scholarly attention has been paid to transdisciplinary enquiry into gender inequities in workplaces. The authors provide a pragmatic evaluation…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the need for such, little scholarly attention has been paid to transdisciplinary enquiry into gender inequities in workplaces. The authors provide a pragmatic evaluation of the transdisciplinary research (TDR) model by Hall et al. (2012) for framing the study of this societal issue, shedding light on the challenges, principles and values that could usefully inform subsequent TDR in organisational settings.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper evaluates the model in relation to TDR on gender inequities in New Zealand's public service by Hall et al. (2012) Content analysis on our reflective narratives from research team meetings, email exchanges, informal discussions and a workshop reveals TDR study insights. Findings show support for the model and its four broad phases and surface principles and values for applied TDR enquiry that addresses societal challenges in the organisational context.
Findings
The adoption of a TDR model to examine a study of equity in the public service revealed practical and conceptual challenges, encouraging ongoing reflection and adaptive behaviour on the researchers' part. The pragmatic evaluation also highlighted environmental constraints on undertaking TDR, with implications for the ambition of future studies.
Research limitations/implications
This evaluative enquiry encourages similar research in other organisational and national settings to validate the use of TDR to gain insightful, contextualised understandings of social challenges centred in the organisational setting.
Practical implications
This pragmatic evaluation of a TDR model's capacity to approximate the approach and phases of our applied enquiry lays the groundwork to refining TDR approaches used in subsequent studies aimed at addressing societal issues in the organisational setting.
Social implications
This paper can potentially promote greater collaboration between research scholars and other stakeholders wanting to develop TDR paradigms and applied enquiry that can meaningfully inform workplace and societal impacts.
Originality/value
This pragmatic evaluation of a TDR approach involves its initial application to the study of equity at work and develops principles and values that could inform TDR paradigms and methodologies of subsequent enquiries in the field.
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Sushil Kumari Jindal and Faryal Raziuddin
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a research study conducted to find the perceptions of medical professionals about reduction in medical errors using…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a research study conducted to find the perceptions of medical professionals about reduction in medical errors using electronic medical records (EMRs). It presents the relationship between EMR use in medical facilities and the reduction in medical errors. The use of EMR can lead to competitive advantages in the health-care environment.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based upon the perceptions of 99 medical professionals who use EMR in their practice in Arizona, USA.
Findings
This paper presents the medical professionals who use EMR which reduces medical errors, wrong site surgery, improper dosage delivery to a patient, wrong medication, etc. by 50-60 per cent.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is limited to perceived reductions in medical errors because the actual number of errors is either unavailable or medical professionals are unwilling to provide. Future research should seek conducting database searches to find medical malpractice lawsuits, unexpected costs or any reference to quantifying losses because of medical errors. Once the expenses are reported, relating to medical malpractice legal costs with the cost of investing in EMR system would prove an excellent observational study.
Practical implications
Medical professionals, medical facilities and patients should be aware of the impact EMRs have on the healthcare provided as well as the safety of patients enabled by the EMRs.
Social implications
Health-care industry is operating in a crisis mode and before it turns chaotic, there needs to be a consistent product used by every health-care organization or practice. EMRs can automatically update patients’ information that is required on a routine basis via different computing systems such as cloud, minimizing the need for information technology professionals to handle the issues. This leads to reduced cost, increased efficiency, effectiveness and better management of the patients’ health and wellness outcomes, with perceived reduction in medical errors.
Originality/value
The value of this research report is to provide the various features EMR offers and how it helps to reduce medical mistakes that help in avoiding repetition of different tests, incorrect dosage delivery and interaction of various medicines a patient is taking.
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Seth D. Baum, Stuart Armstrong, Timoteus Ekenstedt, Olle Häggström, Robin Hanson, Karin Kuhlemann, Matthijs M. Maas, James D. Miller, Markus Salmela, Anders Sandberg, Kaj Sotala, Phil Torres, Alexey Turchin and Roman V. Yampolskiy
This paper aims to formalize long-term trajectories of human civilization as a scientific and ethical field of study. The long-term trajectory of human civilization can be defined…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to formalize long-term trajectories of human civilization as a scientific and ethical field of study. The long-term trajectory of human civilization can be defined as the path that human civilization takes during the entire future time period in which human civilization could continue to exist.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper focuses on four types of trajectories: status quo trajectories, in which human civilization persists in a state broadly similar to its current state into the distant future; catastrophe trajectories, in which one or more events cause significant harm to human civilization; technological transformation trajectories, in which radical technological breakthroughs put human civilization on a fundamentally different course; and astronomical trajectories, in which human civilization expands beyond its home planet and into the accessible portions of the cosmos.
Findings
Status quo trajectories appear unlikely to persist into the distant future, especially in light of long-term astronomical processes. Several catastrophe, technological transformation and astronomical trajectories appear possible.
Originality/value
Some current actions may be able to affect the long-term trajectory. Whether these actions should be pursued depends on a mix of empirical and ethical factors. For some ethical frameworks, these actions may be especially important to pursue.
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Zana Khan, Sophie Park and Georgia Black
This article aims to present a systematic review and synthesis of evidence on the experiences, role and use of IPE in IH fields by using a meta-ethnographic approach including key…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to present a systematic review and synthesis of evidence on the experiences, role and use of IPE in IH fields by using a meta-ethnographic approach including key concepts, reciprocal and refutational translation and lines of argument. Inclusion health (IH) practice suggests that the needs of excluded groups are more effectively addressed through collaborative working. Interprofessional education (IPE) occurs when two or more professions engage in shared practice and learning, resulting in improved collaboration and quality of care. Studies on IPE to train staff in fields relating to IH exist, but without a settled consensus on the best approaches/activities to foster inclusive practice.
Design/methodology/approach
This synthesis is underpinned by a meta-ethnographic approach. It provides explicit stages of data collection and interpretation, while providing space to engage with emerging themes and concepts iteratively (reflecting on author experiences) and inductively (reasoning and interpretation). This study made use of electronic databases and journals for English language peer reviewed articles between 2000 and 2020. Of the 2217 articles, 19 papers were included. The lead author and reviewer completed the review process and a second reviewer reviewed 10% at each stage. The quality was assessed using a modified CASP checklist. Iterative analysis involved PPI and staff stakeholders.
Findings
A total of 16 concepts embedded in 19 papers provide insight into the nature of IPE in IH (IH) for staff. It was found that IPE in IH covers a broad group of practitioners and is a complex activity involving individual and organisation readiness, practical and pedagogical factors, influenced by setting, method, curriculum, lived experience, reflection and a learner-driven approach. Barriers to design, implementation and translation into practice were also found to exist.
Practical implications
Most studies used a combination of core learning and group work. Educational modes include mentoring or coaching, reflective practice, immersive learning and people lived experience of exclusion involved in or facilitation thematically centred in trauma-informed informed care, cultural competence, communities of practice and service learning. The aim of these methods was to promote collaboration through identifying shared experiences, problems and tensions and critical reflection of services and organisations. Such transformative learning is reported to challenge stigma, discrimination and misinformation and promote collective empowerment to address social injustice through human connection. Effective models of IPE re-instated the therapeutic relationship and alliances between patients and staff.
Social implications
This review also calls for the development of health and care workers’ professionalism in relation to their own reflexivity, establishing anti-racist curricula, challenge stigma and ensuring clinicians are aware of and able to negotiate tension and difference identified within the consultation and between themselves. Apart from developing generalist skills, this analysis suggests that IPE in IH may be able to challenge stigma and discrimination towards IH groups by destabilising existing norms and siloed working with the aim of achieving robust interprofessional practice.
Originality/value
IPE in IH is a complex activity affected by individual and organisation readiness, setting, experiential, practical and pedagogical factors. Models of teaching are focused on re-instating the therapeutic relationship. There are no systematic reviews in this field and previously there was no settled consensus on the best approaches and learning activities to foster inclusive and collaborative practice.
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Josef Pallas, Linda Wedlin and Jaan Grünberg
This paper circulates around two major questions: what is the character of prizes as a media product? And how do the specifics of media prizes relate to the understanding of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper circulates around two major questions: what is the character of prizes as a media product? And how do the specifics of media prizes relate to the understanding of organizations with respect to a given aspect of their activities? The purpose of this paper is to bring forward theoretical arguments that show the significance of media preferences and values as central in how media prizes and awards are created and operated by discussing these questions.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on a variety of literature – mainly within management and media/communication studies – that is interested in the construction of different assessment tools such as prizes and rankings.
Findings
The paper addresses three particular characteristics of media prizes relevant for the understanding of how media evaluate organizations: the forming and spreading of stereotypical representative or behavior within a specific category or field; the simplification of status through the creation of “winners”; and the popularization of public measures for success in business life.
Research limitations/implications
This is a conceptual paper and as such it needs more systematic empirical testing to validate the findings.
Practical implications
The paper suggests three different roles media prizes have in evaluating organizations’ performance and their social status. The findings suggest that the qualities/aspects emphasized by the prizes are framed in such a way that they follow the rational or logic of media, and that they as such bear witness should be regarded with certain critical scrutiny.
Social implications
The paper discusses an expanding area of journalistic practice – i.e. production and proliferation of media prizes. These prizes have a significant effect on how the authors conceptualize and understand different aspects of the life – in the case business practices such as entrepreneurship. The authors suggest here how media prizes can come to shape the perceptions of reality through processes of simplification, stereotypification and popularization.
Originality/value
Up to now there are few studies focusing on media as a producer of assessments central for building normative and cognitive bases on which organizations are evaluated. The conceptual arguments in this paper highlight a number of areas that can serve as a starting point for future inquiry.
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Tomi Nokelainen and Juho Kanniainen
This paper aims to investigate whether the assumption of bias-free journalism is violated. If there is systematic news coverage bias inherent in business journalism, certain kinds…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate whether the assumption of bias-free journalism is violated. If there is systematic news coverage bias inherent in business journalism, certain kinds of companies will have a systematically higher or lower visibility in business news. Such differential corporate visibility may undermine the validity of research that is based solely on business news as a data source.
Design/methodology/approach
A set of hypotheses is developed and statistically tested, concerning the corporate characteristics associated with business media coverage. Coverage of the 100 largest Finnish companies is examined within the three foremost Finnish business publications. Methodologically, uncorrelated principal components in regression analyses are used.
Findings
The main finding is that that financially low-performing companies and growing companies receive less coverage than well-performing or shrinking companies, indicating a possible bias in journalistic sourcing, attention or selection. Consequently, such companies may be relatively under-represented in data sets derived solely from business news sources.
Research limitations/implications
Significantly greater in-depth understanding of the phenomenon could be obtained through studying the biases at play in day-to-day journalistic practices within editorial offices and news desks, which is beyond the present study. The study cautions against single sourcing strategies reliant on business news alone, and it strongly recommends that future studies complement business news data with other, non-news sources.
Practical implications
Organizational metrics such as financial performance appear to influence corporate visibility in business news, which may therefore skew individuals’ and investors’ attitudes to corporations. The existence of coverage bias is methodologically consequential because management research often sources data from business news, especially in event-based studies.
Originality/value
This study provides evidence that media visibility is influenced by company performance and change in company size, which could contribute to bias in business news coverage. This should be taken into account in future studies that use business news data.
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Santiago Velasquez, Petri Suomala and Marko Järvenpää
This paper aims to take note of the need to better understand cost consciousness from a management accounting perspective and serves as an exploratory study striving to analyze…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to take note of the need to better understand cost consciousness from a management accounting perspective and serves as an exploratory study striving to analyze how the notion has been addressed by management accounting scholars.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents the findings of a thorough literature review identifying the drivers, interpretations, definitions and results which management accounting scholars have associated with cost consciousness.
Findings
This paper has synthesized the definitions and interpretations by considering their conceptual broadness and the subjects that cost consciousness characterizes. In addition, various potential drivers of cost consciousness have been identified where management control systems play a major role. Also, this paper summarizes both the positive and negative outcomes which scholars seem to expect from an increase of cost consciousness.
Research limitations/implications
Given that no prior work has focused on the conceptual development of cost consciousness, it was necessary to infer most of the interpretations, drivers and results which management accounting scholars have associated to the cost consciousness notion.
Originality/value
Cost consciousness is a concept that appears in hundreds of peer-reviewed articles on management accounting. However, only a handful of management accounting scholars have defined or evaluated this concept to a certain degree. As a result, what management accountants believe cost consciousness to be, how it is driven and what result may be expected from it, is nowhere to be found in any synthesized manner. The findings of this paper develop the concept of cost consciousness by illuminating the common use of the construct across various disciplines.
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Ceramic materials and glasses have become important in modern industry as well as in the consumer environment. Heat resistant ceramics are used in the metal forming processes or…
Abstract
Purpose
Ceramic materials and glasses have become important in modern industry as well as in the consumer environment. Heat resistant ceramics are used in the metal forming processes or as welding and brazing fixtures, etc. Ceramic materials are frequently used in industries where a wear and chemical resistance are required criteria (seals, liners, grinding wheels, machining tools, etc.). Electrical, magnetic and optical properties of ceramic materials are important in electrical and electronic industries where these materials are used as sensors and actuators, integrated circuits, piezoelectric transducers, ultrasonic devices, microwave devices, magnetic tapes, and in other applications. A significant amount of literature is available on the finite element modelling (FEM) of ceramics and glass. This paper gives a listing of these published papers and is a continuation of the author's bibliography entitled “Finite element modelling of ceramics and glass” and published in Engineering Computations, Vol. 16, 1999, pp. 510‐71 for the period 1977‐1998.
Design/methodology/approach
The form of the paper is a bibliography. Listed references have been retrieved from the author's database, MAKEBASE. Also Compendex has been checked. The period is 1998‐2004.
Findings
Provides a listing of 1,432 references. The following topics are included: ceramics – material and mechanical properties in general, ceramic coatings and joining problems, ceramic composites, piezoceramics, ceramic tools and machining, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, applications of ceramic/composites in engineering; glass – material and mechanical properties in general, glass fiber composites, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, and applications of glasses in engineering.
Originality/value
This paper makes it easy for professionals working with the numerical methods with applications to ceramics and glasses to be up‐to‐date in an effective way.
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Freyr Halldorsson, Halldór Valgeirsson and Kari Kristinsson
This study aims to examine if and how an activity-based work environment affects employee workspace satisfaction – an attitude linked to important employee outcomes. By comparing…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine if and how an activity-based work environment affects employee workspace satisfaction – an attitude linked to important employee outcomes. By comparing perceptions before and after implementation, the research draws attention to factors that may help explain the impact of an activity-based work environment. Specifically, prior attitudes toward activity-based work environments and gender are tested.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study uses a longitudinal design to explore how implementing an activity-based work environment impacts employees’ workspace satisfaction (e.g. privacy, air quality, lighting, temperature, etc.). A sample of 100 employees in a government organization implementing an activity-based working environment was investigated using a longitudinal design, with employees being surveyed thrice – once before and twice after implementation.
Findings
The results indicate that when workspace satisfaction is impacted by implementing an activity-based work environment, this effect seems primarily based on employees’ prior attitude toward such work environments. In addition, employee gender emerges as a potentially important factor in workspace satisfaction, though not exclusive to the activity-based work environment.
Originality/value
Using a longitudinal approach – which allows for observing potential changes over time – and robust statistical methods, this study supports the importance of employees’ initial attitude toward an activity-based work environment concerning workspace satisfaction. This finding has practical implications for organizations and advances the understanding of why an activity-based work environment may positively affect workspace satisfaction for some employees while negatively affecting others.
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Sujie Jing, Hongwei Wang and Zhaoxian Yu
This study aims to design a piezoelectric sensor with high performance transmitting and receiving functions, which is characterized by simple structure and multifunctionality.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to design a piezoelectric sensor with high performance transmitting and receiving functions, which is characterized by simple structure and multifunctionality.
Design/methodology/approach
In accordance with the binaural principle, a binaural-sensitive element is constructed with the middle module transmitting the signal and the left and right modules receiving the signal. The traditional 1-3-2 piezoelectric composite material is selected for the sensitive element of the transmitting module, while the improved 1-3-2 piezoelectric composite material is selected for the sensitive element of the receiving module. The impact of varying the thickness of the transmitting module on its resonance frequency and the influence of varying the thickness of the receiving module on its anti-resonance frequency were investigated through simulations conducted using ANSYS finite element software. This was done to ascertain the optimal thickness dimensions and operating frequencies for the binaural sensitive elements.
Findings
At last, binaural transducers were constructed and subjected to experimental evaluation within an anechoic chamber. The experimental results demonstrate that the operating frequency of both the transmitting and receiving modules is 150 kHz, the transmitting voltage response is 160 dB, and the receiving sensitivity of the “left ear” is −192 dB, and the receiving sensitivity of the “right ear” is −190 dB. The objective of achieving high-performance transmitting and receiving within the same frequency range has been met.
Originality/value
A binaural sensitive element is proposed to realize high-performance transmission and reception in the same frequency range.
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Shih-Ju Wang, Chiu-Ping Hsu, Heng-Chiang Huang and Chia-Lin Chen
The purpose of this paper is to treat bloggers as human brands and applies self-congruity theory to explore how actual and ideal blogger-reader self-congruity, combined with the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to treat bloggers as human brands and applies self-congruity theory to explore how actual and ideal blogger-reader self-congruity, combined with the blog’s functional congruity, influences blogger-reader relationship quality (BRRQ) and the blogger’s informational influence, taking perceived interactivity among blog members as a moderator.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a survey of 372 female beauty blog readers, this study employs the structural equation modelling approach to investigate the proposed model.
Findings
The empirical findings indicate that readers’ perceived self-congruity with beauty bloggers raises the bloggers’ informational influence, mediated by BRRQ and functional congruity. Actual self-congruity has greater predictive power than ideal self-congruity in explaining bloggers’ informational influence. Moreover, perceived interactivity plays a two-sided role because it strengthens the positive impact of BRRQ on informational influence but weakens the positive impact of functional congruity on informational influence.
Practical implications
The findings should help marketers identify influential beauty bloggers through their presented image on their blogs to encourage readers’ acceptance of their opinions about products and services. However, when focusing on beauty blogs featuring high-perceived interactivity among blog members, marketers should carefully balance the facilitating and offsetting effect of perceived interactivity and identify bloggers equipped with superior BRRQ.
Originality/value
Using human brand and parasocial interaction perspectives, this study contributes to emerging research on human brands and blog marketing and demonstrates that perceived interactivity is a double-edged sword in stimulating a blogger’s informational influence.