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1 – 10 of 119Lee Felix Anzagira, Daniel Yaw Addai Duah, Edward Badu, Eric Kwame Simpeh, Alexander B. Marful and Samuel Amos-Abanyie
In Ghana, the adoption and application of green building concepts and technologies have not been fully explored. The study aimed to look into the key barriers and how they affect…
Abstract
Purpose
In Ghana, the adoption and application of green building concepts and technologies have not been fully explored. The study aimed to look into the key barriers and how they affect this.
Design/methodology/approach
Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select a total of 292 construction industry stakeholders in Ghana who provided information via a questionnaire survey used for the data collection. Exploratory factor analysis and Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) were used for computing the data analyses.
Findings
According to the study findings, the top five most critical barriers to the uptake of green building concepts and technologies (GBCs and Ts) in Ghana are: lack of government incentives/supports for implementing green building technologies (GBTs), lack of knowledge and awareness of GBTs and their benefits, lack of GBTs databases and information, Lack of green building (GB) expertise/skilled labour and Higher costs of GBTs. Principal Component Factor Analysis was used to further analyse the data, which allowed for the reduction of the 27 (27) factors to just four (4) underlying critical barriers: (1) government and knowledge-associated barriers, (2) technical barriers, (3) cost and finance barriers and (4) stakeholders’ attitude barriers. PLS-SEM techniques were used to analyse this collection of barriers, and the results showed that stakeholders’ attitude-associated barriers and cost and finance-related barriers have a significant negative influence on the uptake of GBCs and Ts in Ghana. This study’s findings have provided empirical evidence of the critical barriers to the uptake of GBCs and Ts from all stakeholders. Stakeholders desirous of implementing GBCs and Ts would work against the negative influences on the uptake of GBCs and TS.
Originality/value
Although there has been an abundance of research to examine the critical barriers to GB, however, the uniqueness of this study is nested in modelling the influence of the barriers on the adoption of GBCs and Ts using the PLS-SEM path modelling.
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Eric K. Kaufman and Rick D. Rudd
With millions of dollars being invested in adult rural leadership development, it is essential that research be conducted to determine the effectiveness of this investment. Such…
Abstract
With millions of dollars being invested in adult rural leadership development, it is essential that research be conducted to determine the effectiveness of this investment. Such research can validate the investment and provide guidance for future programming. However, an extensive review of literature in Cambridge Scientific Abstracts yielded only 15 relevant research articles over a decade of publication. Among these articles, sub-topic areas identified included Partnerships, Political Shifts, Safety & Health, Gender Equity, Public Discourse, Statewide Program Impact, and Continuing Education. All of these areas lacked adequate saturation of research. The effectiveness of rural leadership development is severely threatened by this lack of published research. With increasingly limited resources, those engaged in rural leadership development programming must address significant deficiencies in the research and share findings for the betterment of all.
Eric Buschlen, Tzu-Fen Chang and Dena R. Kniess
Providing leadership education for young men growing up without their father, through a structured curriculum and mentoring program, should enhance their development. To examine…
Abstract
Providing leadership education for young men growing up without their father, through a structured curriculum and mentoring program, should enhance their development. To examine this, the authors interviewed adult alumni who participated as adolescents in a cohort-based, sixmonth leadership program. Interviews outlined several key themes: once served by others the young men desired to serve their community, choosing an authentic leadership educator matters, program mentors inspired positive life changes, and the learned leadership lessons transcended the setting and the curriculum. This qualitative project examined the efficacy of a youth leadership development program by interviewing past participants. This research outlined how service to others can inspire more service and that leadership education has the potential to alter lives, and in this case, even save lives.
Mari Ysela Noopila and Henrietta Williams Pichon
This scholarly paper explores leadership education across Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the Southwest of the United States. We searched for inclusion of social justice…
Abstract
This scholarly paper explores leadership education across Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the Southwest of the United States. We searched for inclusion of social justice, ethics, and community engagement aspects within leadershipprograms.LeadershipeducationprogramsinhighereducationandspecificallyatHSIsmustbeintentional about offering programs, curriculum, and experiences that adopt inclusion of those who are underrepresented within the leadership realm. While scholarship concerning HSIs as complex organizations has grown, consideration of how leadership education programs contribute to truly serving their unique students is still in its infancy. This inquiry found that there are a number of similarities among leadership programs at HSIs in the way of academic location, degree offerings, and class format, but it also details missing characteristics of social justice, ethics, and community engagement within these areas. We propose that through further examination and future research, a framework of leadership education with underpinnings of social justice, ethics, and community engagement can be beneficial in truly serving underserved and underrepresented student populations specifically at HSIs.
Eric Zabiegalski and Michael John Marquardt
This article couples organizational theory with practice with the union of action learning and the ambidextrous organization. It aims to show how action learning contributes to…
Abstract
Purpose
This article couples organizational theory with practice with the union of action learning and the ambidextrous organization. It aims to show how action learning contributes to the creation and sustainment of an ambidextrous (learning) organization.
Design/methodology/approach
A side-by-side comparison of action learning and the ambidextrous organization was used.
Findings
Action learning “teaches” and promotes the framework and processes of ambidexterity and the practical creation of learning organizations. An action learning team in action performs like an ambidextrous organization to the extent that “acting” is synonymous with exploitation and “learning” with exploration.
Research limitations/implications
Action learning is a powerful tool for the ambidextrous organization, serving as a template for the practitioner to create a learning organization.
Originality/value
This paper extends the literature on organizational structure, leadership, culture and change as it relates to ambidexterity, learning organizations and action learning. It integrates learning theory through action learning with the practice of the ambidextrous organization. A synergistic theory/practice circle is created through the combination of the processes of “theory informing theory” from academia and “practice informing practice” from industry, creating a “theory informing practice and practice validating and updating better theory” circle.
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Eric Buschlen and Robert Dvorak
Understanding whether leadership can be learned is important as many colleges and universities attempt to develop future leaders through a variety of programmatic efforts…
Abstract
Understanding whether leadership can be learned is important as many colleges and universities attempt to develop future leaders through a variety of programmatic efforts. Historic leadership research argues leadership is an innate skill. While contemporary leadership research tends to argue that leadership can be learned. The purpose of this paper is to examine student leadership skill development during a leadership course at a regional, mid-western university. This project explored the effects on undergraduate students after a 16-week, for-credit academic course based on the Social Change Model of Leadership (SCM). This project was completed using a quasi-experimental design between two non-equivalent groups. Participants completed the Socially Responsible Leadership Scale as a pre/post-test. The findings suggested that student SCM skill-based knowledge did improve compared to students who did not receive the intervention and subsequently that post-industrial leadership skills associated with the SCM can be learned in a structured, academic course.
Prosper Babon-Ayeng, Eric Oduro-Ofori, De-Graft Owusu-Manu, David James Edwards, Ernest Kissi and Augustine Senanu Komla Kukah
There is a pressing need to increase investments in sustainable infrastructure to promote low carbon economic growth and ensure environmental sustainability. Consequently, this…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a pressing need to increase investments in sustainable infrastructure to promote low carbon economic growth and ensure environmental sustainability. Consequently, this study examines the socio-political factors underlying the adoption of green bond financing of infrastructure projects.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary data was gathered from experts with advanced experience in, or knowledge of green bonds in the Kumasi Metropolis. To identify respondents with pertinent knowledge that is relevant to the study, purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used. One-sample t-test and relative importance index were used in this study's statistical analysis.
Findings
‘Training and experience with sustainable finance’ was seen as the most important social factor underlying the adoption of green bond financing of infrastructure projects by the respondents and ‘Governmental tax-based incentives’ was rated as the leading political factor.
Originality/value
This pioneering research attempts to ascertain the socio-political factors affecting the adoption of green bond financing of infrastructure projects. Emergent results of analysis and concomitant discussions add knowledge to fill a void in literature on the social and political factors affecting the adoption of green bond financing of infrastructure projects in developing countries.
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Alyssa R. Stepter McKay, Eric Buschlen, Kaleb Patrick and Sarah Marshall
Case studies continue to be a signature teaching tool for developing leadership educators in a classroom setting. However, many of these cases tend to be generic and may limit…
Abstract
Case studies continue to be a signature teaching tool for developing leadership educators in a classroom setting. However, many of these cases tend to be generic and may limit student learning. In order to maximize the learning potential of case studies, we advocate for the use of peer-authored, real-to-life case studies written from a first-hand experience as a training tool for graduate and doctoral-level leadership students. Students author a case based on a real-to-life issue, share with a classmate, and analyze collaboratively. This form of training allows leadership students to examine a case through multiple lenses while processing with a peer who may still be dealing with the leadership issue in real time. The culminating process allows students to examine the issue with direct feedback from another who lived the experience, completing a true 360-degree examination of a real-to-life controversy. This process supports deep reflection, leadership competencies, and metacognition of a dilemma. The assignment outlined in this application manuscript can be completed face-to-face or online and can be modified to work with any leadership learner group or program.
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Scott J. Allen, Marcy Levy Shankman and Rosanna F. Miguel
Emotionally intelligent leadership (EIL) theory combines relevant models, theories, and research in the areas of emotional intelligence (EI) and leadership. With an intentional…
Abstract
Emotionally intelligent leadership (EIL) theory combines relevant models, theories, and research in the areas of emotional intelligence (EI) and leadership. With an intentional focus on context, self and others, emotionally intelligent leaders facilitate the attainment of desired outcomes. The 21 capacities described by the theory equip individuals with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics to achieve desired results. The purpose of this article is to propose an integrative, process-oriented EIL theory to provide a framework for conceptualizing and integrating future research and practice. The authors review and organize research and theory in emotional intelligence and leadership within the context of higher education, introduce the EIL model, and provide suggestions for future research. The article concludes with practical implications for leadership development in the context of higher education.
International students develop perceptions about leadership based on cultural practices in their home country. What is the leadership experience of international students in the…
Abstract
International students develop perceptions about leadership based on cultural practices in their home country. What is the leadership experience of international students in the United States? This study sought to describe the lived leadership experiences of international graduate students. A total of 17 participants, from 11 different countries were recruited for face-to-face in- depth interviews. The participants were enrolled in a large public university and served in a formal leadership position on campus. Four themes emerged concerning graduate students’ leadership experience with leadership and were categorized as: (1) contextually challenging; (2) essential; (3) task and people oriented, and; (4) rewarding. Recommendations are made for campus personnel and leadership educators who support international students.