Arthur Egwuonwu, Emeka Smart Oruh, Ambrose Egwuonwu and Jude Onyima
This paper presents a comprehensive and integrated review of the literature on the role of psychic distance in shaping inter-organizational relationships, by uncovering the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents a comprehensive and integrated review of the literature on the role of psychic distance in shaping inter-organizational relationships, by uncovering the theoretical, methodological, and thematic foundations of this research domain.
Design/methodology/approach
Leveraging a systematic literature review in combination of text mining techniques using Leximancer, the study identified 62 relevant articles published between 1980 and 2024. The analysis revealed four key areas of focus: (1) interfirm business relationships, (2) relational governance and performance, (3) relationship quality, and (4) relationship violation.
Findings
The findings indicate that this body of research is grounded in well-established theoretical frameworks, with social exchange theory, transaction cost analysis, relational exchange theory, and the resource-based view being the most frequently employed. The literature predominantly emphasizes the role of psychic distance in the formation and maintenance of interfirm business relationships, while the other three areas remain comparatively underexplored.
Originality/value
By offering a more robust framework and a holistic understanding of psychic distance in inter-organizational relationships context, this study paves the way for further theory-driven studies, which is a theoretical contribution towards advancing this research area
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Kubra Firat, Angie Zapata and Candace R. Kuby
Overemphasis on teaching academic literacy and legislating high-stakes accountability measures have foregrounded narrow literacy approaches in early childhood settings and sparked…
Abstract
Purpose
Overemphasis on teaching academic literacy and legislating high-stakes accountability measures have foregrounded narrow literacy approaches in early childhood settings and sparked debates over teacher professionalism (Reinking et al., 2023). This study examines the experiences of early childhood teachers following a two-year in-service Professional Development (PD) program. The PD program was designed to enhance the teachers' professional capital in early childhood literacies.
Design/methodology/approach
Using phenomenology as the design of the study, three focus groups, one survey, and observations during two events were conducted to document “the essence” of participant teachers’ views and lived experiences (Creswell, 2013).
Findings
Our data analysis revealed that participant teachers demonstrated an increased awareness of different literacy teaching approaches and applied new strategies in their literacy teaching through continuous discussions with other participant teachers and co-workers within their schools.
Originality/value
This phenomenological study underscores the value of integrating collaboration into in-service PD programs for leveraging teachers’ professional capital, in addition to strengthening their human and decisional capital, as reported by the teachers. The study also contributes to scientific knowledge about the ways teachers experience collaborative PD opportunities and their self-initiated strategies to create a cooperative learning environment at their schools.
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Zhimin Liang, Xinyu Zhao, Yunjia Li, Yuzhong Rao, Kehong Wang and Xiaobing Wang
Adding Pd element to Au wire can improve the reliability of Au-Al bonding, but the mechanism of Pd element has not been well revealed so far. The purpose of this study is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Adding Pd element to Au wire can improve the reliability of Au-Al bonding, but the mechanism of Pd element has not been well revealed so far. The purpose of this study is to reveal in more detail the mechanism of the role of Pd elements in Au/Al bonding.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the microstructure changes and tensile data of 99.99% (4N) gold wire and 99% (2N) gold wire with 1 at % Pd were compared through high-temperature thermal aging treatment of the specimens, so as to explore the influence mechanism of Pd element on Au-Al bonding reliability.
Findings
The addition of Pd element effectively reduces the thickness of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) layer and strengthens the fracture tension and reliability. Compared with the 4N specimen, the average thickness of the IMCs layer of the 2N specimen under the same conditions is reduced by 1 µm, and the tensile value of the 2N specimen is increased by 1−3 g. Stored at 200°C for 200 h, the failure rate of bond point of 4N specimen reached 94.64%, and that of 2N specimen was 20%, with a difference of 4.73 times.
Originality/value
Through comparative analysis of the data, this study found that the doping of Pd element in Au-Al IMCs in the early stage slowed down the growth rate of the IMCs, and the precipitation of Pd element in the late stage to form a better Pd-rich layer hindered the element mutual diffusion behavior between Au and Al.
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Nair Ul Islam and Ruqaiya Khanam
This study evaluates machine learning (ML) classifiers for diagnosing Parkinson’s disease (PD) using subcortical brain region data from 3D T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI…
Abstract
Purpose
This study evaluates machine learning (ML) classifiers for diagnosing Parkinson’s disease (PD) using subcortical brain region data from 3D T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI database). We aim to identify top-performing algorithms and assess gender-related differences in accuracy.
Design/methodology/approach
Multiple ML algorithms will be compared for their ability to classify PD vs healthy controls using MRI scans of the brain structures like the putamen, thalamus, brainstem, accumbens, amygdala, caudate, hippocampus and pallidum. Analysis will include gender-specific performance comparisons.
Findings
The study reveals that ML classifier performance in diagnosing PD varies across subcortical brain regions and shows gender differences. The Extra Trees classifier performed best in men (86.36% accuracy in the putamen), while Naive Bayes performed best in women (69.23%, amygdala). Regions like the accumbens, hippocampus and caudate showed moderate accuracy (65–70%) in men and poor performance in women. The results point out a significant gender-based performance gap, highlighting the need for gender-specific models to improve diagnostic precision across complex brain structures.
Originality/value
This study highlights the significant impact of gender on machine learning diagnosis of PD using data from subcortical brain regions. Our novel focus on these regions uncovers their diagnostic potential, improves model accuracy and emphasizes the need for gender-specific approaches in medical AI. This work could ultimately lead to earlier PD detection and more personalized treatment.
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Victoria J. VanUitert, Michael J. Kennedy and Lindsay M. Carlisle
Students with disabilities consistently underperform on academic achievement tests. In part, this is due to teachers being underprepared to provide the evidence-based instruction…
Abstract
Students with disabilities consistently underperform on academic achievement tests. In part, this is due to teachers being underprepared to provide the evidence-based instruction needed to help students with disabilities succeed. Historically, professional development (PD) has been provided to educators yielding disappointing results. In this chapter, what is known about the components of effective PD and how to evaluate a PD program will be discussed. In particular, the role of coaching and the use of technology in PD models will be explored. The next steps in improving PD will be discussed.
Sharon Landesman Ramey, Nancy A. Crowell, Craig T. Ramey, Cathy Grace, Nedaa Timraz and Louise E. Davis
Professional development (PD), including coaching and mentoring, for early childhood education and care providers has received increasing attention over the past decade. PD…
Abstract
Professional development (PD), including coaching and mentoring, for early childhood education and care providers has received increasing attention over the past decade. PD, particularly coaching/mentoring, has been shown to improve classroom quality. We recognize the importance of content and format of PD, but argue that dosage (overall amount) and density (spacing) are important aspects of PD that are worthy of careful consideration. We hypothesize that when PD conveys new information and complex new skills, a dense initial period is likely to produce better results than a less dense delivery. In this chapter, we review the program of research that has led us to a focus on both dosage and density of coaching. We conclude with the results from an ECEPD project in which we systematically varied the density of coaching while maintaining the same overall dosage. Classrooms all received 120h of in-classroom coaching and were randomly assigned to a dense “immersion” condition (20 full days of coaching spread over 5 weeks) or to a low density condition (one full day per week of coaching over 20 weeks). Classrooms in the immersion condition showed gains in quality, albeit modest, over the course of the school year, whereas those in the low-density condition either remained the same or decreased in quality over the school year.
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Dionisia Tzavara and Victoria L. O’Donnell
Professional Doctorates (PDs) have been added to the curriculum of many universities worldwide, as an alternative to the traditional Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). PDs are more…
Abstract
Professional Doctorates (PDs) have been added to the curriculum of many universities worldwide, as an alternative to the traditional Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). PDs are more focused on practice-based knowledge that advances professional practice and contributes to society, industry and the economy. The dominance of the PhD as the typical higher degree by research has led universities to develop frameworks for their PDs which are very similar to the PhD framework. This includes the assessment of the PD, which in many cases follows the same process and is based on the same criteria as for the PhD. This similarity in the assessment of the two types of doctorates creates challenges for external examiners (EEs), who are invited to evaluate the contribution of the PD within frameworks which are tailored around the PhD. Here, the authors focus the investigation on the Doctorate in Business Administration and conduct a review and analysis of institutional documents from universities in England in an attempt to understand the similarities and differences between the examination process of the PD and the PhD and the extent to which the examination process of the PD supports the evaluation of the practice-based contribution that is at its heart. Through this review and analysis, the authors identify the challenges that exist for EEs who are called to assess PDs, and make recommendations which will support EEs to evaluate the contribution of the PD.
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Arch G. Woodside, Pedro Mir Bernal and Alicia Coduras
This chapter shows how to construct and test case-based macro models. The chapter makes use of national data to examine influences on quality-of-life of national cultures as…
Abstract
Synopsis
This chapter shows how to construct and test case-based macro models. The chapter makes use of national data to examine influences on quality-of-life of national cultures as complex wholes and entrepreneurship activities in Brazil, Russia, India, China, Germany, and the United States (the six focal nations) plus Denmark (a small-size, economically developed, nation). The study tests McClelland’s (1961) and more recent scholars’ proposition that some cultural configurations nurture entrepreneur startups, while other cultures are biased toward thwarting startups. The study applies complexity theory to develop and empirically test a general theory of cultures’, entrepreneurship’s, and innovation’s impact on quality-of-life across nations. Because culture represents a complex whole of attitudes, beliefs, values, and behavior, the study applies a set-theoretic approach to theory development and testing of alternative cultural configurations. Each of 28 economical developed and developing nations is scored for the level of the national cultures for each of six focal countries. The study selected for the study enables multi-way comparisons of culture-entrepreneurship-innovation-QOL among large- and small-sized developing and developed nations. The findings graphically present the complex national cultural configuration (x-axis) with entrepreneur nurture/thwart (y-axis) of the 28 nations compared to the six focal nations. The findings also include recognizing national cultures (e.g., Switzerland, the United States) nurturing entrepreneurial behavior versus other national cultures (e.g., Brazil and India) thwarting entrepreneurial behavior. The study concludes with a call to recognize the implicit shift in culturally implicit thinking and behavior necessary for advancing national platforms designed to successfully nurture entrepreneurship. Entrepreneur strategy implications include the observation that actions nurturing firm start-ups by nations low in entrepreneurship will unlikely to be successful without reducing such nations’ high levels of corruption.
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The professional development (PD) of teachers is vital to student learning, yet PD continues to be plagued by positivist assumptions and low teacher buy-in. Because PD is based on…
Abstract
Purpose
The professional development (PD) of teachers is vital to student learning, yet PD continues to be plagued by positivist assumptions and low teacher buy-in. Because PD is based on persuasion, and because the roles of PD providers and receivers are not as discrete as they appear, rhetorical theory offers a valuable framework for understanding teacher PD. This study applied rhetorical theory to educator PD to elucidate the complex roles that educators take on as the event unfolds, whether in person or on social media.
Design/methodology/approach
This collective instrumental case study used a holistic design structure to examine how educators embrace, resist or otherwise respond to the roles they are given in PD in person and using social media; and how educators use the affordances of X (formerly Twitter) to shift rhetorical roles in X-based PD activities. A taxonomy was developed to apply the theory accurately and consistently. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and participants’ PD-related X use. Interviews were analyzed using descriptive coding by theme. X data was analyzed in three dimensions by use type, topic and rhetorical move.
Findings
The participants exhibited enthusiasm about both receiving and providing PD. Analysis of the participants’ perceptions of their PD and of their PD-related X use revealed shifting and layered ways they embrace, resist and otherwise engage with the roles they are given in PD, as well as the complex ways they used the affordances of X to engage with all of the available roles online.
Originality/value
In examining teacher PD using an ecological model of the rhetorical situation, this case study demonstrated the usefulness of rhetoric as a framework for PD that recognizes the nuanced and powerful roles teachers fulfill in their own PD activities in person and on social media.
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Katariina Juusola, Daniel Marco Stefan Kleber and Archana Popat
The study is positioned at the crossroads of transformative social marketing and social innovation literature through the lens of participatory design (PD). This exploratory study…
Abstract
Purpose
The study is positioned at the crossroads of transformative social marketing and social innovation literature through the lens of participatory design (PD). This exploratory study aims to explore how social enterprises in India engage economically marginalized people in transformative social marketing and innovation for sustainable development through PD.
Design/methodology/approach
The study includes a case study with a matched pairs analysis approach. The data analysis reports three themes depicting the role of PD in different stages of the social innovation process (codiscovery, codesign and scaling-up), the challenges faced in the process and the outcomes of the PD process.
Findings
The authors propose that social enterprises can act as sustainable development catalysts for more inclusive sustainable development through their proactive and creative uses of PD. Still, PD also has limitations for addressing the challenges stemming from marginalized contexts, which requires effective social marketing strategies to overcome.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the emerging dialogue on PD with marginalized users and widens the scope of studies on transformative social marketing and innovation. The findings also provide practical insights for PD practitioners on how designers can learn from diverse PD practices in the context of economically marginalized people.