James Poon Teng Fatt and Teo Hee Ang
The growing importance of entrepreneurship is the result of a global awareness of increasing competitiveness in the business environment. In Singapore, the SME Master Plan (1989…
Abstract
The growing importance of entrepreneurship is the result of a global awareness of increasing competitiveness in the business environment. In Singapore, the SME Master Plan (1989) emphasises entrepreneurship as “a key component of the strategy to develop Singapore into a major node in global business and a total business centre.” Much has been reported in the press about entrepreneurship. The article “So You Think We've Arrived?” (Straits Times, 3 Jan 1993) says it all. In the past, Singapore had the temporary sensation of plenty and peace. Singapore industrialised and attracted multinational corporations (MNCs) to leap‐frog the region. This has enabled Singapore to grow at a phenomenal rate. Now, the region has awakened. Our neighbours have learned and are now more competitive to demand a share of the market. The challenge for tomorrow is a more competitive business environment. Our Senior Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, has emphasised that about 15 to 20 percent of Singapore's better graduates must venture abroad if Singapore is to become a developed country (Straits Times, 23 Apr. 1993). Thus, the emerging need for an entrepreneurial spirit has begun and is more real now than ever.
David A. Kirby and David Mullen
In an era of change and uncertainty, there is a need for employeeswho are both resourceful and flexible. The creation of such competenciesin graduates is the objective of the UK…
Abstract
In an era of change and uncertainty, there is a need for employees who are both resourceful and flexible. The creation of such competencies in graduates is the objective of the UK Training Agency′s recent Enterprise Initiative in Higher Education. This Initiative is reviewed and the outcomes of one project, the Shell Technology Enterprise Programme, which exposes undergraduates, of any discipline, to a period of action learning in a small firm, is explored. In total, the experiences and attitudes of 75 students are examined, together with the views of their employees. The study concludes that, as described in the programme, action learning can help develop the requisite competencies in students, at the same time developing their understanding of business and management. However, to be fully effective, it needs to be incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum.
Details
Keywords
Michael Willis and David Mullen
The aim of this article is to describe the development, launch, implementation and evaluation of a pilot training and development programme designed to improve the export…
Abstract
The aim of this article is to describe the development, launch, implementation and evaluation of a pilot training and development programme designed to improve the export marketing performance of smaller and medium‐sized concerns. The Management Extension Programme — Exports (MEX) was conceived by staff at Durham University Business School as part of their remit to the Manpower Services Commission to initiate new programmes based on the Management Extension approach. The idea of providing growing organisations with extra management resources has been tried and tested in a number of UK universities with Manpower Services Commission support.
David Murphy and Hannah Mullens
Although individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represent a small proportion of forensic psychiatric patients as a group they present with specific difficulties and…
Abstract
Purpose
Although individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represent a small proportion of forensic psychiatric patients as a group they present with specific difficulties and needs. There is also evidence that if detained individuals with an ASD experience particular difficulties within custodial environments as a result of a mismatch between the difficulties associated with their ASD and the environmental demands. The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of individuals with an ASD admitted to a high secure psychiatric care (HSPC) hospital.
Design/methodology/approach
Using both a semi-structured interview and a quality of life self-report measure (the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile) the experiences and views of seven patients with an ASD detained in one HSPC hospital were qualitatively explored.
Findings
Whilst a diverse range of negative and positive aspects of being within HSPC were identified by patients interviewed, those with prison experience thought HSPC was a less stressful environment with more therapeutic opportunities. As a group, patients with an ASD reported a similar or significantly better quality of life in many domains (global, leisure, financial and living situation) compared to other detained forensic patient groups.
Practical implications
Although most patients with an ASD interviewed reported positive experiences, there are a number of practical improvements that could be made within the hospital to reduce experienced stress levels and perhaps improve therapeutic outcomes.
Originality/value
Within the context of the Department of Health's autism strategy (2010) and subsequent update think autism (2014), the survey highlights continued ASD awareness training for staff as important. In responding to the risks and needs of individuals with an ASD in HSPC there is further support for the development of an ASD specialist service.
Details
Keywords
S. Tamer Cavusgil, Z. Seyda Deligonul and David A. Griffith
This chapter offers a template for examining the rigor and validity ideals in international business survey research. It provides (1) observations on how research-quality checks…
Abstract
This chapter offers a template for examining the rigor and validity ideals in international business survey research. It provides (1) observations on how research-quality checks are currently used, and (2) recommendations about prerequisites for their use. These recommendations are based on the idea that the ideal of rigor and validity is not absolute and cannot be achieved by ad-hoc checks. We argue that there must be certain linkages and progression in attempting higher quality in survey research. We propose a hierarchy of stipulations to strive for highest validity and rigor goal, which we entitle commensurability. As such, this framework outlines the different steps which need to be examined progressively to approach commensurability.
There is growing awareness in New Zealand (NZ) of the impact that Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has on individuals and their families and the ability to engage in health…
Abstract
Purpose
There is growing awareness in New Zealand (NZ) of the impact that Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has on individuals and their families and the ability to engage in health services. Although it is a relatively rare condition, approximately 1 per cent of the population will have ASD, directly affecting approximately 40,000 individuals in NZ. The purpose of this paper is to provide some reflections and questions on what we can learn from a NZ perspective. This is based on an overview of the limited literature around ASD and offending and the author’s experience in the UK working in a medium secure unit.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a past site visit as part of the annual international conference on the Care and Treatment of Offenders with an Intellectual and/or Developmental Disability in the United Kingdom (UK), the author became aware of the medium secure forensic unit for male patients with ASD at the Roseberry Park Hospital (UK’s Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust). During the author’s advanced training in forensic psychiatry with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists the author was privileged to be able to apply and be accepted for a four-month sabbatical training position at this hospital.
Findings
Outlined is background information about ASD and review findings from the limited literature on ASD and offending. Also outlined is the author’s learning as a trainee working in medium secure unit for people with ASD who have offended, and finally how this experience may help in the development of services in NZ, given that at this stage such services are under-developed.
Originality/value
To be able to share the valuable experience and learning opportunity the author was able to have, as well as raise the awareness of ASD generally, and specifically the need for specialist services for the small number of people with ASD who come into contact with Justice Services.
Details
Keywords
David McGillivray, Trudie Walters and Séverin Guillard
Place-based community events fulfil important functions, internally and externally. They provide opportunities for people from diverse communities and cultures to encounter each…
Abstract
Purpose
Place-based community events fulfil important functions, internally and externally. They provide opportunities for people from diverse communities and cultures to encounter each other, to participate in pleasurable activities in convivial settings and to develop mutual understanding. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the value of such events as a means of resisting or challenging the deleterious effects of territorial stigmatisation.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors explore two place-based community events in areas that have been subject to territorial stigmatisation: Govanhill in Glasgow, Scotland, and South Dunedin, New Zealand. They draw on in-depth case study methods including observation and interviews with key local actors and employ inductive analysis to identify themes across the datasets.
Findings
The demonstrate how neighbourhood events in both Glasgow and Dunedin actively seek to address some of the deleterious outcomes of territorial stigmatisation by emphasising strength and asset-based discourses about the areas they reflect and represent. In their planning and organisation, both events play an important mediating role in building and empowering community, fostering intercultural encounters with difference and strengthening mutuality within their defined places. They make use of public and semi-public spaces to attract diverse groups while also increasing the visibility of marginalised populations through larger showcase events.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical element focuses only on two events, one in Glasgow, Scotland (UK), and the other in South Dunedin (New Zealand). Data generated were wholly qualitative and do not provide quantitative evidence of “change” to material circumstances in either case study community.
Practical implications
Helps organisers think about how they need to better understand their communities if they are to attract diverse participation, including how they programme public and semi-public spaces.
Social implications
Place-based community events have significant value to neighbourhoods, and they need to be resourced effectively if they are to sustain the benefits they produce. These events provide an opportunity for diverse communities to encounter each other and celebrate what they share rather than what divides them.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to examine how place-based community events help resist narratives of territorial stigmatisation, which produce negative representations about people and their environments. The paper draws on ethnographic insights generated over time rather than a one-off snapshot which undermines some events research.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to review available literature targeting the assessment and management of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) admitted to high secure…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review available literature targeting the assessment and management of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) admitted to high secure psychiatric care (HSPC). Key areas of examination include the prevalence of ASD in HSPC, how individuals with an ASD differ from other patient groups in clinical and cognitive characteristics, the views of staff regarding patients with an ASD, an exploration of the experiences and quality of life of patients with an ASD, as well as treatment and interventions.
Design/methodology/approach
A review of the published literature.
Findings
Although individuals with an ASD comprise a relatively small proportion of the total HSPC cohort, they appear to be over represented relative to the general population prevalence. Several research projects suggest that individuals with an ASD present with difficulties and needs different to other patient groups, as well as being viewed by staff as potentially vulnerable and requiring a different care approach. Individuals with an ASD report both positive and negative aspects to life in HSPC.
Practical implications
Suggestions are made with regard to how individuals with an ASD might be better managed in HSPC. Following the spirit of various pieces of government legislation such as the Autism Act (2009) and the Equalities Act (2010) the role of a specialist ASD HSPC service is proposed.
Originality/value
This paper provides a detailed review of the research to date exploring the assessment and management of individuals with an ASD detained in HSPC. It outlines key research findings, highlights limitations with it and provides a personal perspective on future research and clinical targets.
Details
Keywords
This study aims to focus on how librarians use and promote Google Scholar (GS) within their library instruction sessions. This study also examines how Google Scholar and the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to focus on how librarians use and promote Google Scholar (GS) within their library instruction sessions. This study also examines how Google Scholar and the Google Scholar discovery layer, library links, is promoted on library websites. This information is then analyzed across the three date ranges.
Design/methodology/approach
This study provides a longitudinal analysis of the opinions and uses of Google Scholar by the Ohio consortium of libraries, OhioLINK. This study uses survey data that was collected in 2007, 2014 and 2019 via the OhioLINK Listserv and builds off of co-author’s previous study (2008), which examined the attitudes of OhioLINK librarians as it related to Google Scholar.
Findings
The results of this research suggested that there were significant changes in use and opinions of Google Scholar between 2007 and 2014 with more normalization of uses and opinions occurring between 2014 and 2019.
Research limitations/implications
Respondents were not asked for the type of library where they work or to identify their position within their libraries, which necessarily limits the conclusions that can be drawn from the survey responses. In retrospect, limiting the sample to instruction librarians or faculty librarians might have yielded more meaningful results. Additionally, this project did not evaluate the uses and opinions of librarians using GS at the reference desk. By providing this information, it would be easier to truly glean the uses and opinions of librarians with regard to GS.
Practical implications
This research will assist librarians contextualize how one of the most popular research resources has been used and promoted by those within the field and how those opinions have changed over time. This study will provide context into how Google Scholar became one of the most popular research tools and how attitudes of this unprecedented, and controversial, resource came to be accepted by librarians over the past 15 years.
Social implications
This study will help librarians better contextualize how other librarians use and promote Google Scholar. Furthermore, it demonstrates how a controversial information research tool became accepted by those in the field over time.
Originality/value
According to the authors’ knowledge, this research is the only study to provide a longitudinal analysis of the librarian opinions of Google Scholar. It targeted the same audience in identical surveys in a way no other Google Scholar research has done. It builds off of the co-author’s (2008) work, which is a well-cited study regarding librarian attitudes of Google Scholar. This research was done on the 15th year anniversary of Google Scholar.