Purpose – Religious addiction treatment has experienced a rise both in its reach and exposure to attention from medical professionals. Largely autonomous conversion-based programs…
Abstract
Purpose – Religious addiction treatment has experienced a rise both in its reach and exposure to attention from medical professionals. Largely autonomous conversion-based programs have received unprecedented support and legitimacy. We investigate “Victory Ministries,”11The organization ‘Victory Ministries’ is a pseudonym. Any resemblance to actual locales of this name or similar is entirely coincidental. All names have been change to protect the identity of the participants. a large Midwestern evangelical rehab facility, exploring the similarities and differences between formulations of addiction-as-disease found in “secular” rehab and the moral binaries that guide Victory's program.
Methodology/approach – Qualitative case study: Interviews and ethnography.
Findings – Working from in-depth interviews, we explore the inner workings of Victory's curriculum and program design, as it transmutes dominant therapeutic concepts and methods into its own Manichaean frame. Aided by superior financial resources and support of a tight-knit network of churches, it delivers its most successful clients into a new life “redeemed by Christ.”
Social implications – Proponents of conversion-based service provision position religious institutions as the primary agents of willing compassion and generosity beyond the family compass, stripping the rest of civil society of any claims to promote the greater good. In Victory's metaphor of “invisible war,” a Manichaean vision is quite explicit. Every definition of recovery and reintegration in terms of conversion and submission to religious authority inherently suggests that substance use stems largely from immorality and that the unsaved in general are sinful and dangerous. By funding a conversion-based shadow welfare apparatus, we argue, the US government is intensifying the criminalization of poverty, the steady downgrading of more inclusive institutions, and ultimately the materialization of Victory's Manichaean vision in a polarized nation.
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Management of students’ affairs constitutes one of the key elements of the educational process, even though neglected and often treated as a minor issue. In all Polish higher…
Abstract
Management of students’ affairs constitutes one of the key elements of the educational process, even though neglected and often treated as a minor issue. In all Polish higher education institutions (HEIs) the units charged with this administrative task are dean’s offices (in Polish, dziekanaty). The pace of work of dean’s offices is related to the schedule of the academic year. While resources are constant throughout the year, the workload differs significantly and peaks around October, when not only the new semester begins but also many students defend their theses and need to receive their award certificates. Work at dean’s office is therefore often demanding with many tasks cumulated in the same very short period of time and repeatable, that is, as many times as the number of students, which can be from 350 to over 700 per employee. This chapter examines innovative ways of managing students’ affairs at selected Polish HEIs. These innovations can be either top-down, that is, provided by HEI authorities responding to the needs of dean’s offices, or bottom-up, that is, worked out by the dean’s office staff (often due to lacking support of HEIs authorities).
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Inge L. Bleijenbergh, Marloes L. van Engen and Claartje J. Vinkenburg
In the context of research on the career advancement of women and men in academia, this paper aims to reflect on how deans at six schools of a Dutch arts and a Dutch…
Abstract
Purpose
In the context of research on the career advancement of women and men in academia, this paper aims to reflect on how deans at six schools of a Dutch arts and a Dutch sciences‐based university construct the image of the ideal academic, and on how these images are gendered.
Design/methodology/approach
Using an inductive approach, the study analyzed the transcripts of semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with six deans (all men) from two different Dutch universities on the career advancement of men and women at their school.
Findings
It was expected that the images of the ideal academic would be more gendered in the sciences than in the arts university, considering the stronger male domination in the sciences university. The images of the ideal academic, while fundamentally different, regarding the expertise, the applicability of knowledge, and the visibility needed to be considered successful, were equally gendered in assuming that practicing science leaves little room for caring obligations outside work; in both places science was considered an omnipresent and greedy calling. Moreover, deans at both universities to a similar extent expected women academics not to fit to this standard. Paradoxically, in the arts university deans construct an image of women academics that in some aspects reflects a mirror image of women academics in the sciences university and vice versa.
Research limitations/implications
The paper suggests that in this construction the process of “othering” women academics is more constant than the content of the ideal academic. They contribute to theories on the ideal worker in the field of science by arguing the construction of the ideal academic is fluid rather than fixed. Further research could investigate how the image of the ideal academic changes within the same discipline across different countries with a higher representation of women among full professors, as the findings are limited to The Netherlands.
Practical implications
The paper argues that the fluidity of the ideal academic norm offers space for renegotiating such norms by making it more inclusive for women, which will have positive consequences for women's career advancement in academia.
Originality/value
The contribution of this paper is that constructions of the ideal academic are fluid rather than fixed, while dominant actors in organizations seem to attribute universal value to these images. The “otherness” of women relative to the image of the ideal academic is more constant than the characteristics of these images themselves.
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The aims of this paper are twofold: first, to explore if and how management ideals are gendered within the context of Swedish higher education management and second, to…
Abstract
Purpose
The aims of this paper are twofold: first, to explore if and how management ideals are gendered within the context of Swedish higher education management and second, to investigate if and how the gendered character of these ideals has been challenged by new managerialism.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on qualitative semi-structured interviews with 22 women in senior academic management positions (Vice Chancellors, Pro Vice Chancellors, Deans and Pro deans) in ten Swedish higher education institutions. Discourse analysis is used to explore the constructions of the management ideal in the interviews.
Findings
The paper identifies how the interviewed women managers constructed two different management ideals: one old-fashioned and traditional masculine ideal that was superseded by a feminine ideal that they identified themselves with. The masculine ideal was presented as being replaced by the feminine ideal due to the restructuring of higher education and the reforms in line with new managerialism. However, the feminine ideal was also associated with a number of professional challenges.
Originality/value
The research study is limited to management in the higher education sector, but the results have general implications as it adds richness to our understanding of the gendered effects of new managerialism. However, the paper builds on a small qualitative study with women only interviews. The paper is therefore to be considered as explorative. More research is needed, especially including men.
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Reported studies on call centers emphasize efficiency and control, with possible implications for service priorities, customer orientation and service quality. However, there is…
Abstract
Reported studies on call centers emphasize efficiency and control, with possible implications for service priorities, customer orientation and service quality. However, there is little empirical research to test assumptions from the customer’s perspective. This study aimed to establish whether customers expected (predicted) low levels of service from a call center, how this level compared to the minimum level they considered adequate, and whether the perceived customer orientation of the call center was related to service quality expectations. Data were collected in Australia from two sources: end consumers (n = 289) of an insurance provider, and business customers (n = 325) of a bank. Key findings were similar for both samples. First, customers had very high levels of adequate (minimum) expectations, and adequate expectations behaved independently from predicted (forecast) expectations. Second, customer orientation was associated with predicted expectations but not adequate expectations. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research and managerial implications.
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The International Association for Manage‐ment Education (AACSB) historically has been a strong supporter of the business disciplinary communities that have served to create and…
Abstract
The International Association for Manage‐ment Education (AACSB) historically has been a strong supporter of the business disciplinary communities that have served to create and protect a much narrower definition of faculty qualifications. Research has supported the notion that business schools have often selected and rewarded faculty for their academic credentials and for their ability to conduct empirical research regardless of institutional type. In recent studies following the introduction of the new AACSB stan‐dards, deans surveyed generally anticipate only modest changes in the credentials and research expectations for their faculties. This multiple case study investigated dean and management and marketing chair and faculty perceptions of the potential impact of the new AACSB faculty qualifications standards on hiring, tenure, and promotion criteria at four comprehensive universities. Generally, respondents expected little opportunity for selection, tenure or promotion of faculty with doctorates outside traditional business disciplines and no opportunity for those considered professionally qualified.
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Marie Mikic Little and Alison M. Dean
Studies have demonstrated that the service climate in an organisation, as perceived by employees, is positively related to service quality, as perceived by customers. However, no…
Abstract
Purpose
Studies have demonstrated that the service climate in an organisation, as perceived by employees, is positively related to service quality, as perceived by customers. However, no studies appear to have tested the link to service quality from an employee perspective. Hence, the major aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between service climate, employee commitment and employees' service quality capability (SQC).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected by a cross‐sectional field study of frontline employees in a telecommunications call centre (n=167; 58 percent). A call centre was chosen because of the perceived poor service climate and the high levels of employee turnover.
Findings
Global service climate (GSC) in the call centre was found to be positively related to employees' SQC, with partial mediation by employee commitment. Regression analysis showed that three factors: managerial practices, customer feedback and human resource management contributed to GSC but, unexpectedly, customer orientation did not.
Research limitations/implications
The findings indicate that the service climate in a call centre affects employees, both in terms of their commitment, and their self‐reported feelings about the delivery of service quality to customers. Unexpected findings suggest that further work on service climate in call centres is warranted.
Practical implications
This study demonstrates the important effects of service climate in general, and HRM in particular, on frontline employees in call centres. Managers should benefit from noting the links and the likely service quality outcome for customers.
Originality/value
This paper applies and extends theory developed in other contexts to call centres.
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J. Michael McDonald and J. Bernard Keys
The ability to make quantum leaps in changing organizations isbecoming a survival need for both managers and their organizations.Managers are needed who can build networks to…
Abstract
The ability to make quantum leaps in changing organizations is becoming a survival need for both managers and their organizations. Managers are needed who can build networks to funnel diverse views upward from the lower levels where the need for change is often first detected. Describes how a multipart “Influence Development Programme” was devised and attended by 53 deans of business schools – it being recognized that to be effective, deans, as much as managers in business, need to be able to influence others both within and outside their work environment.
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Monika Hudson and Keith O. Hunter
When do you throw it all away? The first senior female in a male-dominated business school decides it all comes down to a question of principle – and maybe a few others. What is…
Abstract
Synopsis
When do you throw it all away? The first senior female in a male-dominated business school decides it all comes down to a question of principle – and maybe a few others. What is the best balance between her responsibilities to students, family, and the next generation of female leaders? Can she both be true to herself and compromise? What factors should influence this decision? This case brings together questions about power and influence, rational decision-making, leadership, and the intra and inter-personal responsibilities of organizational “firsts.” Further, issues related to a university's effort to better compete within the global higher education marketplace, provide a valuable opportunity to explore institutional approaches to promoting diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency.
Research methodology
This case, which was developed from primary sources, highlights the array of competing objectives and personal and political tensions involved in university administration.
Relevant courses and levels
This case was designed for graduate students in Masters of Public Administration, Masters of Business Administration, Masters of Education in Organizational Leadership, or similar graduate degrees that include significant management and leadership content. Students working with this case should have already completed foundational courses in topics such as organizational management, public policy, leadership, strategic human resources management, or their equivalents within their respective programs of study. Virtually all of the issues raised by this case address core themes, concepts, theses, and theories associated with an accredited graduate program in educational management, business or public administration.
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Sunil Sahadev, Keyoor Purani and Tapan Kumar Panda
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between managerial control strategies, role-stress and employee adaptiveness among call centre employees.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between managerial control strategies, role-stress and employee adaptiveness among call centre employees.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a conceptual model, a questionnaire-based survey methodology is adopted. Data were collected from call centre employees in India and the data were analysed through PLS methodology.
Findings
The study finds that outcome control and activity control increase role-stress while capability control does not have a significant impact. The interaction between outcome control and activity control also tends to impact role-stress of employees. Role-stress felt by employees has significant negative impact on employee adaptiveness.
Research limitations/implications
The sampling approach was convenience based affecting the generalisability of the results.
Practical implications
The paper provides guidelines for utilising managerial control approaches in a service setting.
Originality/value
The paper looks at managerial control approaches in a service setting – a topic not quite researched before.