Judith Shamian, Linda O’Brien‐Pallas, Donna Thomson, Chris Alksnis and Michael Steven Kerr
States Canadian governments have, after a decade of health care downsizing, started to focus on issues of health human resources. Posits that nurses in particular experience…
Abstract
States Canadian governments have, after a decade of health care downsizing, started to focus on issues of health human resources. Posits that nurses in particular experience higher rates of absenteeism and injury than other types of Canadian workers. Advocates that this study’s findings offers numerous ideas to managers of the system, unions, nurses, government and other parties on how to manage the system better for all involved and the improvement of the health care system.
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Donna Marshall, Jakob Rehme, Aideen O'Dochartaigh, Stephen Kelly, Roshan Boojihawon and Daniel Chicksand
This article explores how companies in multiple controversial industries report their controversial issues. For the first time, the authors use a new conceptualization of…
Abstract
Purpose
This article explores how companies in multiple controversial industries report their controversial issues. For the first time, the authors use a new conceptualization of controversial industries, focused on harm and solutions, to investigate the reports of 28 companies in seven controversial industries: Agricultural Chemicals, Alcohol, Armaments, Coal, Gambling, Oil and Tobacco.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors thematically analyzed company reports to determine if companies in controversial industries discuss their controversial issues in their reporting, if and how they communicate the harm caused by their products or services, and what solutions they provide.
Findings
From this study data the authors introduce a new legitimacy reporting method in the controversial industries literature: the solutions companies offer for the harm caused by their products and services. The authors find three solution reporting methods: no solution, misleading solution and less-harmful solution. The authors also develop a new typology of reporting strategies used by companies in controversial industries based on how they report their key controversial issue and the harm caused by their products or services, and the solutions they offer. The authors identify seven reporting strategies: Ignore, Deny, Decoy, Dazzle, Distort, Deflect and Adapt.
Research limitations/implications
Further research can test the typology and identify strategies used by companies in different institutional or regulatory settings, across different controversial industries or in larger populations.
Practical implications
Investors, consumers, managers, activists and other stakeholders of controversial companies can use this typology to identify the strategies that companies use to report controversial issues. They can assess if reports admit to the controversial issue and the harm caused by a company's products and services and if they provide solutions to that harm.
Originality/value
This paper develops a new typology of reporting strategies by companies in controversial industries and adds to the theory and discourse on social and environmental reporting (SER) as well as the literature on controversial industries.
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This chapter documents how the early request for citizens to participate in health-protective behaviors to quell the spread of the disease became politicized. Health-protective…
Abstract
This chapter documents how the early request for citizens to participate in health-protective behaviors to quell the spread of the disease became politicized. Health-protective behaviors, such as social distancing and mask wearing, were found to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Yet, despite the evidence that compliance helped control the pandemic’s spread, mask wearing became a politicized symbol during the early stages of the pandemic. Particularly in the United States, bipartisan stances for and against mask wearing developed quickly as conspiracy theories, supported by President Trump, downplayed the seriousness of the pandemic. As vaccines appeared by late 2020, this polarization continued, again with President Trump aiming blame that the release of the vaccine was timed with 2020 election and raising questions with its safety. In comparison, Prime Minister Marin took a pro-science, global approach to Finland’s mandate and vaccine response. Using regression analysis, I examine the growing political divide that occurred between April 2020 and November 2020, highlighting the growth of politicization for both mask wearing and vaccine intention in both the United States and Finland. While analyses from April 2020 show support for the party in power (Republicans for the United States and left-leaning parties for Finland) was not a significant predictor of mask wearing in either country, by November 2020, political party significantly predicted both mask wearing and vaccine intention in both countries. Additionally, other important predictive factors, particularly state/citizen collaborative dimensions, are reviewed and discussed.
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James Hawdon and Donna Sedgwick
This chapter weaves the finding from the previous chapters together to explain how perceptions of and responses to a pandemic are not static but change over the course of the…
Abstract
This chapter weaves the finding from the previous chapters together to explain how perceptions of and responses to a pandemic are not static but change over the course of the pandemic and in between the governance and social welfare structures of the nations they affect. We consider the cross-national differences in outcomes and relate these to a variety of strategies used to curb the pandemic’s spread. We then conduct a series of analyses that examine our underlying arguments using data collected in November 2023, approximately 6 months after the pandemic was declared to be over. We find that compliance with health-protective recommendations is correlated with positive health outcomes. Specifically, we investigate how compliance correlates with the number of times an individual became ill with COVID-19. We then use variables discussed throughout the book to investigate how these factors correlate with complying with protective health measures, including being vaccinated and wearing face coverings during the pandemic. We find that collaborative factors are good predictors of compliance with health-protective recommendations. We then investigate how factors such as planned behavioral changes to mitigate the pandemic’s effect, attitudes toward government spending, media consumption, political party, and exposure to hate materials relate to the compliance factors. Ultimately, we demonstrate how the behavior of elites and the perceptions and attitudes of citizens during the initial stages of the pandemic shaped the pandemic’s long-term consequences. The chapter concludes by summarizing the findings from the previous chapters to set the stage for the concluding chapter.
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“Virtuous women are seldom accosted by unwelcome sexual propositions or familiarities, obscene talk, or profane language,” proclaims Phyllis Schlafly. “Men hardly ever ask sexual…
Abstract
“Virtuous women are seldom accosted by unwelcome sexual propositions or familiarities, obscene talk, or profane language,” proclaims Phyllis Schlafly. “Men hardly ever ask sexual favors of women from whom the certain answer is ‘no.’”
Alison Owens, Donna Lee Brien, Elizabeth Ellison and Craig Batty
There has been sustained interest in how to support doctoral students through the often-gruelling journey they undertake from enrolment to graduation. Although doctoral numbers…
Abstract
Purpose
There has been sustained interest in how to support doctoral students through the often-gruelling journey they undertake from enrolment to graduation. Although doctoral numbers and successful completions have been steadily increasing globally as well as in Australia, the quality of student progression and outcomes has been widely interrogated and criticised in the literature that is reported in this paper. The authors’ interest as experienced research higher degree supervisors and research leaders in the creative arts and humanities prompted a research project that aimed to better understand the challenges and breakthroughs involved in completing a doctorate from the perspective of candidates themselves.
Design/methodology/approach
This was implemented through an action learning collaboration with 18 students from three Australian universities facilitated by four research supervisors.
Findings
The main findings presented in this paper include the necessity for maintaining, brokering and supporting a range of relationships; understanding expectations of research study and embracing the need for agility in managing these; and finally, using techniques to improve personal agency and ownership of the transformative journey of research higher degree candidature. The importance of establishing an understanding of the multidimensional human experience of doing a doctorate and providing appropriate support through enhanced forms of research training emerged as a core finding from this research project.
Research limitations/implications
The relatively small number of research participants in this study and the discipline-specific focus prohibits generalizability of findings; however, the collaborative, action learning method adopted represents an approach that is both productive and transferable to other contexts and disciplines.
Practical implications
Further research might investigate the relevance of the findings from this research to doctoral students in other disciplines and/or institutions or apply the collaborative action learning approach to doctoral training presented here to a range of contexts and cohorts.
Social implications
Improving doctoral training options to support the multidimensional needs of candidates can better assure the mental and emotional well-being of doctoral students (essential to their continuing intellectual development and sense of agency) through developing sustainable relationships and realistic expectations. This in turn has the potential to address the consistently high attrition rates in doctoral programmes.
Originality/value
This research contributes new insights from doctoral students on the challenges and breakthroughs experienced by them as they pursue original research through formal study and present a novel, collaborative and empowering approach to doctoral training that can be applied in diverse setting.
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Donna Smith, Jenna Jacobson and Janice L. Rudkowski
The practice of frontline employees articulating their brand voice and posting work-related content on social media has emerged; however, employee brand equity (EBE) research has…
Abstract
Purpose
The practice of frontline employees articulating their brand voice and posting work-related content on social media has emerged; however, employee brand equity (EBE) research has yet to be linked to employees’ social media activity. This paper aims to take a methods-based approach to better understand employees’ roles as influencers. As such, its objective is to operationalize and apply the three EBE dimensions – brand consistent behavior, brand endorsement and brand allegiance – using Instagram data.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative research uses a case study of employee influencers at SoulCycle, a leading North American fitness company and examines 100 Instagram images and 100 captions from these influential employees to assess the three EBE dimensions.
Findings
Brand consistent behavior (what employees do) was the most important EBE dimension indicating that employees’ social media activities align with their employer’s values. Brand allegiance (what employees intend to do in the future) whereby employees self-identify with their employer on social media, followed. Brand endorsement (what employees say) was the least influential of the three EBE dimensions, which may indicate a higher level of perceived authenticity from a consumer perspective.
Originality/value
This research makes three contributions. First, it presents a novel measure of EBE using public Instagram data. Second, it represents a unique expansion and an evolution of King et al.’s (2012) model. Third, it considers employees’ work-related content on social media to understand employees’ role as influencers and their co-creation of EBE, which is currently an under-represented perspective in the internal branding literature.
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Susie Miles, Laisiasa Merumeru and Donna Lene
This chapter reviews the history of an approach to networking between practitioners which uses inquiry-based methods to document innovative examples of inclusive education. The…
Abstract
This chapter reviews the history of an approach to networking between practitioners which uses inquiry-based methods to document innovative examples of inclusive education. The networking task is located in the context of efforts to promote Education for All which have so far failed to include the economically poorest and most marginalised children. The case of the Pacific region’s efforts to include children with disability in education is presented as a particular challenge, given its small, multilingual and geographically scattered population. An emerging strategy is presented as a framework for analysing the context of, and promoting greater conceptual clarity around, inclusive education in the Pacific region. Ultimately this networking approach has the potential to measure progress towards a more nuanced conceptualisation of the inclusive education agenda.