Chui-Ha Ng, Derek H.T. Walker and Ginger Levin
This paper aims to present a summary of findings of a doctoral thesis on the impacts of contingent employment on IT project management (PM) practices in three large representative…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a summary of findings of a doctoral thesis on the impacts of contingent employment on IT project management (PM) practices in three large representative Hong Kong organisations. It also presents the candidate's experience of the doctoral process in successfully completing the thesis as a mature and experience PM practitioner.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a thesis research note reporting on the thesis that was undertaken as a series of case studies and includes reflections on the doctoral experience by the candidate and one of the two supervisors.
Findings
The doctoral research findings are summarised and the URL link to the thesis is provided http://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/view/rmit:160254. Important findings about the way that the case study organisations managed the attraction, retention and career development of contingent workers are summarised. The nature of the doctoral journey is presented as findings through reflection.
Practical implications
The thesis addresses a poorly researched area, contingent employment and the relationship between project managers and the organisations that hire them. The way that contingent workers develop their skills and how they may effectively engage in knowledge transfer is vital to organisational learning.
Originality/value
The paper places its discussion in a Hong Kong context. There are few if any such studies in the PM literature in this region and consideration of HR issues for project managers are also an emerging area of research. The doctoral thesis reported upon and the link to it as provided allows readers access to a highly current source of literature and empirical work.
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Akshaya Vijayalakshmi, Russell Laczniak and Deanne Brocato
This study aims to uncover in-depth examples of how emergent media affects parents’ views and socialization efforts. The study examines these views and efforts in the context of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to uncover in-depth examples of how emergent media affects parents’ views and socialization efforts. The study examines these views and efforts in the context of violent commercials.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected data for this paper using two studies. In Study 1, they collected data from the internet. Comments related to “violent ads” or “violent commercials” were collated and analyzed. For Study 2, they conducted in-depth interviews with mothers on their views on parental mediation and impact of media on their children.
Findings
The internet data helped develop a parental definition of violent ads and identify that parents lie on a continuum regarding their concerns about violent commercials. Further in-depth questioning of parents on the above finding led to the identification of four clusters of parents. “Media managers” attempt to control and restrict their child’s media environment while educating their child about the effects of violent commercials. “Enablers” spend abundant time co-viewing primetime TV while engaging their child in conversations on violence, but not on violent ads. To maintain harmony in the household, “Harmonizers” merely restrict viewing of violent commercials without educating their child about its effects. Finally, “Agent evaluators” are likely to co-view violent commercials, without discussing them with their child.
Research limitations/implications
First, several of the parental segments (media managers, enablers and harmonizers) tend to note some concerns with violence in advertising. Importantly, this concern for violence appears to be limited to gore and use of physical weapon. Second, while parents do not have homogenous views on violent ads, those who are concerned also have differing roots of concern. This influences their mediation efforts. Third, socialization is bi-directional at times.
Practical implications
Many parents do not approve are the use of physical violence, use of weapons and depiction of blood/gore even in ads for movies or videogames. Advertisers might be wise to avoid such content in ads directed to children. Second, if media and marketing managers could plan to sponsor TV shows (vs placing violent ads) that offer ad-free program time, parents might respond positively. Third, as socialization is bi-directional, advertisers could consider using ad scenarios where parents and children engage with the pros and cons of a certain product or content, thus enabling parent-child conversations to make an informed decision.
Social implications
Many parents notice violence in ads; policymakers could consider developing ratings for ads that consider the amount and type of violence while rating an ad. Second, a focus on increasing parental awareness on the harms of constantly exposing children to violent commercials might change the views of some parents who currently believe that a few or no violent commercials are being aired during children’s programs. Finally, parents envisage a greater role for media in their lives, and policymakers will have to suggest ways to effectively integrate media content in one’s lives rather than just suggest bans or restrictions.
Originality/value
The contributions of this paper include viewers’ (vs researchers’) definition of violent commercials, showcasing that parents are likely to manage media using new media options such as Netflix, and some parents are likely to co-create rules with their children.
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Yangjun Tu, Chaoqun Ma, Yueyan Wu and Zhi Yang
Active touch experienced by the hand and mouth can influence the evaluation of the taste of food. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of a passive body touch…
Abstract
Purpose
Active touch experienced by the hand and mouth can influence the evaluation of the taste of food. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of a passive body touch experience on the perceived intensity of spiciness.
Design/methodology/approach
This study includes three experiments. In Experiment 1, 32 college students tasted half of one piece of spicy bean curd while sitting on either a hard wooden chair or a soft padded chair. Experiment 2 was conducted using the blindfold method to avoid the influence of visual cues on taste, keeping the other details the same as in Experiment 1. Experiment 3 was performed with two changes from Experiment 2: the participants were blindfolded immediately before entering the lab from the waiting room to completely block all visual cues for the experimental materials, and armless stools were used to eliminate the passive touch on the participants’ backs.
Findings
All three experiments consistently found that the participants sitting on the soft padded chair or the soft armless stool perceived the spicy bean curd as significantly spicier than those sitting on the hard wooden chair or the hard armless stool.
Originality/value
These results preliminarily support the hypothesis that a crossmodal correspondence exists between passive body touch and sense of taste (especially spiciness, as in this study), demonstrating the importance of passive body touch and, more generally, of the touchable features in places where food is consumed, such as hotels, restaurants and bars.
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The Bureau of Economics in the Federal Trade Commission has a three-part role in the Agency and the strength of its functions changed over time depending on the preferences and…
Abstract
The Bureau of Economics in the Federal Trade Commission has a three-part role in the Agency and the strength of its functions changed over time depending on the preferences and ideology of the FTC’s leaders, developments in the field of economics, and the tenor of the times. The over-riding current role is to provide well considered, unbiased economic advice regarding antitrust and consumer protection law enforcement cases to the legal staff and the Commission. The second role, which long ago was primary, is to provide reports on investigations of various industries to the public and public officials. This role was more recently called research or “policy R&D”. A third role is to advocate for competition and markets both domestically and internationally. As a practical matter, the provision of economic advice to the FTC and to the legal staff has required that the economists wear “two hats,” helping the legal staff investigate cases and provide evidence to support law enforcement cases while also providing advice to the legal bureaus and to the Commission on which cases to pursue (thus providing “a second set of eyes” to evaluate cases). There is sometimes a tension in those functions because building a case is not the same as evaluating a case. Economists and the Bureau of Economics have provided such services to the FTC for over 100 years proving that a sub-organization can survive while playing roles that sometimes conflict. Such a life is not, however, always easy or fun.
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Rainer Haas, Oliver Meixner and Marcus Petz
In the contribution the authors show how the concept of community-powered co-innovation can successfully be implemented in order to improve the situation of small-scale farmers…
Abstract
Purpose
In the contribution the authors show how the concept of community-powered co-innovation can successfully be implemented in order to improve the situation of small-scale farmers. The purpose of this paper is to focus on developing countries in consideration of economic, social and ecological sustainability aspects.
Design/methodology/approach
All findings are based on an in-depth, detailed examination of one specific case. The case study approach allows analysis of innovation and cooperation within rural societies while considering their contextual conditions.
Findings
The case study goes back to an initiative begun in 2011. Stakeholders from Nepal were connected to five Austrian distributors and nine German distributors selling their products in Austria and Germany. In total, about 600 Nepalese farmers are cultivating on average less than 1 ha of agricultural land each. A German entrepreneur founded the first Demeter farm in Nepal and founded an ethical business in Nepal to cooperate with the farmers there. The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) acted as a knowledge broker. The whole initiative followed the Triple Helix concept.
Research limitations/implications
The study shows qualitative results out of an individual initiative. The findings are of a qualitative nature, they are not necessarily transferable to comparable cases. The outcome has to be interpreted as hypotheses, further research activities are required for broader application.
Originality/value
The case study shows how the authors can sustainably improve the economic and social situation of underprivileged market participants in the least developed countries by establishing a teaching-based cooperation between a university, an ethical business and farmers.
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Daniela Dal Castel Krein, Rafaela Julyana Barboza Devos, Luciane Maria Colla and Christian Oliveira Reinehr
Acrylamide is a compound found in several food products. Due to the toxicity of this compound, research also seeks strategies to modify industrial and homemade processes…
Abstract
Purpose
Acrylamide is a compound found in several food products. Due to the toxicity of this compound, research also seeks strategies to modify industrial and homemade processes, impacting on the reduction of the compound. This paper aims to discuss the aspects surrounding the presence of acrylamide in foods.
Design/methodology/approach
Published literature on the presence of acrylamide in foods and on its effects has been reviewed. This paper explores the importance of this compound, summarizes the knowledge of its formation and gathers data on its incidence in food and the possibilities of mitigation. Special attention is given to an evaluation of the toxicological tests applied, to analyze whether acrylamide can be considered as a food safety problem.
Findings
Human exposure to food with high levels of acrylamide varies in their levels regarding the consumption of food in the diet and not only by the level of the compound present in them. Although the compound is well defined as toxic to humans, the association between its intake and most common cancers may not be directly related.
Originality/value
Depending on the approach of the researchers, contradictory results are obtained, showing the importance of this topic to the development of healthy food products. Further research is still needed to validate the potential effects of acrylamide on human health.