Ying Liao and Jane Barnes
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that knowledge acquisition (KA) plays in creating product innovation flexibility (PIF) in SMEs. The paper also examines two of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that knowledge acquisition (KA) plays in creating product innovation flexibility (PIF) in SMEs. The paper also examines two of the factors of the KA process: relationship quality (RQ); and information capability (IC).
Design/methodology/approach
The survey data were checked for common method variance, validity, and reliability. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothetical framework and path analysis was used to test mediation effects.
Findings
Results show that for SMEs, KA mediates the effect of RQ on PIF, and that KA partially mediates the relationship between IC and PIF.
Research limitations/implications
The study focusses on only one step in the knowledge management process – KA. Additional research into the role that IC plays on PIF is also called for. Additional empirical study is needed to identify contingency factors, both within and outside the firm.
Practical implications
These findings provide important insights for SME supply chain managers to understand the roles that the quality of relationship with their suppliers and how information is managed across boundaries can impact their ability to achieve flexible production innovation. An effective external KA process facilitates transformation of high-quality supplier relationship and IC into innovation flexibility.
Social implications
The study suggests that the concept of social capital should be emphasized in knowledge-based research on SMEs.
Originality/value
This study fills a gap in supply chain management research on the role of KA on PIF by being one of the first to empirically examine this effect in SMEs.
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‘Active ageing’ was once a term associated mainly with a physically active, even sporty, retirement. In recent years, economic and demographic circumstances, together with…
Abstract
‘Active ageing’ was once a term associated mainly with a physically active, even sporty, retirement. In recent years, economic and demographic circumstances, together with employment trends, have given it another important meaning. This is the prolonging of work, whether paid or in useful unpaid roles such as grandparenting or community‐based activity. This conception of ageing is not just about people keeping moving to keep healthy, but about continuing to make clear economic and social contributions.
Angela Anning, Mog Ball, Jay Belsky and Edward Melhuish
This article focuses on the design and application of an instrument, the Programme Variability Rating Scale (PVRS), to measure the effectiveness of a complex social intervention…
Abstract
This article focuses on the design and application of an instrument, the Programme Variability Rating Scale (PVRS), to measure the effectiveness of a complex social intervention in the UK. Sure Start aimed to improve outcomes for children aged under four years living in disadvantaged areas on a wide range of health, educational and social indicators. The PVRS was devised for use in the National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS) to measure programme proficiency. It consisted of 18 dimensions (eg. parental empowerment, user identification, flexibility of service delivery), each with seven levels of proficiency. It was applied to 150 Sure Start local programmes involved in a longitudinal study of the impact of the intervention on a range of child and parental outcomes. Ratings of more or less proficient processes were related, using discriminant‐function analysis, with the impact outcomes from the cross‐sectional study of almost 20,000 children. The 18 dimensions of proficiency of the PVRS made a significant differentiation between the most and least effective programmes.
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David B. Szabla, Elizabeth Shaffer, Ashlie Mouw and Addelyne Turks
Despite the breadth of knowledge on self and identity formation across the study of organizations, the field of organizational development and change has limited research on the…
Abstract
Despite the breadth of knowledge on self and identity formation across the study of organizations, the field of organizational development and change has limited research on the construction of professional identity. Much has been written to describe the “self-concepts” of those practicing and researching in the field, but there have been no investigations that have explored how these “self-concepts” form. In addition, although women have contributed to defining the “self” in the field, men have held the dominant perspective on the subject. Thus, in this chapter, we address a disparity in the research by exploring the construction of professional identity in the field of organizational development and change, and we give voice to the renowned women who helped to build the field. Using the profiles of 17 American women included in The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers, we perform a narrative analysis based upon the concepts and models prevalent in the literature on identity formation. By disentangling professional identity formation of the notable women in the field, we can begin to see the nuance and particularities involved in its construction and gain deeper understandings about effective ways to prepare individuals to work in and advance the field.
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C. H. Barnes traces the progress of the Short brothers from their purchase of a second‐hand balloon in 1897 to the present day Government‐owned firm of Short Brothers and Harland…
Abstract
C. H. Barnes traces the progress of the Short brothers from their purchase of a second‐hand balloon in 1897 to the present day Government‐owned firm of Short Brothers and Harland Ltd., based in Northern Ireland. The book is a record of the aircraft produced by the firm, and also of those which remained as paper projects.
Jane Bailey, Nicola Henry and Asher Flynn
While digital technologies have led to many important social and cultural advances worldwide, they also facilitate the perpetration of violence, abuse and harassment, known as…
Abstract
While digital technologies have led to many important social and cultural advances worldwide, they also facilitate the perpetration of violence, abuse and harassment, known as technology-facilitated violence and abuse (TFVA). TFVA includes a spectrum of behaviors perpetrated online, offline, and through a range of technologies, including artificial intelligence, livestreaming, GPS tracking, and social media. This chapter provides an overview of TFVA, including a brief snapshot of existing quantitative and qualitative research relating to various forms of TFVA. It then discusses the aims and contributions of this book as a whole, before outlining five overarching themes arising from the contributions. The chapter concludes by mapping out the structure of the book.
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Jacqueline Barnes and Jane Stuart
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of delivering the group family nurse partnership (gFNP) programme, which combines elements of the family nurse partnership…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of delivering the group family nurse partnership (gFNP) programme, which combines elements of the family nurse partnership (FNP) programme and Centering Pregnancy and is offered from early pregnancy to 12 months postpartum to mothers under 25.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed method descriptive feasibility study. Quantitative data from anonymised forms completed by nurses from November 2009 to May 2011 (pilot 1) and January 2012 to August 2013 (pilot 2) reporting referrals, attendance and client characteristics. Qualitative data collected between March 2010 and April 2011 (pilot 1) and November 2012 and November 2013 (pilot 2) from semi-structured interviews or focus groups with clients and practitioners.
Findings
There were challenges to reaching eligible clients. Uptake of gFNP was 57-74 per cent, attendance ranged from 39 to 55 per cent of sessions and attrition ranged from 30 to 50 per cent. Clients never employed attended fewest sessions overall compared to those working full time. The group format and the programme’s content were positively received by clients but many struggled to attend regularly. FNP practitioners were positive overall but involving community practitioners (pilot 2) placed more stress on them.
Research limitations/implications
Further feasibility and then cost and effectiveness research is necessary to determine the optimal staffing model.
Practical implications
The content and style of support of the home-based FNP programme, available only to first time mothers under 20, could be offered to women over 20 and to those who already have a child.
Social implications
A range of interventions is needed to support potentially vulnerable families.
Originality/value
This new complex intervention lacks evidence. This paper documents feasibility, the first step in a thorough evaluation process.
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Chenelle A. Jones and Renita L. Seabrook
This chapter examines how the intersection of race, class, and gender impact the experiences of Black women and their children within a broader socio-historical context.
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter examines how the intersection of race, class, and gender impact the experiences of Black women and their children within a broader socio-historical context.
Methodology/approach
The epistemological framework of feminist criminology and the invisibility of Black women are used to draw an analysis on the American dominant ideology and culture that perpetuates the racial subjugation of Black women and the challenges they have faced throughout history as it relates to the mother-child dynamic and the ideals of Black motherhood.
Findings
By conceptually examining the antebellum, eugenics, and mass incarceration eras, our analysis demonstrated how the racial subjugation of Black women perpetuated the parental separation and the ability for Black women to mother their children and that these collective efforts, referred to as the New Jane Crow, disrupt the social synthesis of the black community and further emphasizes the need for more efforts to preserve the mother/child relationship.
Originality/value
Based on existing literature, there is a paucity of research studies that examine the effects of maternal incarceration and the impact it has on their children. As a part of a continuous project we intend to further the discourse and examine how race and gender intersect to impact the experiences of incarcerated Black women and their children through a socio-historical context.