Shahin Karimidorabati, Carl T. Haas and Joel Gray
Current processes to manage changes are subject to failure since they are heavily dependent on human discipline. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and quantify the…
Abstract
Purpose
Current processes to manage changes are subject to failure since they are heavily dependent on human discipline. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and quantify the difference between levels of automation of change management processes and to provide input for determining the use of automation systems for change management.
Design/methodology/approach
Three generations of change management processes are defined to represent progressive practices used in major capital projects over the past few decades. Discrete event simulation was used to model these processes to capture their behavior and compare their performance according to time and compliance metrics. An oil and gas megaproject served to validate the findings of this modeling and analysis.
Findings
The results showed that automated processes can bring more compliance and real-time traceability, but not a significant time reduction in the change process. This contributes to the understanding of the impact of workflow-based automation on construction process performance. The validity of the conclusions are limited by the breadth of sectors studied and the inability to capture off-line time allocations of the personnel involved. Future research may build on the work presented here by studying additional processes such as requests for information, project change notices, requests for scaffolding, and interface management in various industry sectors.
Originality/value
A new approach for modeling and evaluating construction management process automation is contributed and the specific results of the paper indicate that automated workflow-based change management processes should be implemented in megaprojects.
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Although fewer than 150 years have passed since Jacques Daguerre perfected the first photographic image in 1839, the flood of evolving equipment and applications has already…
Abstract
Although fewer than 150 years have passed since Jacques Daguerre perfected the first photographic image in 1839, the flood of evolving equipment and applications has already generated a broad and richly varied field. Simultaneously one of the youngest arts and one of the newest technologies, photography is now used in medical research, space exploration, criminal investigations, agricultural production, design of industrial machinery, ad infinitum. At one extreme, it records family life and supplies the surest method of identification on drivers' licenses. At the other end of the spectrum, photography (once denounced in haute couture) has within the past five years not only become an “acceptable” art form, but has assumed centerstage in museums and exhibits throughout the United States and Europe.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate if collection developers in American academic libraries have added predominantly “yellowface” movies to their collections, or have…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate if collection developers in American academic libraries have added predominantly “yellowface” movies to their collections, or have actively sought out movies created and acted by Asian and Asian Americans, to balance out their libraries' collections.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, ten acknowledged “yellowface” movies and ten critically acclaimed Asian and Asian American movies were chosen. The collections of 157 academic libraries throughout the entire USA were then surveyed, including geographical areas that have had very few Asians or Asian Americans in their populations throughout their histories.
Findings
The results show that neither “yellowface” movies nor Asian and Asian American movies are overtly dominant in the collections of American academic librarians, and one can conclude that the collection developers actively sought to find a balance between movies in both categories, no matter the geographical locations of their libraries.
Social implications
No matter how unsavory is our racist past, representations of past bigotry and discrimination should be available for scholars of history, cultural studies, and sociology. However, interpretations of Asians defined with this jaundiced eye must be balanced with movies of Asians and Asian Americans defining themselves.
Originality/value
The area of Asian and Asian American movies is rather small and arcane, yet the results of this survey show that there are no academic areas too small or narrow that do not demand the attention of a knowledgeable collection developer.
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Examines several approaches to measuring consumers′ emotionalresponse to brands. Describes projective techniques, fantasy andpersonification, story completion, usage scenarios…
Abstract
Examines several approaches to measuring consumers′ emotional response to brands. Describes projective techniques, fantasy and personification, story completion, usage scenarios, role playing and deprivation questioning. Concludes that qualitative research is a productive way of gaining knowledge of the whys of consumer behaviour, or share of heart, when such knowledge is essential to marketing managers.
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Barbara Cohen, Joel A. Cohen, Paul Gray, Tiffany Anderson and Cheryl Kester
New psychoactive substances (NPS) are increasingly being used in secure mental health settings. Within these settings, NPS use presents a range of challenges and staff currently…
Abstract
Purpose
New psychoactive substances (NPS) are increasingly being used in secure mental health settings. Within these settings, NPS use presents a range of challenges and staff currently lack adequate training to manage these challenges. The purpose of this paper is to explore nursing staffs’ perception of the challenges of working with patients who use NPS and to explore nursing staffs’ perception of their training needs in relation to NPS.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional qualitative design was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight nursing staff from a medium secure unit (MSU).
Findings
A thematic analysis identified three overarching themes: “There Will Always Be Something”, “We Are Doing Our Best” and “If We Know More, We Can Do More”. The findings describe how nursing staff manage NPS use at present, and their perceptions of how training could improve their management of NPS use in the future.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that MSUs require a local policy for managing NPS use. The research implies that staff training programmes should recognise the existing methods staff use to manage NPS use. The findings also suggest that NPS interventions should target the whole peer group and not just the individual using NPS.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the limited literature on NPS. The findings demonstrate the importance of developing evidence-based mechanisms for managing NPS use. Changes to practice are suggested, with the view of developing ways in which staff currently manage NPS use by complementing this with specific training on NPS.
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Childbearing via in vitro fertilization (IVF) was taboo for a long time in the Philippines despite being available in the Philippines since 1996 and the signing of the Republic…
Abstract
Childbearing via in vitro fertilization (IVF) was taboo for a long time in the Philippines despite being available in the Philippines since 1996 and the signing of the Republic Health Law back in 2013 (Dupont, 2013). In this chapter, the author examines how IVF is imagined, presented, and accepted in the Philippine context by looking at selected case studies of Filipino influencers who opted to bear children via IVF. The author explores these through analyses of selected YouTube videos and Facebook posts through the lens of visibility labor which refers to the activities done by influencers to “the work enacted to flexibly demonstrate gradients of self-conspicuousness in digital or physical spaces depending on intention or circumstance for favourable ends” (Abidin, 2016). The author also examines the comments sections of these selected videos and posts through web scraping to get a glimpse of the reception to the journeys and struggles of these public figures. The author argues that through the visibility labor of influencers, the phenomenon of childbearing via IVF is not only promoted as a viable, if not acceptable procreative process, but also perpetuated as an in/accessible procedure in the Philippines.
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Timothy R. Hannigan and Guillermo Casasnovas
Field emergence poses an intriguing problem for institutional theorists. New issue fields often arise at the intersection of different sectors, amidst extant structures of…
Abstract
Field emergence poses an intriguing problem for institutional theorists. New issue fields often arise at the intersection of different sectors, amidst extant structures of meanings and actors. Such nascent fields are fragmented and lack clear guides for action; making it unclear how they ever coalesce. The authors propose that provisional social structures provide actors with macrosocial presuppositions that shape ongoing field-configuration; bootstrapping the field. The authors explore this empirically in the context of social impact investing in the UK, 2000–2013, a period in which this field moved from clear fragmentation to relative alignment. The authors combine different computational text analysis methods, and data from an extensive field-level study, to uncover meaningful patterns of interaction and structuration. Our results show that across various periods, different types of actors were linked together in discourse through “actor–meaning couplets.” These emergent couplings of actors and meanings provided actors with social cues, or macrofoundations, which guided their local activities. The authors thus theorize a recursive, co-constitutive process: as punctuated moments of interaction generate provisional structures of actor–meaning couplets, which then cue actors as they navigate and constitute the emerging field. Our model re-energizes the core tenets of new structuralism and contributes to current debates about institutional emergence and change.
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Those responsible for purchasing reference books for libraries rely to a great extent on reviews that appear in those journals which, broadly speaking, constitute the library…
Abstract
Those responsible for purchasing reference books for libraries rely to a great extent on reviews that appear in those journals which, broadly speaking, constitute the library press. The idea of a library press, though it is usually identified with a number of periodicals—known either by their brief names, such as The Booklist, or by their initials, LJ, RQ, and WLB, probably should be extended to include such standard “authorities” as ALA's Guide to Reference Books and many of the volumes in Bowker's buying guide series. In these periodicals and monographs, librarians take it upon themselves to express judgments on new books that do in fact have an influence on purchase decisions.
Frank Shipper, Joel Kincaid, Denise M. Rotondo and Richard C. Hoffman
Multinationals increasingly require a cadre of skilled managers to effectively run their global operations. This exploratory study examines the relationship between emotional…
Abstract
Multinationals increasingly require a cadre of skilled managers to effectively run their global operations. This exploratory study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and managerial effectiveness among three cultures. EI is conceptualized and measured as self‐other agreement concerning the use of managerial skills using data gathered under a 360‐degree feedback process. Three hypotheses relating to managerial self‐awareness of both interactive and controlling skills are examined using data from 3,785 managers of a multinational firm located in the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and Malaysia. The two sets of managerial skills examined were found to be stable across the three national samples. The hypotheses were tested using polynomial regressions, and contour plots were developed to aid interpretation. Support was found for positive relationships between effectiveness and EI (self‐awareness). This relationship was supported for interactive skills in the US and UK samples and for controlling skills in the Malaysian and UK samples. Self‐awareness of different managerial skills varied by culture. It appears that in low power distance (PD) cultures such as the United States and United Kingdom, self‐awareness of interactive skills may be crucial relative to effectiveness whereas in high PD cultures, such as Malaysia self‐awareness of controlling skills may be crucial relative to effectiveness. These findings are discussed along with the implications for future research.