Earl Simendinger, Abdul-Nasser El-Kassar, Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez, John Crawford, Stephanie Thomason, Philippe Reynet, Björn Kjellander and Judson Edwards
Determining the attributes of effective business teachers is critical to schools as they strive to attract and retain students, assure learning, obtain and maintain reputation and…
Abstract
Purpose
Determining the attributes of effective business teachers is critical to schools as they strive to attract and retain students, assure learning, obtain and maintain reputation and accreditations, and place their alumni in the competitive job market. The purpose of this paper is to examine students and faculty perceptions of teaching effectiveness in five culturally disparate countries: Colombia, France, Lebanon, Sweden, and the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was designed based on previous research complemented by an extensive literature review as well as personal communications with faculty in different international business schools. The survey considered 39 teaching attributes related to three specific dimensions: class delivery, class preparation and design, and instructional traits and personal characteristics. The survey targeted students and faculty from seven business schools located in five countries.
Findings
This study offers new conceptual and analytical analyses from a cross-country comparative perspective. Rankings of the importance of perceived teaching attributes for both major groups involved in the teaching of business, faculty and students, are reported. The attributes are also ranked by teaching taxonomy and examined across countries.
Practical implications
This study provides practical results that can be useful to instructors wishing to increase their teaching effectiveness and to universities considering revising their student evaluation forms.
Originality/value
This study includes data collected from faculty and students from several schools located in culturally disparate countries and, thus, increases the applicability of the results in a cross-cultural manner and provides implications for practice internationally.
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Ping He, Judson Carter Edwards and Ying Schwarte
This paper aims to explore the significance of videoconferencing in blended learning, using the technology acceptance model to investigate students’ perceptions and its impact on…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the significance of videoconferencing in blended learning, using the technology acceptance model to investigate students’ perceptions and its impact on course engagement, student satisfaction and future technology use intention. In addition, it examines the role of teacher support in fostering interactive virtual learning experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
This study focuses on a cohort of international students regarding blended courses amid the COVID-19 pandemic when the conventional face-to-face components were substituted with virtual classrooms through videoconferencing. It aims to investigate how to facilitate connectivity between Southeast Asian students and their professors located in a Southern state in the USA.
Findings
This study reveals that the perceived usefulness of videoconferencing predicts future intention to use, emphasizing the vital role of teacher support in engaging students in virtual classrooms and contributing to student satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
The small sample of international students in blended courses with an American university during the COVID-19 pandemic may limit the generalization of the findings.
Practical implications
Videoconferencing can be a valuable tool to enhance connectedness in digital learning post pandemic.
Social implications
Videoconferencing in blended learning can bridge geographical barriers and provide access to diverse learners who might otherwise have limited educational opportunities.
Originality/value
This study supports the integration of videoconferencing as a mechanism for providing high-quality digital learning experiences.
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Judson C. Edwards, Rodger Morrison and Ping He
The purpose of this paper is to provide the foundational economics, both in theory and practice, to describe the current competitive and operational market dynamics of the blood…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide the foundational economics, both in theory and practice, to describe the current competitive and operational market dynamics of the blood service industry in the United States of America.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper applies the dominant firm-competitive fringe model to describe how pricing is determined within the blood service industry, with particular focus on the nonprofit business model. The research also describes the role of government as one of the major determinants of pricing through regulatory demands.
Findings
The longstanding, free-market based economic foundations of the blood service industry have proven to be adequate in meeting the blood needs of the United States (US). Though there are clear market inefficiencies associated with the dominant firm model, none of the proposed solutions target the contractual and resulting pricing inefficiencies that persist because of the market structure.
Originality/value
In order to add value to the blood industry professionals, it is imperative to provide the foundational economics driving the current macro-level blood industry of the US.
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Henry Findley, Eva Dodd-Walker, Judson Edwards and Ed Pappanastos
This paper relates to the recent media attention with respect to same-sex issues is leading to a rise in same-sex sexual harassment cases. Given its complicated burden of proof…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper relates to the recent media attention with respect to same-sex issues is leading to a rise in same-sex sexual harassment cases. Given its complicated burden of proof under case law interpretations of the Civil Rights Act, it would be helpful to review current case law governing the issue.
Design/methodology/approach
This review was conducted at the appeals court level where the law is more settled. Over 40 relevant cases were identified and reviewed. Based on this review, guiding principles were derived for practitioners.
Findings
The law is complex, however, several principles can be gleaned: same-sex harassment is only actionable under four specific conditions: sexual overtures, general hostility toward a particular gender, unequal treatment of the sexes and sex-role stereotypes. For those cases meeting these requirements, unwanted physical contact of an intimate nature is considered severe and only requires a few occurrences to be hostile. For conduct that is verbal or visual, it is viewed as less serious and must be more frequent, pervasive and occur over an extended period, often six months or more to be ruled illegal.
Originality/value
There is little recent research on the issue. Administrators need direction on how to deal with these cases.
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Seyi S. Stephen, Ayodeji E. Oke, Clinton O. Aigbavboa, Opeoluwa I. Akinradewo, Pelumi E. Adetoro and Matthew Ikuabe
This chapter delved into the multifaceted landscape of construction partnering, exploring its key aspects, promotion factors, and associated challenges. It examined how partnering…
Abstract
This chapter delved into the multifaceted landscape of construction partnering, exploring its key aspects, promotion factors, and associated challenges. It examined how partnering principles are applied in various construction contexts, including stealth construction, where integration of advanced technologies and collaborative practices is pivotal. Moreover, it highlighted the significance of partnering in addressing crucial considerations such as environmental protection, health and safety, project delivery duration, aesthetics, and economy during and after the construction phase. Through collaborative efforts and shared responsibilities, construction partnering emerges as a cornerstone for achieving excellence and sustainability in the built environment.
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Productivity The Problem Situation Many western manufactured products such as automobiles and electronics have lost their market shares to those manufactured in Japan. One can no…
Abstract
Productivity The Problem Situation Many western manufactured products such as automobiles and electronics have lost their market shares to those manufactured in Japan. One can no longer blame this solely on cheap Japanese labour, as the income of the Japanese worker has increasingly caught up with the level found in the western world. The rude reality is that the Japanese industries are more productive than their western counterparts. Furthermore, their product quality is often superior.
Caroline Millman, Dan Rigby, Davey Jones and Gareth Edwards-Jones
Food poisoning attributable to the home generates a large disease burden, yet is an unregulated and largely unobserved domain. Investigating food safety awareness and routine…
Abstract
Purpose
Food poisoning attributable to the home generates a large disease burden, yet is an unregulated and largely unobserved domain. Investigating food safety awareness and routine practices is fraught with difficulties. The purpose of this paper is to develop and apply a new survey tool to elicit awareness of food hazards. Data generated by the approach are analysed to investigate the impact of oberservable heterogeneity on food safety awareness.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors develop a novel Watch-and-Click survey tool to assess the level of awareness of a set of hazardous food safety behaviours in the domestic kitchen. Participants respond to video footage stimulus, in which food hazards occur, via mouse clicks/screen taps. This real-time response data is analysed via estimation of count and logit models to investigate how hazard identification patterns vary over observable characteristics.
Findings
User feedback regarding the Watch-and-Click tool approach is extremely positive. Substantive results include significantly higher hazard awareness among the under 60s. People who thought they knew more than the average person did indeed score higher but people with food safety training/experience did not. Vegetarians were less likely to identify four of the five cross-contamination hazards they observed.
Originality/value
A new and engaging survey tool to elicit hazard awareness with real-time scores and feedback is developed, with high levels of user engagement and stakeholder interest. The approach may be applied to elicit hazard awareness in a wide range of contexts including education, training and research.
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Fathima Zahara Saleem and Oriol Iglesias
The purpose of this paper is to build a comprehensive conceptual framework of internal branding, to demarcate this field from employer branding and to develop an updated…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to build a comprehensive conceptual framework of internal branding, to demarcate this field from employer branding and to develop an updated definition of internal branding that incorporates the findings of the literature review and emerging views in branding.
Design/methodology/approach
This research conducts a systematic review of the internal branding and employer branding literature following previously established procedures.
Findings
The major findings of this research are that internal branding comprises five key components within a supportive corporate culture, namely, brand ideologies, brand leadership, brand-centred human resource management (HRM), internal brand communication and internal brand communities; and that internal branding is related yet distinct from employer branding in its discipline, focus, components, outcomes and the role of the brand. The paper concludes with a comprehensive definition of internal branding derived from the conceptual framework and recent trends in branding, in addition to directed suggestions for future research in the field.
Research limitations/implications
This research highlights areas for future research within internal branding, including the need for further research on internal brand communities and how brands can “internally brand” brand partners.
Practical implications
The research highlights the company-wide and brand partner-wide effort required in internal branding, in addition to the necessity of a supportive corporate culture.
Originality/value
This is the first review of internal branding and employer branding that aims to differentiate between the constructs and build a conceptual framework of internal branding, by drawing from the fields of HRM, marketing, branding and general management.
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It will be recalled that the last monograph treated the significance of the collective agreement in society. If solely a function in society, (though having a legal basis), were…
Abstract
It will be recalled that the last monograph treated the significance of the collective agreement in society. If solely a function in society, (though having a legal basis), were to be attributed to the collective agreement, this would mean that no rights or obligations whatsoever would be created between the parties to it. This is not so in practice. It is of course a fact that no legally enforceable rights and obligations normally accrue, and as already indicated, those are moral ones and are only enforceable in honour, i.e. a gentleman's agreement. Nevertheless, this does not necessarily mean that the collective agreement has no juridical significance. Even agreements which are binding in honour only, as for example the kind of agreement found in Balfour v. Balfour, have a known juridical nature. Furthermore, though the collective agreement is only binding in honour, its incorporation into the individual contract of employment makes its terms legally enforceable even though recourse to the courts is seldom had. As a source of rights and obligations of considerable importance the collective agreement must therefore have some juridical significance and cannot remain entirely in the realms of society.