Jacquelyn Benson, Steffany Kerr and Ashley Ermer
Research on relational maintenance of long-distance or cross-residential romantic relationships is limited. Moreover, relatively little is known about relational maintenance among…
Abstract
Research on relational maintenance of long-distance or cross-residential romantic relationships is limited. Moreover, relatively little is known about relational maintenance among non-marital intimate partners in later life, many of whom prefer to live-apart-together (LAT) rather than cohabit. This research paper examines how older adults from the United States maintain their romantic relationships across residences. The authors conducted a grounded theory study drawing on interviews collected from 22 older adults in LAT relationships. The data revealed that older LAT partners engage in a process of safeguarding autonomy to maintain their partnerships and relationship satisfaction. Two broad strategies were identified: upholding separateness and reshaping expectations. While safeguarding autonomy was paramount, participants also emphasized the importance of having a flexible mindset about the physical copresence of their relationships. The findings have implications for practice, suggesting that creating an interdependent couple-identity may undermine, or at least have little bearing on, the relationship stability of older LAT couples. Future research is needed to determine how LAT experiences among racially/ethnically or socioeconomically diverse samples might differ.
Details
Keywords
Fiona Aspinal, Martin Stevens, Jill Manthorpe, John Woolham, Kritika Samsi, Kate Baxter, Shereen Hussein and Mohamed Ismail
The purpose of this paper is to present findings from one element of a study exploring the relationship between personalisation, in the form of personal budgets (PBs) for publicly…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present findings from one element of a study exploring the relationship between personalisation, in the form of personal budgets (PBs) for publicly funded social care and safeguarding.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 people receiving PBs who had recently been the focus of a safeguarding investigation. Participants were recruited from two English local authority areas and data were subject to thematic analysis.
Findings
The analysis identified three main themes: levels of information and awareness; safeguarding concerns and processes; and choice and control. Many of the participants in this small study described having experienced multiple forms of abuse or neglect concurrently or repeatedly over time.
Research limitations/implications
This was a small scale, qualitative study, taking place in two local authorities. The small number of participants may have had strong opinions which may or may not have been typical. However, the study provides some rich data on people’s experiences.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that adults receiving PBs may need information on an ongoing and repeated basis together with advice on how to identify and address poor quality care that they are arranging for themselves. Practitioners need to be aware of the influence of the level of information received and the interaction of organisational or legal requirements when responding to safeguarding concerns when care being supplied tries to reflect the benefits of choice and control.
Originality/value
This paper reports original research asking adults with care and support needs about the interaction between two key policies of safeguarding and personalisation.
Details
Keywords
I present and evaluate various explanations for why new workers who were sponsored by oldtimers tend to have better job outcomes (better performance, more satisfaction, and less…
Abstract
Purpose
I present and evaluate various explanations for why new workers who were sponsored by oldtimers tend to have better job outcomes (better performance, more satisfaction, and less turnover) than do new workers who were not sponsored.
Methodology/approach
My evaluations involve searching for evidence that fits (or does not fit) each of the explanations.
Findings
The two most popular explanations argue that the job benefits of sponsorship arise because (a) sponsored newcomers have more realistic job expectations than do unsponsored newcomers, or (b) the quality of sponsored newcomers is greater than that of unsponsored newcomers. Unfortunately, these explanations have weak empirical support. A third explanation, largely untested as yet, attributes the performance benefits of sponsorship to social pressures that can arise when someone is sponsored for a job. These pressures include efforts by newcomers to repay the people who sponsored them, efforts by sponsors to assist the newcomers they sponsored after those persons have been hired, and stereotypes among coworkers about the kinds of people who get jobs through sponsors. Although limited as yet, the evidence regarding this new explanation seems promising.
Research implications
More research on this third explanation for sponsorship effects should be done. Suggestions for how to do such research are reviewed and a relevant experiment is presented.
Social implications
The ideas and evidence presented here could help employers who want to improve the job outcomes of their new workers. Poor outcomes among such persons are a major problem in many settings.
Originality/value
Although some of my ideas have been mentioned by others, they were not been described in much detail, nor were they tested. My hope is that this chapter will promote new theory and research on the performance benefits of sponsorship, a topic that has been largely ignored in recent years.
Details
Keywords
As policy makers seek to develop a more preventative and rehabilitative approach to older people's services, new policies and integrated initiatives have made a positive…
Abstract
As policy makers seek to develop a more preventative and rehabilitative approach to older people's services, new policies and integrated initiatives have made a positive contribution. However, rebalancing the nature of the system as a whole remains elusive.
Details
Keywords
Omar Lizardo and Melissa Fletcher Pirkey
Traditionally, organizational theory has been a receptacle of methods and mechanisms from network theory. In this paper, we argue that organizational theory can also be an active…
Abstract
Traditionally, organizational theory has been a receptacle of methods and mechanisms from network theory. In this paper, we argue that organizational theory can also be an active contributor to network theory’s conceptual development. To that end, we make explicit a theoretical strategy that has only been used informally by network theorists so far, which – following Vaughan (2002) – we refer to as analogical theorizing. Using the basic correspondence between dyadic relationships as the most minimal form of “organization,” we show that processes and mechanisms extracted from various theoretical strands of organizational theory can be mapped onto the dynamics of social relationships. This allows us to build novel theoretical insight as it pertains to issue of relationship emergence, maintenance, and decay in social networks.
Details
Keywords
P. McDonald, G.T. Cook and M.S. Baxter
Seaweeds are known accumulators of trace elements and edibleseaweeds are popular commodities in health food outlets. This particularstudy covered an area directly affected by…
Abstract
Seaweeds are known accumulators of trace elements and edible seaweeds are popular commodities in health food outlets. This particular study covered an area directly affected by discharges from the Dounreay and Sellafield nuclear plants. The results indicate that radionuclide activity levels in Scottish edible seaweeds are low but are marginally high on the north‐west coast than the north‐east. Natural radionuclides are about two orders of magnitude more abundant than those from the nuclear industry. Comparisons were made with Japanese seaweeds: activities were within the same range.
Rennie Naidoo, Kalley Coleman and Cordelia Guyo
The purpose of this paper is to adopt a critical relational dialectics framework to identify and explore gender discursive struggles about social inclusion observed in an online…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to adopt a critical relational dialectics framework to identify and explore gender discursive struggles about social inclusion observed in an online gaming community, in South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a technique called contrapuntal analysis to identify and explore competing discourses in over 200 messages on gender struggles about social inclusion posted in the local community’s gamer discussion board, based on seven threads initiated by women gamer activists.
Findings
The findings show how four interrelated gender discursive struggles about social inclusion and social exclusion animated the meanings of online gamer relations: dominance vs equality, stereotyping vs diversity, competitiveness vs cooperativeness and privilege vs empowerment.
Practical implications
Game designers should reinforce more accurate and positive stereotypes to cater for the rapidly growing female gamer segment joining the online gaming market and to develop a less chauvinistic and more diversely representative online gaming community. Enlightened gamers should exercise greater solidarity in fighting for gender equality in online gaming communities.
Originality/value
The critical relational dialectics analysis adopted in this study offers a promising avenue to understand and critique the discursive struggles that arise when online gamers from the different gender groups relate. The findings highlight the unequal discursive power and privilege of many white male gamers when discussing social inclusion. Advancing our understanding of these discursive struggles creates the possibilities for improving social inclusion in online gaming communities.
Details
Keywords
Robert Osei-Kyei, Vivian Tam and Mingxue Ma
The growth in ageing population globally has led to the increase in demand for retirement or aged care homes. Adopting public–private partnership (PPP) in the global retirement…
Abstract
Purpose
The growth in ageing population globally has led to the increase in demand for retirement or aged care homes. Adopting public–private partnership (PPP) in the global retirement village market has become the new approach to address some of the emerging challenges. This paper aims to explore and analyse the critical success factors (CSFs) for the adoption of PPP in the global retirement village market.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical questionnaire survey was conducted with experienced practitioners in the global PPP and retirement village markets. Mean score analysis, normalization range method, Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and factor analysis were used for analysis.
Findings
Results show that out of the 27 CSFs identified, the most significant ones in developing PPP retirement village projects are “the age-friendly design of villages”, “appropriate location of PPP retirement village”, “reliable and accessible health and physical facilities” and “effective social inclusion and integration in villages”. Further analysis shows that the 27 CSFs can be grouped into 7 major factor groupings, namely, “effective project monitoring”, “financial support”, “social integration”, “effective contractual arrangement between parties”, “government commitment and support”, “sustainable design of village” and “effective payment structure”.
Originality/value
The outputs of this study will adequately inform retirement village developers, retirement village stakeholders and local government authorities of the best practices they should put in place to ensure the sustainable growth of the global retirement village market.
Details
Keywords
Paul Slater and Felicity Hasson
In response to an aging population and rising prevalence of disability, reablement initiatives have been introduced yet the evidence base concerning the long-term effects remains…
Abstract
Purpose
In response to an aging population and rising prevalence of disability, reablement initiatives have been introduced yet the evidence base concerning the long-term effects remains inconclusive. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of reablement on physical independence, care plans and care packages post-discharge for older adults.
Design/methodology/approach
A retrospective cohort design was used to examine patient records who had completed a reablement programme. Measures on internationally renowned and psychometrically strong tools, completed by trained healthcare professionals, were examined pre-and post-intervention with a consecutive sample (n=416) of participants since the introduction of the reablement programme.
Findings
Reablement had a significant impact on physical independence living scores and a corresponding reduction in care needs and care plans post-discharge enabling the person to stay at home.
Originality/value
The study’s findings present empirical evidence on the value of reablement health service programme developed to promote independent living at home following a short illness, for older people. While no examination of financial data was recorded in this study, the increase in physical ability and corresponding reduction in care needs and care plans post-discharge indicates a reduction in costs and a better standard of living.
Details
Keywords
William A. Kerler, A. Scott Fleming and Christopher D. Allport
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of attribute frames and justifications on capital budgeting decisions and to examine whether the requirement to provide…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of attribute frames and justifications on capital budgeting decisions and to examine whether the requirement to provide justification for a capital budgeting decision moderates the effect of attribute frames.
Methodology
One-hundred and eleven participants made a capital budgeting decision in an experimental case that manipulated the frame of the financial evidence provided and the requirement to provide a justification.
Findings
Results suggest that both attribute frames and justifications affect capital budgeting decisions but the requirement to provide justifications did not moderate the effect of attribute frames.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the capital budgeting literature by identifying two factors that may bias judgments. This study also contributes to the framing literature by examining one potential method of moderating framing effects – requiring justification for decisions.