This article examines current issues in the use of interpreting services, as experienced by refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. The paper begins with a review of relevant…
Abstract
This article examines current issues in the use of interpreting services, as experienced by refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. The paper begins with a review of relevant literature on interpreting services and relates it to the service context and the specific needs of refugees and asylum seekers. There follows a discussion of a small‐scale research project carried out with interpreters working in these services. Recommendations are made which include the need to educate all three parties (the professional employing the interpreter, the interpreter and the client) in not only best practice and practical techniques of working with interpreters, but also broader issues such as the complexity of the interpreting process, the importance of establishing trust, competing agendas and negotiation of meaning that are implicit in the interpretation process.
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Hussam Al Halbusi, Kent A. Williams, Thurasamy Ramayah, Luigi Aldieri and Concetto Paolo Vinci
With the growing demand for ethical standards in the prevailing business environment, ethical leadership has been under increasingly more focus. Based on the social exchange…
Abstract
Purpose
With the growing demand for ethical standards in the prevailing business environment, ethical leadership has been under increasingly more focus. Based on the social exchange theory and social learning theory, this study scrutinized the impact of ethical leadership on the presentation of ethical conduct by employees through the ethical climate. Notably, this study scrutinised the moderating function of the person-organisation fit (P-O fit) in relation of ethical climate and the ethical conduct of employees.
Design/methodology/approach
To evaluate the research hypotheses, two-wave data were collected from 295 individuals who are currently employed in various Iraqi organizations (i.e. manufacturing, medical and insurance industries).
Findings
In line with the hypotheses, the outcomes from a sample of 295 workers working in different Iraqi entities exhibited a positive relation between the ethical behaviour of leaders and the ethical conduct of employees in the ethical climate. Moreover, it was observed that the P-O fit of employees moderated the relationship between ethical climate and the ethical conduct of employees such that the relationship was more robust for those with a high P-O fit in comparison to those with a low P-O fit.
Research limitations/implications
The primary limitation of this study is in the data, which was obtained from a single source. Although the study conducted two surveys and utilised a mediation and moderation variables model that was less likely to be influenced by common method bias (CMB) (Podsakoff et al., 2012), one cannot completely rule out CMB. Apart from the potential effects of the CMB, the consistency of the empirical findings could have also been compromised since self-reported data were utilised in measuring ethical behaviour, which can be a very complex and sensitive issue. For this reason, the social desirability response bias cannot be ruled out completely. When possible, future studies must gather data from multiple sources. Furthermore, supervisors must evaluate the ethical behaviour of employees. Another limitation was that the findings of this study were based on a sample in a Middle Eastern cultural context such as in Iraq. Perhaps, the particular cultural features of this context, which encompassed, among other things, a strong adherence to religious values (Moaddel, 2010), could have influenced the findings of this study. It is true that the effects of differences (P–O fit) are highly likely to replicate across cultural contexts (Triandis et al., 1988). However, it can be seen that further studies are needed to evaluate the context-sensitivity of these findings (Whetten, 2009) by analysing other cultures, where the importance of religiosity is on the decline (i.e. in Western countries, Ribberink et al., 2018) or where the cultural features are very much different from those that apply to Iraq. Lastly, other external factors were not taken into account by this study as it tried to explain ethical behaviour. Ethics is a highly complex subject and is influenced by numerous variables at the organisational, individual and external environment levels. Thus, caution must be observed when making inferences from the present study which, to a certain degree, offered a simplified version of ethical behaviour by concentrating on a few variables such as the Arab culture's traditional ideology, which dominates even science (Abu Khalil, 1992). In addition, there are the political conflicts in the Middle Eastern cultural context such as what is happening in Iraq (Harff, 2018). Thus, it is important to include such aspects in future researches.
Practical implications
In terms of management, the findings send a clear signal to those in the upper echelon that, without ignoring the issue of ethics in organizations, employees are a critical aspect to be taken into account to encourage ethical behaviour at the workplace. This study has important practical implications. First, this study determined that ethical leadership (here, of the supervisors) positively influences the behaviour of subordinates (refers to the supervisors here); this in turn further improves the ethical behaviour of employees. It is vital that managers or supervisors are motivated to practice ethical leadership because they directly influence the employees. It has been suggested that top managers, especially chief executive officers, have the ability to shape the ethical climate, which also influences the ethical behaviour of employees further. This study offered several feasible ways that managers can apply to achieve that. In particular, top managers may utilise the ethical climate as a way of communicating the ethical values that they have to their subordinates, thereby serving as a motivation for the subordinates to adopt an ethical behaviour. It was also suggested by this study that ethical climate and the P–O fit may, to some degree, substitute each other as they influence the ethical behaviour of employees. Therefore, firms that were identified to have a low level of ethical standards, practices, and policies, at least from the employees' perspective, are better poised to conduct ethical issues in order to construct the ethical behaviour of their subordinates. More importantly, it is highly essential that the value congruence between an organization and its followers be considered.
Social implications
This study highlighted the notion of ethics and how it’s essential for society. Ethics refer to the norms, standards, and values that direct the behavior of an individual. Ethical behaviour is vital in society because we need to be treated with respect as human beings.
Originality/value
This study responds to recent calls for more research to identify factors which may strengthen or mitigate the influence ethical behavior in the workplace such as ethical leadership, ethical climate and Person–Organization.
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One of the interesting characteristics of British life is the way that various groups in society view each other's roles. How often have we heard people in business described as…
Abstract
One of the interesting characteristics of British life is the way that various groups in society view each other's roles. How often have we heard people in business described as shrewd and hard, people in the academic world described as idealistic and intellectual, and people in the arts described as aesthetic and emotional. Of course, the unrealistic impression created by such generalisations is that few have the ability to operate in the other's domain or even share in each other's work. Such a criticism is often levelled at those of us in education as if we were unaware of the need to examine other people's roles.
This paper explores the possibility of adding user‐oriented class associations to hierarchical library classification schemes. Some highly associated classes not grouped in the…
Abstract
This paper explores the possibility of adding user‐oriented class associations to hierarchical library classification schemes. Some highly associated classes not grouped in the same subject hierarchies, yet relevant to users’ knowledge, are automatically obtained by analyzing a two‐year log of book circulation records from a university library in Taiwan. The library uses the Chinese Decimal Classification scheme, which has similar structure and notation to the Dewey Decimal Classification. Methods, from both collaborative filtering and information retrieval research, were employed and their performance compared based on similarity estimation of classes. The results show that classification schemes can, therefore, be made more adaptable to changes of users and the uses of different library collections by analyzing the circulation patterns of similar users. Limitations of the methods and implications for applications are also discussed.
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Ha Ta, Adriana Rossiter Hofer, Yao “Henry” Jin, Simone T. Peinkofer and Annibal Sodero
Considering the transformational impact of technological advances in modern retail on the consumer experience and the associated growth of experimental studies in…
Abstract
Purpose
Considering the transformational impact of technological advances in modern retail on the consumer experience and the associated growth of experimental studies in consumer-centric supply chain management (SCM) research, this paper presents a practical overview of key steps in the design of scenario-based experiments (SBEs) in the context of retail SCM.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a conceptual approach, this paper discusses essential aspects in the designing process, including the connection to theory, vignette design considerations, experimental checks and ensuring managerial relevance.
Findings
This paper presents a resource for SCM researchers in their pursuit of designing rigorous, context-focused SBEs in consumer-centric retail SCM research. Major design considerations and potential pitfalls are highlighted.
Practical implications
A well-designed experiment, including its vignettes, manipulations and checks, offers strong potential to inform actionable guidance for managers in the feasibility, strategy design, customization and consumer segmentation of retail SCM strategies.
Originality/value
This paper connects the steps in the design of SBEs to consumer-centric retail SCM questions, supporting future research in this realm.
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WHY is it, may we enquire, that so few work study technicians write about work study?
Discusses the use and impact of executive information systems(EISs) for financial institutions. Describes the functions of EISs and suggests the essential elements of a good one…
Abstract
Discusses the use and impact of executive information systems(EISs) for financial institutions. Describes the functions of EISs and suggests the essential elements of a good one: integration of data from multiple sources; timely information reporting; individualized and user friendly. shows how EISs can be used by managers in financial institutions for strategic advantage.
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This paper provides background information on e‐books, and outlines their implementations, advantages and disadvantages. Details are given of the e‐book technologies of hardware…
Abstract
This paper provides background information on e‐books, and outlines their implementations, advantages and disadvantages. Details are given of the e‐book technologies of hardware and software with tables comparing the features of various products on the market. The role of e‐books in education in general is outlined. The specific case of India is described in more depth with details of initiatives for utilising e‐books for a national literacy mission. The paper concludes that, at present, viewing technology is a limiting factor but that in future content will become paramount.
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Aleksandra Drizo and Joseph Pegna
To provide a comprehensive state of the art review of environmental impact assessment (EIA) of existing rapid prototyping (RP) and rapid tooling (RT), and identify prospective…
Abstract
Purpose
To provide a comprehensive state of the art review of environmental impact assessment (EIA) of existing rapid prototyping (RP) and rapid tooling (RT), and identify prospective research needs.
Design/methodology/approach
The sparse literature on the EIA of RP and RT is balanced by that of the comparatively mature field of industrial ecology (IE). Hence, the review emphasizes portable IE measurement and evaluations methods. As RP and RT can also be viewed as design tools and mass customization manufacturing, other EIA may be needed.
Findings
The scarcity of research to date combined with rapid technological advances leaves a large number of unresolved issues. In addition, the special character of RP and RT, as design and manufacturing enablers implies that future research is needed.
Research limitations/implications
This review is drawn from a technology in rapid evolution. Hence, unresolved issues focus on technologies that already are on the market and the research needs are formulated in terms of state of the art process research.
Practical implications
As technological advances multiply, so does the number of unresolved environmental problems. The review of unresolved issues points to a pressing need to assess the consequences of RP and RT while identified research needs point the way to anticipated areas where further assessment methods will be needed.
Originality/value
This paper intends to raise awareness about the potential environmental impacts from RP and RT, by presenting the problems associated with current methods for measuring environmental effects and discussing some of the most urgent unresolved issues, specifically with respect to materials. Indirect effects of other uses of RP and RT are discussed only briefly for lack of available data.
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Analyses traditional management marketing information systems(MkIS) as well as the more operational day‐to‐day sales and marketingprocess‐oriented MkIS, by the type of use and…
Abstract
Analyses traditional management marketing information systems (MkIS) as well as the more operational day‐to‐day sales and marketing process‐oriented MkIS, by the type of use and organizational position of users. Presents a framework relating MkIS to other organizational IS, based on marketing management processes which facilitate the search for new applications and opportunities for redesigning marketing and other management processes in a more innovative way using modern information technology. Describes in more depth the functionality and information content of MkIS sub‐systems and marketing– and management‐related organizational IS in order to make the framework useful and applicable for practitioners.