Describes the emergence of proximity policing – a Danish version of COP – and evaluates a series of experiments with implementation of the concept. The design and scope of each…
Abstract
Describes the emergence of proximity policing – a Danish version of COP – and evaluates a series of experiments with implementation of the concept. The design and scope of each experiment is described, and their degree of implementation is assessed. Proximity policing in Denmark differs from other COP projects in that this kind of work is still the responsibility of a number of designated officers instead of the whole police force. Geographical assignments and long‐term affiliation with the local areas provide for a personalization of policing – a personalization that is very popular with local and municipal liaisons to the police. The goals of the Danish experiments are very extensive, and it is concluded that all cannot be accomplished at the same time.
Sandra Carlsson, Karin K Flensner, Lars Svensson and Sara Willermark
Due to the global outbreak of Covid-19, Swedish teachers in upper secondary education were forced to conduct emergency remote teaching. As of today, there is a stream of research…
Abstract
Purpose
Due to the global outbreak of Covid-19, Swedish teachers in upper secondary education were forced to conduct emergency remote teaching. As of today, there is a stream of research that addresses digitalization in education in light of the pandemic. Previous studies show that the challenges with the sudden intensification of digitalization have been particularly challenging in practical and aesthetic subjects. The research question is as follows: What challenges did vocational teachers experience during the emergency remote teaching caused by Covid-19 and what emergent tactics can be identified in vocational teaching practice?
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical data consists of (1) interviews with two vocational teachers and, (2) workshops with 25 teacher students from different vocational programmes that addressed vocational teaching during the Covid-19 crisis.
Findings
Emergency remote teaching meant challenges due to the changed socio-material environment that cannot easily be transformed to a vocational teaching setting. The challenges were related to authentic situations and material, problem solving and dexterity. Tactics that emerged as a response to the challenges were mainly connected to attempts to mimic vocational practices.
Originality/value
Contributions include explaining specific challenges and possibilities in developing vocational competence when teaching is digitalised. Furthermore, it increases the understanding of the relationship between theory and practice in vocational education. By adopting a socio-material perspective on vocational competence, the authors enhance the understanding of the importance of a shared socio-material environment.
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Anna Börjesson and Lars Mathiassen
The paper seeks to explore the impact of events in Software Process Improvement (SPI) environments based on a longitudinal study of a requirements management initiative at…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to explore the impact of events in Software Process Improvement (SPI) environments based on a longitudinal study of a requirements management initiative at Ericsson.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents the initiative from three perspectives – the improvement initiative, the targeted software practices, and the environment.
Findings
SPI initiatives easily get interrupted, are side‐tracked, and progress slowly due to changing environments. While most practitioners are painfully aware of this, the SPI literature has so far only touched on the issue. Agility principles would have helped Ericsson respond more effectively to events that impacted the initiative. Development of agile SPI practices requires coordination and alignment with other initiatives to develop agile software organizations.
Originality/value
SPI has been adopted by many organizations to help them to deliver quality software. However, its success is a matter of debate and this paper deals with the issues involved.
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Points out that the pitting resistance of welds in stainless steels is often inferior to the parent metals, and is an important factor to consider during the selection of…
Abstract
Points out that the pitting resistance of welds in stainless steels is often inferior to the parent metals, and is an important factor to consider during the selection of materials of service in corrosive environments. Notes that an empirical pitting resistance equivalent (PRE), often expressed as PRE = % Cr + 3.3 × % Mo + 16 × % N, is used to rank different parent metals and that during welding, a number of metallurgical‐and surface‐related reactions take place locally, which make it impossible to predict the pitting corrosion resistance by a single expression. Reviews the effects of oxides, slag and other weld defects on the pitting resistance of welds in stainless steels, and highlights the importance of including the properties of fabricated areas into the life cycle cost (LCC) analyses.
THE Reference Department of Paisley Central Library today occupies the room which was the original Public Library built in 1870 and opened to the public in April 1871. Since that…
Abstract
THE Reference Department of Paisley Central Library today occupies the room which was the original Public Library built in 1870 and opened to the public in April 1871. Since that date two extensions to the building have taken place. The first, in 1882, provided a separate room for both Reference and Lending libraries; the second, opened in 1938, provided a new Children's Department. Together with the original cost of the building, these extensions were entirely financed by Sir Peter Coats, James Coats of Auchendrane and Daniel Coats respectively. The people of Paisley indeed owe much to this one family, whose generosity was great. They not only provided the capital required but continued to donate many useful and often extremely valuable works of reference over the many years that followed. In 1975 Paisley Library was incorporated in the new Renfrew District library service.
Orla Vigsø and Maja von Stedingk Wigren
The incident in 2006 at the Vattenfall owned plant in Forsmark turned out to be one of the most serious ever in Sweden. Vattenfall's communication during this crisis did not meet…
Abstract
Purpose
The incident in 2006 at the Vattenfall owned plant in Forsmark turned out to be one of the most serious ever in Sweden. Vattenfall's communication during this crisis did not meet the accusations, instead their line of defence was not to engage in discussions of the accusations, but to refer only to their own character as safe, thorough and scientific. Apparently, this strategy worked; the company ranked high in public confidence before the incident, and according to polls this confidence remained unharmed throughout the crisis. This paper aims to analyze under which circumstances a defence built on character may meet the demands of the stakeholders, especially those of the general public.
Design/methodology/approach
The purpose is reached through a mainly rhetorical analysis of both Vattenfall's press releases during the crisis, and the media coverage.
Findings
The analysis shows that the success of Vattenfall's communication strategy relies on their use of the general reputation held by the company at the start of the crisis. With a high level of general trust, not addressing accusations directly can be a successful move.
Practical implications
The paper shows that to a company facing a crisis situation, context analysis is crucial. The strategy adapted by Vattenfall could seem potentially damaging to themselves, but worked in the actual circumstances.
Originality/value
The paper shows that not meeting accusations may work as an apologetic strategy, if the reputation established in the pre‐crisis situation is sufficiently strong.
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Investigates customer‐seller value match phenomena and highlights some concepts demanding comprehensive examination by the marketing profession. Adumbrates that a successful…
Abstract
Investigates customer‐seller value match phenomena and highlights some concepts demanding comprehensive examination by the marketing profession. Adumbrates that a successful marketing policy sells to a defined client, not merely sells indiscriminately. Looks at effective promotion – either across the counter or as a national advertising campaign – and enfolds the product in psychosociological values that customers can recognise and aspire to. Concludes that the process of value‐change is a long and complex business in which marketing plays a part.
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Chan Oy Lar Kiki, Yui-yip Lau and Victor C.W. Chan
This study empirically investigates the influence of students' brand attitudes and perceptions of brand fit on their study intention vis-à-vis international brand alliances and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study empirically investigates the influence of students' brand attitudes and perceptions of brand fit on their study intention vis-à-vis international brand alliances and individual brands after alliance.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used in data analysis, and a questionnaire was administered to a sample of sub-degree business management students recruited from a self-financing higher education institution in Hong Kong.
Findings
The results indicate that students' prior attitudes towards the brands of foreign and local institutions and their perceptions of brand fit positively affect their study intention, providing evidence that post-attitudes towards individual brands fully mediate the relationship between attitudes towards international brand alliances and study intention towards individual institutions.
Originality/value
International brand alliances between higher education institutions are becoming increasingly important. In Hong Kong, despite the emerging trend of collaboration between foreign and local universities, an evaluation of the effect of international brand alliances on study intention has been seriously overlooked.
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In this paper, my claim is that employee ownership of industrial companies enables economic survival, democracy, and joint responsibility. My main focus is a case study of Ljuders…
Abstract
In this paper, my claim is that employee ownership of industrial companies enables economic survival, democracy, and joint responsibility. My main focus is a case study of Ljuders Nickelsilfverfabrik and its change to employee ownership. In 1980, 36 of the 42 employees became owners. My research question is how have the economy and democracy in an employee-owned industrial company changed over the years? My main research method includes a 35-year in-depth longitudinal case study of Ljuders Nickelsilfverfabrik since its employee takeover. The empirical material includes documents, interviews, participant observations, and informal talks over the entire study period. My theory is based on the study by Connell Fanning and McCarthy (1983, 1986), who have compiled the critical literature on employee-owned companies and have asked why so few employee-owned companies exist in Western economies. They formulate six non-viability hypotheses for employee ownership, against which I present my empirical study and conclude that employee ownership is possible. From my case study in combination with the literature about organizational changes, I formulate a recipe for a successful employee takeover and collective entrepreneurship. The experience of Ljuders Nickelsilfverfabrik shows that a more complete business idea can subsequently unfold with the help of different people’s knowledge and experiences. Degeneration from democratic to more traditional ownership and control can be avoided by placing new people in leadership positions. The management must create legitimacy for a different organizational form for internal and external stakeholders.
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Thomas Falk and Claes‐Robert Julander
During the 1940s and 50s, distribution research in Sweden focused mainly on distribution costs and prevailing market relationships (e.g., market structure and competition…
Abstract
During the 1940s and 50s, distribution research in Sweden focused mainly on distribution costs and prevailing market relationships (e.g., market structure and competition, price/performance and resale price maintenance). Later on, distribution research shifted emphasis and now focuses on the provision of consumer goods and services, as well as other consumer issues.