Self‐employment has been stressed as a way for immigrants to enter and improve their situation in the labour market. However, research shows that some people who become…
Abstract
Purpose
Self‐employment has been stressed as a way for immigrants to enter and improve their situation in the labour market. However, research shows that some people who become self‐employed revert to wage employment or unemployment. The purpose of the paper is to study the labour market consequences of temporary self‐employment on paid employment among immigrants.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses micro‐econometric methods to estimate the effect of self‐employment, relative to continued wage employment, on earnings and employment opportunities in 2006. The paper also identifies the type of wage earner that temporarily enters self‐employment.
Findings
The paper finds that, relative to continued wage employment, self‐employment, with few exceptions, does not improve outcomes in the wage sector of immigrants and may in fact be associated with lower earnings and difficulties in returning to paid employment.
Practical implications
The results indicate that encouraging immigrant wage earners to become self‐employed should be done with care, since self‐employment does not necessarily improve subsequent labour market outcomes.
Originality/value
This study will be valuable to those who are interested in the economic consequences of immigrant self‐employment.
Details
Keywords
Miranda Leontowitsch, Aivita Putnina, Marcus Andersson, Charlotta Niemistö, Rafaela Werny, Hanna Sjögren, Ilze Mileiko, Kārlis Lakševics, Artūrs Pokšāns, Māra Neikena, Līna Orste, Camilla Malm, Frank Oswald, Jeff Hearn and Clary Krekula
The digital age requires people of all ages to communicate and organise their lives through digital technologies. The project EQualCare investigates how the growing population of…
Abstract
Purpose
The digital age requires people of all ages to communicate and organise their lives through digital technologies. The project EQualCare investigates how the growing population of older people living alone is managing this transition, how it shapes their (non-)digital social networks and what changes on a local level need to be brought about. This paper aims to give insight into the process of participatory action research (PAR) with older people in the community across four countries and reflects on experiences made by academic and co-researchers.
Design/methodology/approach
Following the emancipatory underpinnings of PAR, which aims to reduce inequalities through collaboration and co-design, EQualCare involved nine teams of co-researchers across Finland, Germany, Latvia and Sweden making older people the centre of policy development. Co-researchers were involved in formulating research aims, collecting data, reflecting on data, formulating and disseminating recommendations for local policy stakeholders.
Findings
Co-researchers’ motivation to invest considerable time and effort was driven by a desire to create a more equal future for older people living alone. Moreover, they were keen to involve marginalised older people and became frustrated when this proved difficult. Power dynamics played a role throughout the process but became productive as roles and responsibilities were renegotiated. Doing PAR with older people can be emotionally challenging for co-researchers when negative feelings around ageing are encountered.
Originality/value
The paper advances understanding on the process of PAR in ageing research by reflecting on the social, cultural and political contexts of doing PAR with diverse sets of older people.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to observe sexual orientation-based differences in German incomes. Gay men and lesbian women sort themselves into different occupations and sectors…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to observe sexual orientation-based differences in German incomes. Gay men and lesbian women sort themselves into different occupations and sectors than their heterosexual counterparts.
Design/methodology/approach
Analysis of German Mikrozensus data for 2009. Mincer-style OLS income regerssions.
Findings
The author finds evidence that cohabiting gay men have an income penalty of 5-6 per cent compared with married men, while lesbian women have a premium of about 9-10 per cent compared with married women. Lesbians in a registered same-sex union have an income gain of about 12-16 per cent, while the effect for men is not statistically significant.
Originality/value
This is the first paper using German data to analyse income differentials based on sexual orientation (gays and lesbians).
Details
Keywords
Jan-Ole Brandt, Lina Bürgener, Matthias Barth and Aaron Redman
This paper aims to provide a holistic approach to assessing student teachers’ competence development in education for sustainable development (ESD). This is to provide evidence on…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a holistic approach to assessing student teachers’ competence development in education for sustainable development (ESD). This is to provide evidence on which teaching and learning formats help to foster which aspects of ESD-specific professional action competence in teachers. The studied competencies consist of content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the willingness to actively support and implement ESD.
Design/methodology/approach
A multiple case study design was used on two sequential modules of a university’s teacher education program. A mixed-methods approach was applied that combined surveys, videotaped and PhotoVoice-supported focus groups, as well as pre- and post-assessment tools. Qualitative data analysis was based on the coding paradigm of the qualitative content analysis, whereas quantitative data were interpreted by means of descriptive statistics and paired sample t-tests.
Findings
The results from this study clearly indicate that the two courses contributed to a shift in students’ non-cognitive dispositions. The study also provides evidence on the students’ competence development and demonstrates how two different learning settings support different dimensions of teachers’ professional action competence in terms of ESD.
Originality/value
The triangulation of data enabled not only a mere competence assessment but also deeper insights into learning processes, as well as into the drivers of and barriers to competence development. Furthermore, the study introduces an innovative approach to assessing the development of PCK.
Details
Keywords
Per Andersson and Lars-Gunnar Mattsson
– The purpose of this paper is to develop a new conceptual framework that reflects network dynamics in Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled service innovation processes.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a new conceptual framework that reflects network dynamics in Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled service innovation processes.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on literature on service innovations, business networks and IoT, dynamic concepts are selected. Aided by information about an evolving case “The connected vehicle”, propositions about interaction between the variables in the framework are formulated.
Findings
A conceptual framework consisting of four interacting variables: overlapping, intermediating, objectification of actors and business modelling is developed, linking several streams of research. Propositions are motivated and issues for further research questions formulated.
Research limitations/implications
The framework may stimulate further research on IoT-enabled service innovations.
Practical implications
Understanding network dynamics for developing and implementing business models for service innovations.
Originality/value
The conceptual framework provides an original contribution to understanding IoT-enabled service innovations.
Details
Keywords
To provide an employee perspective on ambassadorship in the context of corporate communication, the purpose of this paper is to explore how employees relate to and experience…
Abstract
Purpose
To provide an employee perspective on ambassadorship in the context of corporate communication, the purpose of this paper is to explore how employees relate to and experience ambassadorship.
Design/methodology/approach
The study has a qualitative approach, and the empirical material consists of semi-structured interviews with, and focus groups of, employees of seven organizations in both the public and private sectors. The paper draws on a contemporary understanding of identity where identity is perceived as an ongoing reflexive process in which employees negotiate and construct of their selves through relating to role expectations and interacting with others. Therefore, ambassadorship is understood as a social-identity, or persona, that is referenced by employees in their identity work.
Findings
The findings indicate that employees embrace this persona as they imagine that external stakeholders, colleagues and managers expect it of them. However, the ambassador persona also gives rise to identity-tensions both during work and off work.
Research limitations/implications
The paper contributes a novel way to understand ambassadorship as well as highlighting some of the more problematic aspects of it and furthering the understanding of the concept.
Practical implications
The findings highlight that ambassadorship can have problematic consequences that needs to be addressed. They suggest that the employee perspective should be taken into consideration in internal communication education and training.
Originality/value
The paper contributes a novel employee perspective on ambassadorship.
Details
Keywords
For attendees with allergies, intolerances and coeliac disease, accessing safe, nutritious and good quality food and drink is a vital but challenging dimension of events. This…
Abstract
Purpose
For attendees with allergies, intolerances and coeliac disease, accessing safe, nutritious and good quality food and drink is a vital but challenging dimension of events. This study sought to capture and analyse the lived event experiences of individuals with a variety of food-related health, wellbeing and safety needs.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted an inductive approach, using semi-structured interviews to gather qualitative data from participants with various food allergies and intolerances or coeliac disease.
Findings
Attendees had low expectations regarding food choice, quality and value, which stemmed from past event experiences. Poor information about suitable food and drink, coupled with frontline staffs' perceived knowledge, responsiveness and care were frequently seen as sources of service failures. The data stress how exposure to potentially harmful foods and food avoidance influenced attendees' experiences. The findings also help to appreciate consumers' agency, identifying various coping strategies used by affected individuals to anticipate risks, engage in compensatory behaviours and mitigate the effects of unsuitable food and drink.
Originality/value
This study is unique in examining the event experiences of individuals with food allergies, intolerances and coeliac disease. It demonstrates how practices in the crucial domain of food and drink provision can affect the overall event experience, with potential consequences at, across and potentially beyond the venue and occasion. From a theoretical perspective, the study conceptualises intersections of risk, value-creation/destruction and experiential consumption. It shows the “episodic” and “perpetual” impacts of “risk loaded” consumption, while arguing that diverse value-creation/destruction practices mediate pathways leading to different experiential outcomes.
Details
Keywords
Ingela Bäckström, Lina Eriksson and Yvonne Lagrosen
The purpose of this paper is to describe health promotion activities accomplished within a project and to measure the conditions for sustainable health within the case…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe health promotion activities accomplished within a project and to measure the conditions for sustainable health within the case organizations. Also, the purpose is to test a previously developed measurement approach, which measures health‐related quality management.
Design/methodology/approach
A health promotion project currently being carried out at eight Swedish elementary schools has been studied. In earlier research a measurement approach was developed to measure health‐related quality management. The approach was handed out to the co‐workers at the eight different schools in the initial stage of the project. The leaders at the schools were informed of the results of their own school and the mean value of all the eight schools. The consistency and reliability of the statements within the approach was tested.
Findings
A description of health promotion activities accomplished and planned within the project can be found. The results from the measurement of the health‐related quality management in the eight schools are presented, together with the mean score of all schools. The test of the measurement approach is presented and discussed.
Originality/value
A description of health promotion activities can help managers and project leaders to plan and carry out valuable health promotion activities in their striving for both sustainable health among the co‐workers and efficient organizations. This measurement approach can help managers and project leaders to measure the effects of the health promotion activities.
Details
Keywords
Responding to a recent editorial call for sustainable development (Truong and Saunders, 2021), this study aims to explore the persuasiveness of climate-change-related appeals.
Abstract
Purpose
Responding to a recent editorial call for sustainable development (Truong and Saunders, 2021), this study aims to explore the persuasiveness of climate-change-related appeals.
Design/methodology/approach
Three scenario-based experiments were conducted to test the effect of climate-change-related appeals on persuasion, the underlying mechanism causing that effect and associated boundary conditions. Statistical results were based on analysis of variance, mediation and moderation analysis.
Findings
Adaptation-oriented appeals are more persuasive than mitigation-oriented appeals. Specifically, adaptation (versus mitigation) appeals activate a self-regulation process that encourages people to think about the future, making them more likely to address climate change. This effect is salient when consumers’ environmental concerns are low.
Practical implications
To boost message persuasiveness, marketers and public policymakers could construct abstract and long-horizon climate-change-related appeals and provide prompts or interventions to promote people’s elaborations about potential outcomes.
Social implications
To boost message persuasiveness, marketers and public policymakers could construct abstract and long-horizon climate-change-related appeals and provide prompts or interventions to promote people’s elaborations about potential outcomes.
Originality/value
Revealing mitigation and adaptation climate-change-related appeals yield diverse effects.
Details
Keywords
Sofia Karlsson, Britt-Inger Saveman and Lina Gyllencreutz
The purpose of this paper is to examine emergency medical service (EMS) personnel’s perceptions and experiences of managing underground mining injury incidents.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine emergency medical service (EMS) personnel’s perceptions and experiences of managing underground mining injury incidents.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 13 EMS personnel were interviewed according to a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Findings
An underground mining environment was described as unfamiliar and unsafe and, with no guidelines for operational actions in an extreme environment, such as underground mines, the EMS personnel were uncertain of their role. They therefore became passive and relied on the rescue service and mining company during a major incident. However, the medical care was not considered to be different from any other prehospital care, although a mining environment would make the situation more difficult and it would take longer for the mine workers to be placed under definitive care.
Originality/value
This study complements earlier studies by examining the EMS personnel’s perceptions and experiences of major incidents.