Janith Wright, Linda Cushman and Amanda Nicholson
Investigates which attributes were perceived to be important for the success of graduates from apparel design programs. The research design used was Q‐methodology, where 29…
Abstract
Investigates which attributes were perceived to be important for the success of graduates from apparel design programs. The research design used was Q‐methodology, where 29 respondents from the apparel design industry and academia sorted 47 positive statements on a Likert scale. Results showed disparity of thought between the university educators and the apparel design professionals. The industry believed strong affective skills were the most desirable characteristics for the success of future design professionals. In contrast, almost half of the educators chose cognitive attributes as most important to students’ success. The industry’s general agreement was that academicians would rate different characteristics as important than did the industry professionals.
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Linda M. Cushman and Carl L. Dyer
The merger and acquisition activities of the past two decades have brought about dramatic structural and strategic changes in the retail industry. Retail experts envision this…
Abstract
The merger and acquisition activities of the past two decades have brought about dramatic structural and strategic changes in the retail industry. Retail experts envision this consolidation as a necessary survival tactic for retail formats, especially the department store format, adding that the surviving chains will be bigger and better. Intuitively, such a progression is logical, but is bigger necessarily better? A sample of 89 apparel retailers who had acquired another firm between 1973 and 1992 was examined to determine if, as experts suggest, retail firms do indeed perform better after acquisition. The average pre‐acquisition ROE, ROS and ROA was compared to the average post‐acquisition returns with a sign rank test to determine the number of firms exhibiting +/− change and tested to determine if the trends exhibited were significant. Results indicate that 51 apparel retailers in the sample did indeed experience greater ROS post‐acquisition and 53 experienced greater ROA. However, 55 of the 89 firms experienced lower ROE after an acquisition. Strategies for determining appropriate means for retail growth are briefly discussed.
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Amanda Nicholson and Linda Cushman
This study was designed to discover what is believed to be important for a student to be successful in the retailing field, graduating from a four‐year college program. The…
Abstract
This study was designed to discover what is believed to be important for a student to be successful in the retailing field, graduating from a four‐year college program. The research design was Q‐methodology, utilizing 47 statements on a Lickert scale sorted by 23 representatives of both the academy and retailing industry. The study found a distinct gap in the perceptions of industry respondents versus the academics included in the study. While industry believes that strong affective skills, such as “leadership” and “decision making” were the most desirable characteristics for future executives, the academy favors more interpersonal affective competencies and overall ranked cognitive skills higher than the other group. Further, the study found academicians believed that their opinions would mirror those of the industry. However, this was clearly not supported.
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Teresa Maria Linda Scholz and Judith Flores Carmona
Replicating colonization at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) must be addressed from the root, structurally. At New Mexico State University (NMSU) the authors are aimed to…
Abstract
Purpose
Replicating colonization at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) must be addressed from the root, structurally. At New Mexico State University (NMSU) the authors are aimed to commit to going beyond counting and enrolling, to center servingness.
Design/methodology/approach
HSIs will continue to struggle in fulfilling their mission, especially given the fast-growing Latina/e/o/x populations in the United States (US). A major challenge all HSIs face is the contrasting demographics between the student population, the faculty and staff and the administration – with HSI administrations consistently being predominantly White.
Findings
Hence, in this piece the authors shed light on the important work the authors have done these last two years through collaborative efforts to transform the institution and center servingness. Judith as the Interim Director of Chicano Programs, and Linda as the inaugural Vice President for equity, inclusion and diversity.
Originality/value
Herein, the authors now share about the genre of testimonio as a decolonial methodology and about the experiences in our work as we attempt to decolonize the praxis at an HSI.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine gender identities of Chinese male and female middle leaders in secondary schools and how gender dynamics play in the leadership process and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine gender identities of Chinese male and female middle leaders in secondary schools and how gender dynamics play in the leadership process and impact on career aspirations and career development.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on the data of a larger qualitative study conducted using the life history approach. Cases of four male and female middle leaders, which are able to demonstrate the “efficacy” of life stories to enhancing our appreciation of the process of gender negotiation and the impact of gender dynamics on leadership behaviour, are reported.
Findings
Evidence suggests that traditional Chinese gender identities played out in the leader‐follower relationships although signs of hybrid gender identities were also evident in some cases. Gender identities and the family role perception of the middle leaders have impact on their career aspirations and development.
Research limitations/implications
Findings yield implications for the professional development needs of Chinese middle leaders not only regarding their professional role but also their personal understanding of how gender identities and family role perception impact on their career development. Further study with overlapping and complementary methods to a larger sample could be more illuminating to this complex and multifaceted issue.
Originality value
In the context of global concerns about the shortage of leader talent, the present study illuminates gender identities and the dynamics of the interactions between Chinese superiors and subordinates of different sexes and adds perspective to the leadership development literature.
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Sarah Gabashwediwe Mungodla, Linda Zikhona Linganiso, Sukoluhle Mlambo and Tshwafo Motaung
In 2008, a number of Southern African countries cultivated about 900,000 ha of Jatropha, with a number of biodiesel plants ready for production; however, none of the projects…
Abstract
Purpose
In 2008, a number of Southern African countries cultivated about 900,000 ha of Jatropha, with a number of biodiesel plants ready for production; however, none of the projects succeeded. In 2014, KiOR advanced biofuel Energy Company in the USA announced bankruptcy due to incompetent technology. Studies disclose that the reasons for biofuel plants failure are not only due to lack of incentives and unclear policies but also due to lack of economic feasibility and low production yields. This paper aims to review the techno-economy assessment of second-generation biofuel technologies. The purpose of this paper is to summarize specific techno-economic indicators such as production cost, technology efficiency and process life cycle analysis for advanced biofuel technology and to narrate and illustrate a clear view of what requires assessment to deploy a feasible advanced biofuel technology. This study also reviews assessment of biomass supply chain, feedstock availability and site selection criteria. The review also elaborates on the use of different processes, forecasting and simulation-modeling tools used in different techno-economic analysis studies. The review provides guidance for conducting a technical and economic feasibility study for the advanced biofuels energy business.
Design/methodology/approach
The aim of this review is, therefore, to evaluate the techno-economic feasibility studies for the establishment of viable industrial scale production of second-generation biofuels. It does so by grouping studies based on technology selection, feedstock availability and suitability, process simulation and economies as well as technology environmental impact assessment.
Findings
In conclusion, techno-economic analysis tools offer researchers insight in terms of where their research and development should focus, to attain the most significant enhancement for the economics of a technology. The study patterns within the scope of techno-economics of advanced biofuel reveal that there is no generic answer as to which technology would be feasible at a commercial scale. It is therefore important to keep in mind that models can only simplify and give a simulation of reality to a certain extent. Nevertheless, reviewed studies do not reach the same results, but some results are logically similar.
Originality/value
The originality of this article specifically illustrates important technical and economic indicators that should be considered when conducting feasibility studies for advance biofuels.
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Tonya Williams Bradford, Sonya A. Grier and Geraldine Rosa Henderson
Purpose – We study weight loss communities to contribute to the understanding of how gifting, sharing, and the relationship between them allow individuals to pursue status…
Abstract
Purpose – We study weight loss communities to contribute to the understanding of how gifting, sharing, and the relationship between them allow individuals to pursue status transitions for a social identity.
Methodology – We employed archival netnography to capture emic experiences for a stigmatized circumstance in American society. We analyze data from four communities to obtain a broad range of consumer experiences within fee versus free communities.
Findings – We explain how individuals differentially employ sharing and gifting to create and sustain communities in support of status transitions within a social identity. Further, we describe roles of gifting, sharing, and prosumption, and their contributions to the transformative process of weight loss.
Research limitations/implications – The data comes from communities that may be viewed as stigmatized within the United States, one cultural milieu. Future research should examine these concepts across additional contexts and cultures.
Practical implications – Our analysis reveals the basis for virtual community development in support of status transitions. These results underscore the necessity to examine how consumers co-opt market resources to enact private, albeit life altering, goals.
Originality/value of paper – Most extant literature focuses either on gifting or sharing with little attention to how consumers employ community and membership to achieve personal goals. Our research articulates how individuals employ market resources to enact customized rituals and achieve individual goals within communities.
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This study uses Hall's (1976) theory of low/high context culture with theories of interpersonal adaptation (Gudykunst, 1985; Patterson, 1983) to test communication preferences…
Abstract
This study uses Hall's (1976) theory of low/high context culture with theories of interpersonal adaptation (Gudykunst, 1985; Patterson, 1983) to test communication preferences, flexibility, and effectiveness in same‐ and mixed‐culture negotiation. Ninety‐three same‐culture low context (Israel, Germany, Sweden, and U.S.), 101 same‐culture high context (Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, Thailand), and 48 mixed‐culture mixed context (U.S.‐Japan, U.S.‐Hong Kong) dyads negotiated a 1 ½ hour simulation. Transcripts were content coded for direct and indirect integrative sequences and analyzed with hierarchical linear regression. Supporting the theory, results revealed more indirect integrative sequences in high context dyads and more direct integrative sequences in low context and mixed context dyads. Direct integrative sequences predicted joint gains for mixed context dyads.
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Joanne Jojczyk, Francois Lambotte and Christel Christophe
This article explores the interpretive process of ethnographic research within the framework of Communicative Constitution of Organization (CCO) approaches. Specifically, it…
Abstract
Purpose
This article explores the interpretive process of ethnographic research within the framework of Communicative Constitution of Organization (CCO) approaches. Specifically, it examines the role of Ricoeur’s triple mimesis as a hermeneutic tool in making sense of the extensive data gathered during a three-year ethnographic study of a cultural event, “Le Grand Huit,” part of the Mons 2015 European Capital of Culture initiative.
Design/methodology/approach
The research employs a filmed ethnographic methodology to capture the participatory processes of the “Le Grand Huit” project. The study is guided by CCO principles, focusing on communication events as the central unit of analysis. The interpretive framework of Ricoeur’s triple mimesis is utilized to navigate and textualize the complex data collected, including fieldnotes, interviews and video footage.
Findings
The study demonstrates how the process of textualizing ethnographic data through Ricoeur’s triple mimesis – prefiguration, configuration and refiguration – unpacks the interpretative process of CCO ethnographers. The narrative construction not only aids in data interpretation but also establishes the authority of the ethnographic account by making the researcher’s biases and preunderstandings explicit.
Originality/value
This article contributes to CCO scholarship by providing a methodological tool that integrates hermeneutic phenomenology into ethnographic research. It addresses the often-criticized vagueness of ethnographic methods and emphasizes the importance of reflexivity in legitimizing scientific knowledge. The application of Ricoeur’s triple mimesis offers a novel approach to understanding the constitutive role of communication in organizing processes.