Lorena Ortega, Ian Thompson and Harry Daniels
Supporting the learning and wellbeing of vulnerable students is an important yet challenging part of school educators’ work. The purpose of this paper is to investigate…
Abstract
Purpose
Supporting the learning and wellbeing of vulnerable students is an important yet challenging part of school educators’ work. The purpose of this paper is to investigate advice-seeking patterns around the issue of supporting the learning and wellbeing of vulnerable students, among professional staff in six English secondary schools. The paper focuses on investigating variation in advice-seeking patterns among schools, exploring the association between these patterns and staff perceptions of the school climate for collaboration, and examining how these informal advice-seeking patterns relate to formal support arrangements in the schools.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-methods approach that combined findings from social network analysis with in-depth interviews was used.
Findings
It was found that advice-seeking patterns among staff vary substantively, even among similar schools. Furthermore, schools with more cohesive and reciprocal advice networks also showed a stronger climate for collaboration (i.e. mutual respect and distributed leadership). Also, formal organizational structures and informal advice-seeking structures showed coherence in the sample, as formally designated leaders, such as the Headteacher and the Special Educational Needs Coordinators, were generally highly central to their schools’ advice network.
Originality/value
This study advances the field as there is little research that examines the social networks of educators in England, and no previous studies that explore teacher advice-seeking networks in relation to supporting vulnerable students, internationally.
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Pamela Sammons, Ariel Mariah Lindorff, Lorena Ortega and Alison Kington
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the concept of “inspiring teaching” based on case studies of exemplary practitioners in England to inform professional development and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the concept of “inspiring teaching” based on case studies of exemplary practitioners in England to inform professional development and collaborative learning and support school improvement.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a mixed methods design involving multiple perspectives. Data sources included interviews with teachers, two systematic classroom observation schedules and qualitative field notes from classroom observations. Quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated to allow for triangulation and synthesis.
Findings
The “inspiring” sample of teachers exhibited many strengths in terms of the characteristics of more effective teaching identified in previous literature. However, the integration and synthesis of evidence also reveals core features of inspiring practice and highlighted the strong emotional and reflective components that distinguish inspiring practice, including: positive relationships; good classroom/behaviour management; positive and supportive climate; formative feedback; high-quality learning experiences; enjoyment, and high levels of student engagement and motivation.
Research limitations/implications
This small-scale study was based on a purposive sample of 17 teachers in England therefore results cannot necessarily be generalised to other contexts.
Practical implications
The research findings and approaches can be used to support teachers’ professional development and provide resources to promote collaboration in developing professional learning communities.
Originality/value
The investigation provides new evidence on the characteristics, practices and views of inspiring teachers. The use of multiple perspectives and integration of findings provides new evidence to inform and support the development of professional learning communities.
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Lorena Blasco-Arcas, Blanca Isabel Hernandez-Ortega and Julio Jimenez-Martinez
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of emotions in developing customer engagement and brand image during virtual service interactions. The authors explore the concept…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of emotions in developing customer engagement and brand image during virtual service interactions. The authors explore the concept of engagement platforms (EPs) and how their extrinsic characteristics or cues (i.e. C2C interactions–and personalization-related cues) originate both non-transactional (i.e. customer engagement and brand image) and transactional (i.e. purchase intentions) responses. Specifically, the authors propose that customer emotions (i.e. pleasure, arousal and dominance) mediate the influence of EP cues on customer responses. The authors also analyze how the engagement developed during interactions in EPs contributes to brand image perceptions and the effect of these two concepts on purchase intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on servicescapes and stimulus-organism-response theories, the present paper carries out two studies. Study 1 adopts an experimental approach to explore C2C interactions–and personalization-related cues. Study 2 focusses on the importance of customer emotions to foster engagement and brand image, and also analyzes their effect on purchase intentions. It employs structural equations modeling techniques. Both studies analyze the effect of customer engagement on brand image.
Findings
Findings corroborate that, during interactions in the platform, customer engagement with the firm influences brand image. Moreover, the pleasure and arousal experienced by customers influence their engagement while dominance modifies brand image. Finally, customer engagement and brand image have a positive effect on purchase behavior.
Research limitations/implications
This paper contributes to research demonstrating the key role of emotions in interactions with EPs. The authors demonstrate the importance of fostering pleasant and arousing experiences to enhance the level of customer engagement with the firm in first interactions. Dominance constitutes a key dimension to improve brand image in EPs. Finally, the research demonstrates that engagement develops customers’ transactional behaviors and not only non-transactional ones, as seen in previous literature.
Originality/value
In digital worlds, EPs emerge as touch points beyond purchase that allow individuals to integrate resources and co-create value between them and with the firm. Despite the interest of BCPs, few works have analyzed how interactions with these platforms and the elicited emotions contribute to developing customer engagement and brand image, key factors for understanding customer participation and behavior in interactive media.
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Lorena Blasco-Arcas, Blanca Hernandez-Ortega and Julio Jimenez-Martinez
The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the concept of engagement platforms and the theories of co-creation of value to analyze the purchase as a context for customers to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the concept of engagement platforms and the theories of co-creation of value to analyze the purchase as a context for customers to co-create their own experiences. Specifically, the paper proposes that including online cues related to Customer to customer (C2C) interactions and coproduction in the engagement platform determines customer co-creation experiences. Moreover, the paper tests for the relationship between the co-creation experience and customer's purchase intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
An online platform was designed and a purchase situation was simulated, in which the participants were asked to buy a pair of sneakers. To make the experience more realistic, participants could navigate and undertake activities related to the available cues, thus obtaining a direct experience of the possibilities of the platform. Structural equation modeling analyses were used to test the hypothesized relationships.
Findings
The results confirm the importance of including cues related to C2C interactions and coproduction in order to increase co-creation experience possibilities for the customer during the online purchase. Moreover, if customers perceive that they are co-creating the experience, their purchase intentions increase.
Practical implications
This paper addresses the importance of virtual engagement platforms as touch points for interaction and the importance of their characteristics for facilitating co-creation. These platforms provide customers with cues that promote their participation, the establishment of collaborative relationships and the co-creation of the purchase experience.
Originality/value
There is a growing interest in understanding how customers interact with firms to co-create experiences and in the influence of IT-related service in this process. Nevertheless, to date, the online purchase experience as a co-creation context has not been fully investigated.
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Lorena Blasco‐Arcas, José‐Ignacio Aznar‐Baranda, Blanca Hernández‐Ortega and José Ruiz‐Mas
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the adoption of IP Television (IPTV) as a distribution channel. The authors test the effects of its features, such as personalization and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the adoption of IP Television (IPTV) as a distribution channel. The authors test the effects of its features, such as personalization and interactivity, on users' perceived control and satisfaction with their purchase experience. The authors also analyze the purchase process of news‐on‐demand packages, in which users can personalize the contents and amount of news and interact with other users.
Design/methodology/approach
A testbed platform was designed which integrates the interactivity and content personalization of IPTV and a 2×2 between‐subjects factorial design was developed, resulting in four experimental scenarios of the platform. Multivariate analysis of variance analyses have been applied.
Findings
Data from 119 university students corroborate the importance of content personalization and interactivity in the users' purchase experience configuration, as these variables increase both users' control and satisfaction. The authors also confirm that the users preferred the IPTV platform which combines interactivity and personalization rather than the other designs that only had one of these features.
Originality/value
In spite of the advantageous features of IPTV, its adoption has been slower than initially expected. The causes of this slow pace of adoption are still unclear. This paper contributes to the understanding of IPTV as a new distribution channel, which is an underdeveloped perspective in the field. Moreover, it demonstrates the importance of fostering the collaboration of users in designing services through interactivity and personalization.
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Enrique Claver-Cortés, Bartolomé Marco-Lajara, Pedro Seva-Larrosa and Lorena Ruiz-Fernández
This paper aims to know the dimension and scope that research on the district effect has had in the literature about industrial districts, as well as to shed some light on the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to know the dimension and scope that research on the district effect has had in the literature about industrial districts, as well as to shed some light on the connection between industrial districts and business results; or expressed differently, on how being located in an industrial district or not affects or might influence the performance of the firms located therein.
Design/methodology/approach
The purpose of this paper has been achieved through an exhaustive review of the empirical literature dedicated to the so-called district effect. The papers selected in the analysis were selected on the basis of the following criteria: (1) publications in scientific journals; (2) studies carried out in Spain and Italy; and (3) works published between 1994 and 2017.
Findings
The outcome of the literature review suggests, on the one hand, that the debate on the extent to which the territory influences the competitiveness of firms located in industrial districts still remains a topic of great interest. It can additionally be observed that most of the works dedicated to measuring the district effect have done so using three dimensions: (1) productivity/efficiency; (2) international competitiveness; and (3) innovation.
Practical implications
From a theoretical perspective, the findings of this paper make it possible to carry out an integrating proposal for the measurement of the district effect which revolves around three dimensions (productivity/efficiency; international competitiveness; and innovation).
Originality/value
This paper makes a twofold contribution to the literature: (i) it brings together the most important empirical contributions that measure the competitive advantages obtained by firms located in industrial districts through the district effect; and (ii) it theoretically and empirically establishes the essential dimensions of that effect.
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José Gerardo Ignacio Gómez Romero, Francisco Martín Villarreal Solís and Xochitl Escamilla Arango
The confinement resulting from the current COVID-19 pandemic is impacting all human activities. With technology, many of these activities such as business processes are being…
Abstract
The confinement resulting from the current COVID-19 pandemic is impacting all human activities. With technology, many of these activities such as business processes are being transformed. As such it is important to understand how these transformations are taking place and how to address the new challenges with equally innovative strategies.
The purpose of this chapter is to analyse and explain the influence of e-commerce as an independent variable, in consumption habits, and as a dependent variable, in times of COVID-19, for consumers in Durango Mexico. To do so, a quantitative methodology was adopted, in which each of the variables is diagnosed, followed by ANOVA and regression tests to determine the proposed relationship.
The findings show that e-commerce does have an impact on consumer buying habits in the city of Durango, that the ‘surf the internet’ dimension is the one that occurs most frequently and that price is the factor most highly valued by consumers.
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Lorena Ronda, Andrea Ollo-López and Salomé Goñi-Legaz
This paper aims to establish to what extent family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices are positively related to work–family balance and to identify the role…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to establish to what extent family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices are positively related to work–family balance and to identify the role played by job satisfaction and working hours as mediators of this relationship
Design/methodology/approach
We use data for a representative sample of almost 17,000 employees of dual-earner couples from European countries. To test the mediation mechanism implied by our hypotheses, we follow the procedure outlined in Baron and Kenny (1986). Given the nature of the dependent variables, ordered probit and regression models were estimated in the analysis.
Findings
The results show that, in general, family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices increase work–family balance and that these positive relationships are partially mediated by job satisfaction and working hours. While both family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices increase job satisfaction, only the first increase working hours. Moreover, job satisfaction increases work–family balance, while working hours reduces it. The net effect of these opposing forces on work–family balance is positive.
Research limitations/implications
The use of secondary data posits some constraints, such as the type of measures and the failure to control for a higher number of family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices. Additionally, the non-longitudinal nature of the data set implies that some relationships cannot be considered causal in the intended direction.
Practical implications
Managers should implement family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices, as, in general, they increase work–family balance. A significant portion of this positive effect is channeled through job satisfaction and working hours.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to understanding the relationship between different subsets of human-resources management practices and work–family balance, proposing a model that aims to disentangle the mediating mechanisms through which this relationship occurs.
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This chapter analyzes the role of grassroots organizations as natural helping systems for women’s empowerment in the rural areas of central Mexico. For almost three decades…
Abstract
This chapter analyzes the role of grassroots organizations as natural helping systems for women’s empowerment in the rural areas of central Mexico. For almost three decades, productive projects have been the preferred strategy by the Mexican government in order to alleviate extreme poverty and promote women’s empowerment. Even if the impact of productive projects on women’s empowerment has been limited, grassroots organizations are created in order to have access to financial resources that have promoted the collective dimension of women’s empowerment. Through semi-structured interviews and participatory observation, this study retrieves the experience of women’s leadership, frustrated by changing public policy, local corruption, and political use of the social policy. In those difficult circumstances, grassroots organizations are fundamental tools for women’s well-being as they promote a specific understanding of empowerment, where family, community, and relatedness are values more important than competition and individualistic achievements.
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Virginia Guadalupe López Torres, Luis Ramón Moreno Moreno and Mónica Lorena Sánchez Limón
The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate the contribution made by migrants in the territory that hosts them, particularly when they transfer their knowledge to members of the…
Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate the contribution made by migrants in the territory that hosts them, particularly when they transfer their knowledge to members of the community. In the specific case of the sea urchin fishery, it is described how the Morishita family in Baja California undertakes the sea urchin value chain, from the location of population banks to the commercialization of the product in the Japanese market and, by therefore, the promotion of development in rural places while starting a culture of export and currency generation. An adventure of opportunities that has been successful for more than 50 years, whose origin is the sustainable use of “a plague” that today is a delicacy for many.