The public fascination for private investigators has led to an abundance of imagery in popular culture media. This study aims to examine the views of practising private…
Abstract
Purpose
The public fascination for private investigators has led to an abundance of imagery in popular culture media. This study aims to examine the views of practising private investigators regarding their professional images of dirty work.
Design/methodology/approach
To fill the gap in the literature, this study used data collected from semi-structured interviews with 33 industry practitioners from 3 Australian states. The paper investigates private investigator’s perceptions about themselves/job roles and the public perceptions of private investigators in Australia. Interviews were recorded and transcripts created. A thematic analysis of the interview transcripts was undertaken.
Findings
Private investigators were drawn from a range of professions, including public policing and government regulation. The findings indicate that the reality differs from the images typically portrayed in popular culture. Interviewees discussed the contrasts between media images and reality, providing a more complex portrayal of private investigation and what private investigators find satisfying and challenging about their work.
Practical implications
This study is helpful for improving the understanding of private policing, the media views of policing, those who conduct work within an environment considered to be tainted and their views of self.
Originality/value
Using a qualitative research design, this paper offers insights into the challenges facing private investigators and how they reconcile being in a tainted occupation with providing a necessary service to the community.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the investigative interviewing processes in the context of financial frauds, as experienced by corporate investigators.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the investigative interviewing processes in the context of financial frauds, as experienced by corporate investigators.
Design/methodology/approach
A diverse sample of 33 corporate investigators individually participated in in-depth interviews.
Findings
This study examined perceptions of investigative interviewing of those undertaking fraud investigations. The corporate investigator’s response indicated understanding of the necessary skills required to conduct interviews. The findings suggest that the investigator agreed on the interviewing skills that are required to conduct interviews; however, upon reflection, they may not use the skills during interviews.
Originality/value
This study is the first to reveal limitations in corporate investigators’ investigative interviewing and fills a gap in the academic literature by examining corporate investigators’ beliefs and practices in conducting their private investigations of corporate and white-collar crime.
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Michael King, Anthony Marshall and David Zaharchuk
An IBM survey of business, government and education leaders concluded that if left unresolved, an emerging global skills crisis will likely have profound effects on businesses and…
Abstract
Purpose
An IBM survey of business, government and education leaders concluded that if left unresolved, an emerging global skills crisis will likely have profound effects on businesses and economies worldwide.
Design/methodology/approach
To gauge current skills challenges and assess future needs, the IBM Institute for Business Value in cooperation with Oxford Economics surveyed more than 5,600 global executives representing 18 industries and 48 countries
Findings
Fifty-five percent of all executives surveyed conclude that inadequate investment from private industry is the most important challenge to overcome in addressing skills development in the future.
Practical implications
Personalized learning, powered by data-driven cognitive technologies, can enable personalized education – allowing individuals to readily take more responsibility over their skills future and improve outcomes for stakeholders across the business ecosystem.
Originality/value
Sixty-nine percent of industry executives from outperforming companies…indicate their organizations are already collaborating with ecosystem partners to address skills-related issues, as opposed to less than half of lower performing businesses.
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The purpose of this study is to identify the attributes – skills, education and qualifications – required to be a contemporary corporate investigator.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the attributes – skills, education and qualifications – required to be a contemporary corporate investigator.
Design/methodology/approach
To address heretofore unexplored areas in the literature, this study used data collected from semi-structured interviews with 33 corporate investigators in Australia.
Findings
This paper highlights the complexities that surround corporate investigations and identifies nine attributes critical for investigative success. The findings identify some commonalities with police–detective skills and suggest that the corporate investigator needs the skills of an accountant and a lawyer to complement these investigative skills.
Originality/value
Studies of private investigators are rare as such; therefore, this paper fills a gap in academic literature by examining the skills necessary to conduct private investigations of corporate and white-collar crime.
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There is a pressing need to teach students how to talk critically about race to understand the personal and political implications of racism in the contemporary US society…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a pressing need to teach students how to talk critically about race to understand the personal and political implications of racism in the contemporary US society. Classroom race talk, however, often includes moments of discomfort or confusion as teachers and students navigate new norms for making sense of race and racism. The purpose of this paper is to examine how one white teacher and her multiracial class of fourth-grade students navigated race talk tensions while reading and discussing shared texts.
Design/methodology/approach
Data for this paper were collected as part of a larger, year-long qualitative study on antiracist pedagogy. In this paper, the author analyzes video data of classroom race talk recorded during whole-class and small-group literacy lessons. Using inductive coding and reconstructive critical discourse analysis, the author examines how the teacher and students co-constructed meaning during tense or confusing conversational moments.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that the teacher and students jointly mediated tensions by using the practices of racial literacy, which included learning about the history of racial inequality in the USA, considering racism as structural and systemic rather than individual and asking and answering questions for continued inquiry and critical self-reflection. While previous research studies have characterized race talk tensions as problems or obstacles to student learning, the findings from this study suggest that tensions can be generative to developing and enacting racial literacy.
Originality/value
In the current political climate, alarmist rhetoric issued by conservative politicians and media outlets has discredited race talk as harmful or damaging to children. This study offers a positive reframing of tensions, which may provide teachers encouragement to pursue literacy instruction that equips students with knowledge and skills to better understand and confront racism.
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The purpose of this study is to identify factors that have led to the rebirthing of the illicit cultivation of tobacco in Australia known as chop-chop. Limited research has been…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify factors that have led to the rebirthing of the illicit cultivation of tobacco in Australia known as chop-chop. Limited research has been conducted on the Commonwealth policing of tobacco-related criminal activity, but no prior studies have investigated domestic cultivation since the tobacco farming ceased legal production.
Design/methodology/approach
To fill the void of the literature, this study used data collected from Australian Government publications, court cases and newspapers to develop an understanding of the financial aspects and policing of the rebirth of chop-chop. Newspaper articles for a range of publications for a two-year period were used to examine policing efforts to disrupt criminals engaged in domestic cultivation of tobacco.
Findings
As tobacco was first legally grown in Australia, authorities have always faced the problems associated with the illicit cultivation of tobacco. Findings indicate that as a result of the increased number of successful interception of illicit tobacco at the border, the domestic cultivation of chop-chop is growing as criminal enterprises find alternative means to fund their activities.
Originality/value
The paper improves upon a neglected topic by offering a current contribution to a topic looking at the illicit tobacco, chop-chop trade.
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Dion Hoe‐Lian Goh and Chei Sian Lee
Grieving resulting from the death of a loved one or someone familiar is a painful process and individuals invariably seek support to help them through this difficult period. In…
Abstract
Purpose
Grieving resulting from the death of a loved one or someone familiar is a painful process and individuals invariably seek support to help them through this difficult period. In this study, the paper investigates the role microblogs play by exploring the types of messages following the death of a public figure, Michael Jackson, “the King of Pop”.
Design/methodology/approach
Content analysis was conducted using 50,000 tweets harvested from Twitter from the first 12 days after Michael Jackson's death. A coding instrument characterizing a set of categories that users posted about Jackson's death was inductively constructed, and then applied to the entire dataset of tweets.
Findings
About 50 per cent of tweets fell into categories commonly associated with expressions of emotions or thoughts due to death. However, as the single largest category, Twitter was used primarily as a platform for sharing news and other information. Surprisingly, categories not normally associated with grieving, such as spreading of rumours, expressions of hatred and spam, also occupied a high proportion of tweets.
Originality/value
There has been little work done in examining microblogs as platforms for giving and receiving support in general and, more specifically, for the expression of grief. Therefore, the present research is timely, as it seeks to understand the role microblogs play in the grieving process.
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Chei Sian Lee and Dion Hoe‐Lian Goh
Grieving resulting from death is a painful process and individuals invariably seek support to help them through this difficult period. The purpose of this paper is to investigate…
Abstract
Purpose
Grieving resulting from death is a painful process and individuals invariably seek support to help them through this difficult period. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role microblogs play in providing social support following the death of a public figure, Michael Jackson, “the King of Pop”.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 50,000 tweets from the first 12 days after Jackson's death were harvested from Twitter. A content analysis using a coding instrument characterizing a set of social support categories was conducted. Categories not related to social support were also inductively constructed and applied to the tweets.
Findings
Twitter was primarily used for providing informational support, followed by emotional support. Surprisingly, categories not normally associated with grieving, such as spreading of rumours, expressions of hatred, and spam, also occupied a large proportion of tweets.
Practical implications
Results suggest that microblogging has the potential to facilitate the grieving process and in some aspects of social support. However, information quality could be an issue that calls for better information management tools.
Originality/value
There has been little work done in examining microblogs as platforms for grieving in general, and more specifically, for providing social support during bereavement. The present research is timely, as we seek to understand the role microblogs play in the grieving process.