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1 – 10 of 67Nan Greenwood and Carole Pound
The purpose of this paper is to describe how providing a wide variety of visual images facilitated discussions amongst older informal carers in focus groups.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe how providing a wide variety of visual images facilitated discussions amongst older informal carers in focus groups.
Design/methodology/approach
In all, 72 older (aged 70+ years) informal carers took part in nine focus groups discussing their experiences as older carers. Participants were provided with a wide selection of different, freely available printed images which included abstract and humorous images and countryside scenes.
Findings
These older carers appeared to enjoy using these pictures to facilitate introducing themselves and to describe their diverse caring experiences. Sharing often challenging experiences using the images and visual metaphors appeared to support the group to discuss difficult, sensitive issues in often light-hearted ways.
Research limitations/implications
This approach appeared to enhance data collection with these older participants in an enjoyable way by helping them focus on the topic at hand whilst facilitating them to give succinct descriptions of their experiences. However, further research is needed in order to be confident of the transferability of these findings to other older participant groups discussing different topics. Only informal carers were included and there were no direct comparisons with groups without images.
Practical implications
Using commonly available visual images in focus groups with older carers appeared to be an effective means of encouraging participant discussions and engagement.
Originality/value
To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to describe how using visual images facilitated focus group discussions with older informal carers. It therefore adds to the literature.
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Farrukh Akhtar, Nan Greenwood, Raymond Smith and Angela Richardson
Dementia cafés (also known as Alzheimer’s or memory cafés) have been running in the UK since 2000. The purpose of this paper is to report on the recommendations from recent…
Abstract
Purpose
Dementia cafés (also known as Alzheimer’s or memory cafés) have been running in the UK since 2000. The purpose of this paper is to report on the recommendations from recent research that interviewed family carers on their experiences of using the cafés.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was carried out in cafés in and around London, and focussed on informal, unpaid carers’ experiences of using them. In total, 11 carers from five different dementia cafés were interviewed, using semi-structured questionnaires. The results were thematically analysed.
Findings
The findings showed that carers had an overwhelming appreciation of the cafés and what they offered, but several of the findings led to the recommendations about the recruitment and training of café co-ordinators; how cafés present themselves and their services and how they can offer dedicated support to informal carers.
Originality/value
These recommendations will be of use to café organisers and commissioners, especially considering the dearth of information currently available in this area.
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Nan Wehipeihana, Vivienne Kennedy, Kataraina Pipi and Kirimatao Paipa
The tradition in academic institutions seems to favour individual effort and achievement. In counterpoint, a group of four Māori women from Aotearoa New Zealand – Nan Wehipeihana…
Abstract
The tradition in academic institutions seems to favour individual effort and achievement. In counterpoint, a group of four Māori women from Aotearoa New Zealand – Nan Wehipeihana, Kataraina Pipi, Vivienne Kennedy and Kirimatao Paipa – share their experiences of journeying together as a kaupapa whānau, 1 enhanced by their whakapapa 2 links to collectively navigate a higher education pathway. They asserted their ways of working and being supportive to each other through a postgraduate diploma in evaluation and research. Their collaborative way of working challenged the academic system where learning is focused on individual effort and achievement. Pushing the boundaries to ensure the benefits of a culture of inclusiveness, collaboration and collectivity in an academic sphere of learning requires a mixture of willingness and cooperation between students and the institution. This chapter describes how this group of four mature Māori students overcame challenges in asserting a cultural stance that was a key enabler to them in successfully attaining their higher educational learning goals.
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Maegan Zarley Watson and Ruoh‐Nan Yan
The purpose of the study is to explore the differences between fast fashion and slow fashion consumers in regards to their consumer decision process stages (i.e…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to explore the differences between fast fashion and slow fashion consumers in regards to their consumer decision process stages (i.e. purchase/consumption, post‐consumption evaluation, and divestment).
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative data were collected via focus groups and personal interviews. Participants were recruited through flyers that were posted at various locations, including a college campus, select retail stores, and www.craigslist.com The sample consisted of 38 participants, 22 fast fashion and 16 slow fashion. All participants were female, 18 years of age or older, with a mean age of 21.2 years.
Findings
Three groups of themes emerged. The purchase/consumption themes were buyers’ remorse avoidance, utilitarianism, hedonism, and style/self‐image congruence. The post‐consumption evaluation themes included instant satisfaction vs continued satisfaction and consumer expectation confirmation. Finally, the divestment themes consisted of divestment frequencies, divestment reasons, and divestment approaches.
Research limitations/implications
This study explored the purchase and post‐purchase stages of the Consumer Decision Process (CDP) model. This particular focus on the CDP model, in the context of fast (vs slow) fashion, has not been researched in the past. Additionally, this research adds to the body of knowledge by utilizing the CDP model to understand the differences between fast fashion and slow fashion consumers.
Practical implications
Fast fashion and slow fashion retailers may use this research to better understand their target markets by understanding why they choose to purchase/consume, what influences their post‐consumption evaluation, and how and why they choose to divest their clothing.
Originality/value
Past research has demonstrated the importance of understanding the supply chain and business model aspect of fast fashion. However, no empirical studies have been found that examine the decision‐making process of consumers of fast (vs slow) fashion.
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Jingbo Yuan, Zhimin Zhou, Nan Zhou and Ge Zhan
This paper aims to examine the effect of product market competition on firms’ unethical behavior (FUB) in the Chinese insurance industry and to further explore the boundary…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effect of product market competition on firms’ unethical behavior (FUB) in the Chinese insurance industry and to further explore the boundary conditions of the main effects. On the basis of China’s commercial foundation, the study constructs a conceptual framework of FUB by drawing from the perspective of horizontal competition.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 52 property insurance firms at the branch level observed over the six-year period, 2011-2016. Within this framework, market power and market concentration were used to describe product market competition at firm and industry levels, respectively. The moderating effect of market munificence was analyzed to reveal the theoretical boundaries of the main effect. By drawing upon cost–benefit analysis and social network theory, the study used negative binomial model and Poisson model to quantitatively examine the relationship.
Findings
The relationship between product market competition and FUB is curvilinear. Especially at the firm level, market power exhibits a U-shape relationship with FUB; at the industry level, market concentration exhibits a U-shape relationship with FUB. In addition, market munificence positively moderates the impact of firm’s market power on FUB, whereas, market munificence negatively moderates the impact of industrial market concentration on FUB.
Research limitations/implications
This paper explored a new type of unethical behavior that concerns consumers or the third party by emphasizing horizontal competitive contexts; it also provides a better understanding of the FUB–financial performance relationship from the perspective of competition. The moderating effects suggest that when the cause of FUB is different (market power vs market concentration), firms may make opposite ethical choice. However, the sample is from a single industry; it will be fruitful to further verify these findings in other industries such as the manufacturing sector. Moreover, the definition of FUB is confined to explicit forms such as participation or collusion but there is no way to measure the implicit forms of FUB.
Practical implications
First, the governance of FUB should not only focus on the firms themselves, but also take into account the industrial market structure. Second, proper use of governance measures for FUB can increase firms’ benefits from “compliance with the law”, enticing firms to decrease FUB. The third, firms with weak market positions, facing fierce competition, should not be involved in FUB for short-term benefit; indeed, a low-cost strategy can be adopted as the dominant competitive strategy. While, in cases of highly concentrated market structure, firms should strive to avoid involvement in FUB through collusion with other rivals.
Social implications
As it is a very common phenomenon that firms in competitive relationships may adopt FUB toward third parties or consumers, this trend has become a hot topic in the economic and social development in China. The study’s conclusions reveal that a more proactive and ambitious ethical decision is desirable for all kinds of firms; moreover, firms should make a rational choice between “short-term interest” and “long-term survival”. When firms identify the compliance of business ethics as an opportunity to differentiate themselves and perceive the benefits of decreasing FUB as outweighing the costs, the level of FUB will be inhibited, and social welfare will increase.
Originality/value
The primary contribution of this research resides in identifying product market competition as a previously unexplored predictor of FUB, thus revealing the dark side of product market competition. In addition, nonlinear relationships between product market competition and FUB indicate that situations of competition exert an important influence on FUB both at the firm and industry level. This paper’s conclusion provides a more meticulous theoretical explanation for FUB. This research demonstrates that the traditional ethical framework is not sufficient to explain FUB in a horizontal competitive context. Indeed, resource constraints and competitive pressures should also be considered.
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Dana V. Tesone and Peter Ricci
Relative to other industries, hospitality organizations tend to be labor intensive, employing large numbers of individuals in hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other related…
Abstract
Relative to other industries, hospitality organizations tend to be labor intensive, employing large numbers of individuals in hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other related enterprises. There has been long-standing debate between the rights of worker personal privacy and the need for employers to know information concerning prospective and current employees. This article presents an evolution of employment relationships in the hospitality industry to demonstrate the complex nature of employment from legal, moral, and ethical perspectives that exists at the current time. It provides discussion of the balance between the rights of individuals and employers’ “need to know” private information to draw conclusions and suggestions for practicing hospitality human resource managers.
Defines “insider trading” and looks at the effects of insider trading on an economy. Considers the factors which have caused legislation and the rationale behind insider trading…
Abstract
Defines “insider trading” and looks at the effects of insider trading on an economy. Considers the factors which have caused legislation and the rationale behind insider trading. Compares the economic and financial approaches to the problem. Outlines the European, UK and US positions covering legislation, arguments, prohibitions and penalties. Cites important cases in the USA, which have caused changes in the law. Concludes that there is a need for standardization, together with better access to timely information but highlights that the markets require freedom within which to work effectively and accepts that there will always be an element of insider trading in any market.
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Since the end of the United States’ Vietnam War and Indochina’s second war, little scholarly attention has been paid to a war that has so greatly affected the American public’s…
Abstract
Since the end of the United States’ Vietnam War and Indochina’s second war, little scholarly attention has been paid to a war that has so greatly affected the American public’s attitude towards politics, and their views towards their country’s management of foreign policy. Now that the USA has lifted trade embargos, and has normalized relations with Vietnam, many higher education institutions are offering additional courses about the Vietnam War. There are many perspectives of the war – civilian, military, political, French, North Vietnamese, South Vietnamese, and American – that need to be identified and acknowledged to fully understand and explain the involvement of the USA in Vietnam. This selective, annotated bibliography of print sources and Web sites is meant to provide guidance to academic libraries desiring to build a collection of resources.
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Akansha Mer and Amarpreet Singh Virdi
Introduction: Amidst Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA), turbulence is a vital component of an entrepreneurial landscape. VUCA world has set a new dynamic…
Abstract
Introduction: Amidst Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA), turbulence is a vital component of an entrepreneurial landscape. VUCA world has set a new dynamic in the business environment and organisation’s settings. In such an environment, it is pertinent for entrepreneurs to exhibit creativity, innovative service behaviour, and performance.
Purpose: The study investigates whether creativity, innovative service behaviour, and performance of entrepreneurs are fostered through employee engagement practices in a highly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment.
Methodology: The methodology involves a systematic review and meta-synthesis. By identifying the major topics, a systematic literature review helped critically analyse and synthesise the literature.
Findings: According to the study, corporate entrepreneurial factors like (management reinforcement, reward/reinforcement, job autonomy/discretion, time attainability, and organisational boundaries) entrepreneurial potential, entrepreneurial orientation, human capital, self-efficacy beliefs lead to employee engagement, which, in turn, fosters creativity, innovative service behaviour, and performance among entrepreneurs in the VUCA world.
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Entrepreneurs and their ventures are often portrayed as unambiguously positive forces in society. Specifically, high technology and equity-funded startups are heralded for their…
Abstract
Entrepreneurs and their ventures are often portrayed as unambiguously positive forces in society. Specifically, high technology and equity-funded startups are heralded for their innovative products and services that are believed to alter the economic, social, and even political fabric of life in advantageous ways. This paper draws on established theory on the causes of misconduct in and by organizations to elaborate the factors that can give rise to misconduct in entrepreneurial ventures, illustrating our arguments with case material on both widely known and less well-known instances of entrepreneurial misconduct. In venturing into the dark side of entrepreneurship, we hope to contribute to theory on entrepreneurship and organizational misconduct, augment entrepreneurship pedagogy, and offer ideas and examples that can enhance entrepreneurs’ awareness of their susceptibility to wrongdoing.
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