P. Kalmbach, R. Kasiske, F. Manske, O. Mickler, W. Pelull and W. Wobbe‐Ohlenburg
Based on the results of a social‐science study the effects of the use of robots is described.
The Battelle Institute e.V., Frankfurt in co‐operation with IPA, Stuttgart, is carrying out a project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology: “Social…
Abstract
The Battelle Institute e.V., Frankfurt in co‐operation with IPA, Stuttgart, is carrying out a project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology: “Social Implications of the Introduction of Industrial Robots into the Production Process”.
This paper explores environmental accountability and downward accountability role of nongovernmental organisations (henceforth NGOs) under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR…
Abstract
This paper explores environmental accountability and downward accountability role of nongovernmental organisations (henceforth NGOs) under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the food and beverage industry of Nigeria. The paper relies on empirical data gathered from qualitative interviews of three stakeholders – accountants, Corporate Social Responsibility Officers (CSROs), CEOs and NGO CSROs. It employed theoretical conceptualisation of environmental accountability and NGO's downward accountability. Analysis shows that despite the existence of attributes of environmental accountability such as sense of responsibility on the part of corporations and citizens' rights to demand for and enforce accountability, passivity of citizens' right caused by vulnerability prevails. The finding also shows that downward accountability roles of NGOs in the industry have been framed as that of enhancing activities in the value chain. Part of this is RecyclePay project that funds education for the poor. Thus NGOs' downward (environmental) accountability in Nigeria has potential to promote environmental well-being, beneficiary's economic empowerment and education for the poor, thereby simultaneously addressing vulnerability. It shows that vulnerability may induce a different conceptualisation of environmental accountability than that of a normal democratic setting where the citizens are deemed to have right to demand and enforce (environmental) accountability. This paper contributes to our understanding of (environmental) accountability and downward accountability role of NGOs within an emerging market context.
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David Michael Rosch, Lisa Kuron, Robert Reimer, Ronald Mickler and Daniel Jenkins
This study analyzed three years of data from the Collegiate Leadership Competition to investigate potential differences in longitudinal leader self-efficacy growth between…
Abstract
Purpose
This study analyzed three years of data from the Collegiate Leadership Competition to investigate potential differences in longitudinal leader self-efficacy growth between students who identify as men and those who identify as women.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey design.
Findings
Results indicate that women participants enter their competition experience at higher levels of leader self-efficacy than men and that both groups were able to sustain moderate levels of growth measured several months after the end of the competition.
Originality/value
The gap between men and women in their leader self-efficacy did not change over the several months of measurement. Implications for leadership educators are discussed.
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Javaid Ahmad Wani, Shabir Ahmad Ganaie and Ikhlaq Ur Rehman
The purpose of this study is to examine the research output on “library and information science” (LIS) research domain in South Africa. It also highlights the top LIS research…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the research output on “library and information science” (LIS) research domain in South Africa. It also highlights the top LIS research organisations, authors, journals, collaboration types and commonly used keywords. This research will aid in the identification of emerging concepts, trends and advances in this subject.
Design/methodology/approach
The Web of Science (WoS), an indexing and abstracting database, served as a tool for bibliographical data. By applying advanced search features, the authors curated data from 1989 to 2021 through the WoS subject category WC = (Information Science & Library Science), limiting the scope to the region, CU = (South Africa), which resulted in 1,034 articles. Moreover, the research focuses on science mapping using the R package for reliable analysis.
Findings
The findings reveal that the publications have considerably grown over time, indicating significant attention among researchers in LIS. The findings indicate the critical operator’s performance, existing thematic choices and subsequent research opportunities. The primary topical fields of study that emerged from the bibliometric analysis are impact, information, science, model, management, technology, knowledge and education. Pouris and Fourie are the most productive citations, h-index and g-index. The influential institute was The University of Pretoria.
Research limitations/implications
The use of the WoS database for data collecting limits this study. Because the WoS was the only citation and abstract database used in this study, bibliometric investigations using other citation and abstract databases like “Scopus”, “Google Scholar” and “Dimension” could be interesting. This study presented a bibliometric summary; nevertheless, a systematic and methodical examination of highly cited LIS research publications could throw more light on the subject.
Practical implications
This paper gives valuable information about recent scientific advancements in the LIS and emerging future academic subject prospects. Furthermore, this research work will serve as a reference for researchers in various areas to analyse the evolution of scholarly literature on a particular topic over time.
Originality/value
By identifying the standard channels of study in the LIS discipline, and the essential journals, publications, nations, institutions, authors, data sources and networks in this subject, this bibliometric mapping and visualisation provide new perspectives into academic performance. This paper also articulates future research directions in this realm of knowledge. This study is more rigorous and comprehensive in terms of the analytical procedures it uses.
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Samantha Castle, Willem Fourie and Dawie Bornman
To effectively address the grand challenges facing humanity, as highlighted in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), society needs to harness talents, realise human potential…
Abstract
To effectively address the grand challenges facing humanity, as highlighted in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), society needs to harness talents, realise human potential and build capabilities in people and systems to navigate the associated complexities.
In contributing to SDG 4, universities play a critical role in building impactful capabilities at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as through their core functions of teaching, learning, research and public engagement. ‘Impact’ in this context refers to meeting the needs of diverse students and those of local, regional and global communities. In a changing world with changing societal expectations, the pursuit of relevance is also likely to them more competitive and attractive to students.
The Global Association of Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) provides an important avenue for illustrating how universities can contribute to achieving SDG 4. This is hinged primarily on building young professionals’ capacity to address the challenges articulated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In this chapter, the development of an MDP degree programme at the University of Pretoria (UP) – within the ambit of its membership to the Global Association of MDP – is used as a case study to illustrate how this explicitly multidisciplinary programme can support the development of leadership capabilities that are needed to achieve the SDGs. The chapter includes theoretical perspectives as well reflections from a student and a supervisor who participated in the programme.
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The purpose of this Real Impact Research Article is to empirically explore one of the most controversial and elusive concepts in knowledge management research – practical wisdom…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this Real Impact Research Article is to empirically explore one of the most controversial and elusive concepts in knowledge management research – practical wisdom. It develops a 10-dimensional practical wisdom construct and tests it within the nomological network of counterproductive and productive knowledge behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey instrument was created based on the extant literature. A model was developed and tested by means of Partial Least Squares with data obtained from 200 experienced employees recruited from CloudResearch Connect crowdsourcing platform.
Findings
Practical wisdom is a multidimensional construct that may be operationalized and measured like other well-established knowledge management concepts. Practical wisdom guides employee counterproductive and productive knowledge behavior: it suppresses knowledge sabotage and knowledge hiding (whether general, evasive, playing dumb, rationalized or bullying) and promotes knowledge sharing. While all proposed dimensions contribute to employee practical wisdom, particularly salient are subject matter expertise, moral purpose in decision-making, self-reflection in the workplace and external reflection in the workplace. Unexpectedly, practical wisdom facilitates knowledge hoarding instead of reducing it.
Practical implications
Managers should realize that possessing practical wisdom is not limited to a group of select, high-level executives. Organizations may administer the practical wisdom questionnaire presented in this study to their workers to identify those who score the lowest, and invest in employee training programs that focus on the development of those attributes pertaining to the practical wisdom dimensions.
Originality/value
The concept of practical wisdom is a controversial topic that has both detractors and supporters. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first large-scale empirical study of practical wisdom in the knowledge management domain.
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Jorge Cegarra-Sánchez, Juan Gabriel Cegarra-Navarro and Agustín J. Sánchez-Medina
This study aims to investigate the concept of “practical wisdom” which may be defined as the ability to effectively manage one’s rational knowledge and to read and respond…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the concept of “practical wisdom” which may be defined as the ability to effectively manage one’s rational knowledge and to read and respond appropriately to the interplay of other people's emotions and one's own and their values. The aims of this study also are (1) to investigate the relationship between the spiritual, emotional and rational capacities which underpin practical wisdom and (2) to analyse the relationship between the practical wisdom co-created in and between individuals through these three capacities.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a case study methodology by considering the experience provided by a group of hikers who organized a trip to cross the island of Gran Canarias and its natural parks.
Findings
This study proposes that the presence of spiritual, emotional or rational capacities can boost individual self-awareness, self-control and empathy, which can help workers in general and knowledge workers, in particular, more effectively tackle difficult situations, remain calm and collectively develop and enact appropriate responses to these situations. Therefore, results show that the concept of practical wisdom allows for the identification of both the nature of the capacities that contribute to the effective handling of difficult situations and them and the balance that needs to be developed between them.
Practical implications
For knowledge workers, the study provides a framework and an explanatory framework to help them understand how rational, spiritual and emotional capacities both interact and are operationalized to tackle difficult problems. Furthermore, it enables them to identify situations where success to consider such interactions, leads to develop and implement appropriate responses to such situations.
Originality/value
A proper balance of emotional, rational and spiritual capacities may enable people to have a more holistic vision of difficult situations, allowing the finding of appropriate solutions to complex problems (i.e. practical wisdom). This study contributes to strengthening knowledge workers' perception and understanding of the links between the knowledge stocks and knowledge flows that relate to a practical perspective of wisdom.