Sean Robert Valentine, David Hollingworth and Patrick Schultz
Focusing on ethical issues when making organizational decisions should encourage a variety of positive outcomes for companies and their employees. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Focusing on ethical issues when making organizational decisions should encourage a variety of positive outcomes for companies and their employees. The purpose of this paper is to determine the degree to which data-based ethical decision making, lateral relations and organizational commitment are interrelated in organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from business professionals employed at multiple locations of a financial services firm operating in the USA. Mediation analysis (based on structural equation modeling) was used to test the proposed relationships.
Findings
Results indicated that employees’ perceptions of data-based ethical decision making were positively related to perceived lateral relations, and that perceived lateral relations were positively related to organizational commitment.
Research limitations/implications
Given that information was collected using only a self-report questionnaire, common method bias could be an issue. In addition, the study’s cross-sectional design limits conclusions about causality. Another limitation involves the study’s homogenous sample, which decreases the generalizability of the findings. Finally, variable responses could have been impacted by individual frames of reference and other perceptual differences.
Practical implications
Results suggest that information flow enhancements should support or be consistent with horizontal information flow enhancements, and that together these factors should increase employee commitment.
Originality/value
Given the dearth of existing research, this interdisciplinary investigation is important because it fills gaps in the management literature. This study is also important because the results could inform decisions regarding the use of data analysis in ethical decisions and lateral forms of organizational structuring to improve work attitudes.
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Mark Kasa, Joey Kho, Danial Yong, Kashif Hussain and Patrick Lau
This study aims to explore the viability of the curricula offered by a university specialising in hospitality and tourism education in Kuching, Sarawak. The study also aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the viability of the curricula offered by a university specialising in hospitality and tourism education in Kuching, Sarawak. The study also aims to explore the relevance and application of the hospitality and tourism education curricula to the needs of the Sarawak hospitality and tourism industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Grounded in human capital theory, the article highlights the importance of education in facilitating competently skilled human capital. Using a qualitative research approach, the outcomes indicate that the curricula offered by the hospitality and tourism education sector does meet the basic industry needs in Sarawak.
Findings
The outcomes suggest that the education sector should adopt a work-based learning model as this is shown to be an effective approach to enhancing practical relevance and competency.
Originality/value
There is insufficient empirical evidence on the exact set of skills and knowledge needed by an individual to be competently skilled in response to the needs of the hospitality and tourism industry in Sarawak.
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Patrick Hopkinson, Peter Bryngelsson, Andrew Voyce, Mats Niklasson and Jerome Carson
The purpose of this study is to mirror the late guitarist Peter Green’s life experiences through insights from Andrew Voyce, who recovered from mental illness, and expertise from…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to mirror the late guitarist Peter Green’s life experiences through insights from Andrew Voyce, who recovered from mental illness, and expertise from Peter Bryngelsson, a Swedish professional musician and author.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a mixed method of collaborative autoethnography, psychobiography and digital team ethnography.
Findings
Despite having not previously attracted academic interest, Peter Green’s experiences of mental health problems and his return to recording and performance provide a rich data source when mirrored and compared to the lives and experiences of Andrew Voyce and Peter Bryngelsson.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this piece of work is that Peter Green died in 2020. During the process of writing, the authors have had to follow different, mostly unacademic, sources that have described various parts of Peter Green’s life. The authors have given examples and drawn conclusions from their own lives as well as from academic sources, which they have found appropriate.
Practical implications
Both Andrew Voyce and Peter Bryngelsson’s stories would be helpful when it comes to a deeper understanding as to why Peter Green “took a left turn”, i.e., turned his back on an accepted lifestyle.
Social implications
Acid casualty is a problem connected to both mental distress and to the music industry. Peter Bryngelsson’s story tells us that one can remain sane and drug free and still be an influential and creative musician.
Originality/value
The analysis has brought together two stories of mental distress in combination with insights.
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Jasmine B.-Y. Sim and Malathy Krishnasamy
One would not commonly associate democracy with Singapore, instead scholars have often described Singapore as an illiberal democracy and an authoritarian state. At the same time…
Abstract
Purpose
One would not commonly associate democracy with Singapore, instead scholars have often described Singapore as an illiberal democracy and an authoritarian state. At the same time, all Singaporean school students recite the national pledge of allegiance in school every morning, in which they pledge “to build a democratic society based on justice and equality”. What do students know about democracy? Are they able to distinguish the characteristics of democratic systems from non-democratic ones? The purpose of this paper is to report on Singapore students’ understandings of democracy.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative instrumental case study design, 64 students from three secondary schools were interviewed and the social studies curriculum was analysed.
Findings
Overall, students had poor knowledge of democracy. Consistent with a lack of knowledge of democracy, most students also showed a relatively uncritical acceptance of hierarchy and deference to authority, and held a superficial understanding of citizenship. Civics lessons through social studies, and the school environment did little to promote students’ engagement with democracy.
Research limitations/implications
The authors argue that it is important that students be given the opportunities to develop a basic conceptual knowledge of democracy, as they are not capable of discriminating democratic characteristics from non-democratic ones without it. At the very least, students should know the relevance of what they pledge relative to their nation’s model of democracy, or in the absence of a clear model, be encouraged to struggle with the various existing models of democracies so that, as the future of Singapore, they might determine and adapt the ideals that they deem best for the nation.
Originality/value
This paper is an original study of Singapore students’ understandings of democracy.
Michelle Vander Veldt and Jennifer Ponder
This study examines how a social studies methods course, with an emphasis in civic education, is taught and carried through from its original implementation within a teacher…
Abstract
This study examines how a social studies methods course, with an emphasis in civic education, is taught and carried through from its original implementation within a teacher education social studies course to practicing teachers’ classrooms. Findings suggest that by implementing social action curriculum projects teachers: 1) effectively integrated emerging curriculum, 2) facilitated student-led instruction in a democratic classroom, 3) increased effective communication and built partnerships beyond the classroom, and 4) used structured reflections as a tool for growth and evaluation.
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This study aims to examine the applicability of an extended version of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in predicting pro-environmental behavior, specifically the purchase…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the applicability of an extended version of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in predicting pro-environmental behavior, specifically the purchase behavior (PB) of package-free bath products, among students in higher education institutions (HEIs).
Design/methodology/approach
Using a non-experimental survey research design, this study empirically tested an extended TPB model through structural equation modeling. The dataset was obtained through a survey of undergraduate students in three HEIs in the Philippines.
Findings
Environmental knowledge (EK) predicted attitudes toward purchasing package-free bath products. Attitudes, subjective norms and pro-environmental self-identity (PSI) predicted intention to purchase package-free bath products. Furthermore, the intention to purchase package-free bath products and perceived behavioral control predicted PB of the said item.
Research limitations/implications
The results imply that the addition of EK and PSI to the TPB is applicable in predicting pro-environmental behavior, specifically the purchase of package-free bath products.
Practical implications
The results showed how HEIs can encourage their students to purchase package-free bath products.
Social implications
The results highlight how social and economic factors play a role in promoting or inhibiting pro-environmental behavior among HEI students.
Originality/value
The findings support the inclusion of EK and PSI to the TPB for an integrative model that aims to improve the prediction of the purchase of package-free bath products.
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Patrick Hopkinson, Andrew Voyce and Jerome Carson
The purpose of this paper is to compare the stories of Syd Barrett musician, with Andrew Voyce, and their respective recovery journeys.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare the stories of Syd Barrett musician, with Andrew Voyce, and their respective recovery journeys.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use collaborative autoethnography to share their own perspectives on Syd Barrett and to contrast his story with that of Andrew, a co-author.
Findings
Both Syd and Andrew experienced serious mental distress. While Syd had only limited contact with mental health services, Andrew’s contact was extensive, with a 20-year history of admissions and discharges. In the end, when the psychiatric services listened to Andrew’s concerns and acted on them, he was able to enter into the journey of recovery.
Research limitations/implications
The authors are restricted in the amount of available information on Syd Barrett, especially that related to mental health problems. The story of Andrew shows how recovery is possible even after years of serious mental illness.
Practical implications
Andrew’s story shows why professionals should never give up on people, with even the most seemingly severe and intractable problems. Could services have done more for Syd?
Social implications
Mental illness still attracts huge stigma. Today there is a much more open culture. Would Syd have come out about his own struggles with mental health had society been more open?
Originality/value
Bringing together two stories of mental distress enables the authors to explore the concept of recovery.
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Jackie Malcolm and Keith R. Skene
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) were introduced by the United Nations in 2016 to replace the millennium development goals (MDGs). This chapter examines the impact of…
Abstract
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) were introduced by the United Nations in 2016 to replace the millennium development goals (MDGs). This chapter examines the impact of integrating these goals within a design challenge, as part of a level 3 undergraduate degree module. Design Values, Issues and Ethics is an expansive module, aiming to broaden the students’ discipline focus and allow them to expand their learning within a new landscape. This module promotes the utilization of nature-based intelligences to establish solutions to a community’s basic need to survive and thrive. The SDGs were integrated through embedding them as part of a future-building scenario, supported by a series of exercises and seminars. Students were then asked to reflect on how the SDGs had impacted their design process, and to consider ethical and value dimensions. These reflections were used to analyze the effectiveness of the SDGs as key principles for an ethical design intention. Integrating the SDGs within the design curriculum has served to promote a connectivity of systems that were largely separated prior to this pilot.
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Lynne G. Zucker and Oliver Schilke
In this chapter, the authors weave together a set of ideas that lead us closer to a more general institutional theory – one that embraces multiple levels of analysis, including…
Abstract
In this chapter, the authors weave together a set of ideas that lead us closer to a more general institutional theory – one that embraces multiple levels of analysis, including the micro-level. The authors build on the roots of micro-institutional thought – including phenomenological and ethnomethodological underpinnings – as well as very active, social-psychological research areas that address key mechanisms in institutionalization. Among these, the authors discuss the important roles of legitimacy, trust, social influence, and routines. There is great promise for micro-institutional inquiry to make an integral contribution to institutional theory by bringing processes and people back in.