Yvonne Pedley and Paul McDonald
There is often a focus on the negative aspects of residential care for older people. In the UK, there has been increasing media attention on abuse in these and other care settings…
Abstract
Purpose
There is often a focus on the negative aspects of residential care for older people. In the UK, there has been increasing media attention on abuse in these and other care settings and this has impacted upon public perceptions and subsequent government policy. Consequently, care staff are “tarred with the same brush”, yet narratives of their views have rarely been investigated. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This undergraduate, qualitative, single-case study aimed to investigate the views of staff and explore the implications for them and their practice. The views of 15 participants in a residential care home were obtained through interviews and a focus group.
Findings
Although the findings reveal sensitivities to the negative portrayal of care roles, they also reveal positive responses through a willingness to change practice, a strengthening of care values and a reduction in risks.
Originality/value
This study will be of interest to those multi-disciplinary residential teams who care for older people as it uncovers a striking sense of guardianship amongst residential care staff, and a willingness to reflect on, and change, practice. The study endorses the value of small practitioner-led research as an illustration of how a residential care team consisting of managers and staff can strengthen its resolve against adverse media coverage and negative public perceptions. This study suggests that this will have positive implications for the health and safety of older people living in residential settings.
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The GrubHub Inc, started as a small food ordering service in Chicago in 2004, and has developed into an e-commerce food delivery giant worth over $3 billion. Since its merger with…
Abstract
The GrubHub Inc, started as a small food ordering service in Chicago in 2004, and has developed into an e-commerce food delivery giant worth over $3 billion. Since its merger with Seamless in 2013, GrubHub has experienced 53% year-over-year growth in revenue. While online food ordering commerce has been expanding over the years, due to the COVID-19, the industry is experiencing an economic shock. Consumers have begun to isolate themselves from outside as much as possible and local shops have been started to close one by one. As a result, demand has been shrinking to services such as GrubHub, even though otherwise would be expected. In order to survive, the company has to employ new measures and devise new ways of conducting business to protect its competitiveness through catering recently changed needs of community due to the pandemic. This case study explains and demonstrates the set of steps that are taken by GrubHub and their effects on its customers, key business partners, shareholder, and stakeholders.
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Moonkyu Lee and Francis M. Ulgado
A growing number of US fast‐food franchises are expanding operations to overseas markets. Critical to the success of these service firms is an understanding of the way consumers…
Abstract
A growing number of US fast‐food franchises are expanding operations to overseas markets. Critical to the success of these service firms is an understanding of the way consumers in foreign markets evaluate their services. Reports the findings of a study that examined and compared the expectations and perceptions of US customers with those of South Korean clients about an international fast‐food chain. Reveals several important differences between the two groups of customers. Discusses the implications of the results for US fast‐food companies in international markets.
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This paper seeks to propose that practical wisdom originating within the Chinese classical traditions has been instrumental in China's ascendance to the world stage. Its purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to propose that practical wisdom originating within the Chinese classical traditions has been instrumental in China's ascendance to the world stage. Its purpose is to analyze biographical data across 200 Chinese business leaders in order to gauge the relative influence of two competing ideologies – Maoism and Confucianism.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on a two‐step design process. First, modern day leadership archetypes characterizing Maoist and Confucian ideology were developed from the literature. Second, these archetypes were applied in the content analysis of biographical data on Chinese business leaders.
Findings
There was evidence of both Maoism and Confucianism in the practices of Chinese business leaders. An unintended, third cohort of leaders emerged, representative of the younger end of the biographical distribution, who appear to embrace paradox in their ideological orientation.
Practical implications
There were three practical implications for management and leadership development: the importance of integrating the concept of paradox into management and leadership development curricula; the provision of illustrative alternatives to western world leadership exemplars; and increased emphasis on global leadership as an emergent phenomenon with particular attention to the burgeoning internationalization of Chinese enterprise and its associated ideologies.
Originality/value
The current leadership literature is dominated by western world exemplars. This paper offers an alternative view; one rich with the wisdom and classical traditions of the Chinese culture.
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Roy Cameron, Rosemary Walker, Myrna Gough and Paul McDonald
Over 60 per cent of adults have at least one modifiable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor. Community‐based initiatives are a central component of a population‐based CVD…
Abstract
Over 60 per cent of adults have at least one modifiable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor. Community‐based initiatives are a central component of a population‐based CVD risk reduction strategy. Describes the development of an information system in which CHHIOP collected quantitative and qualitative information on heart health activities in communities, distilled the information, and then disseminated it to both local and provincial public health practitioners. The goal was to link science and practice tightly, so professionals received timely and relevant information in order to enhance continuously the quality of the public health programming.
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The presence of mature masculinity is slowly reshaping contemporary action cinema in the twenty-first century. It is a phenomenon that rejects the unrealistic view that action…
Abstract
The presence of mature masculinity is slowly reshaping contemporary action cinema in the twenty-first century. It is a phenomenon that rejects the unrealistic view that action heroes are embodiments of Apollo and Ares in human flesh. Instead, action heroes are viewed as flawed characters who cannot escape the realities of their corporeality, mortality and humanity. The following chapter is an examination of a particular type of action hero archetype that combines ageing with virtuous and mature masculinity. Here I use Tom Cruise's development and portrayal of Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible series as a lens through which to highlight the presence of the virtuous and mature hero archetype in action cinema.
Cruise's representation of heroic masculinity is significant because it achieves three separate goals. First, Cruise's mature masculinity repudiates the hardbody model by showing its deficiencies as a male archetype. Second, it introduces a version of an action hero that emphasises the benefits of ageing and mature masculinity. Lastly, Cruise's onscreen presence redoubles the idea that heroic masculinity is motivated by a deep sense of morality, duty and a desire to serve the greater good. As the model of the mature and virtuous hero becomes more prevalent, as I argue, it not only reshapes action cinema but also produces cinematic representations of heroic masculinity that are more positive in terms of showing the importance of maturity, virtue, and public service.
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Jan Wright, Paul McDonald, Hugh Rickards and Jennifer De Souza
The purpose of this paper is to explore the attitude and understanding of research among people with Huntington's disease (HD) and their carers, as well as their experiences of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the attitude and understanding of research among people with Huntington's disease (HD) and their carers, as well as their experiences of research participation.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants with HD (ranging from pre-symptomatic to moderately severe HD) and ten carers. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Findings
The emerging themes indicated that carers played a more active part in the research process while the service users adopted a more passive role. These differences gave rise to differences in their attitudes and perceptions of research. Carers described in detail their information processing and decision-making role when participation was offered and then throughout the subsequent study. They facilitated attendance, provided support, enabled the collection of correct data for the study, as well as ensuring the wellbeing of the service user throughout the research process. Service users, however, focused upon the behavioural and physical changes they experienced during the trial. Nevertheless a great level of enthusiasm for research was reported by both service users and carers.
Originality/value
Research on the attitudes and experiences of people with HD and their carers is inadequate. Further research is therefore needed into the carers’ potentially considerable burden and significant role in HD research. This could then conceivably impact on the enhancement of the clinical trial experience and recruitment and retention in studies could be improved.