Brit Ross Winthereik, Nis Johannsen and Dixi Louise Strand
Through an analysis of a demonstration video presenting a new national e‐health portal, this paper aims to explore the assumptions and limitations of the concept of “script” and…
Abstract
Purpose
Through an analysis of a demonstration video presenting a new national e‐health portal, this paper aims to explore the assumptions and limitations of the concept of “script” and suggests a different approach to analysing the moral order of technology design.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews the work of authors who have written about scripts and scripting, and thereafter analyses a demonstration video with a particular user script. Based on the analysis of the video coupled with material from interviews, observation and analysis of other representations, the paper examines the transformative potential of the portal presentation for reconfiguring relationships between citizens, health care systems, and information and communication technology (ICT). The analysis is guided by Haraway's notion of diffraction.
Findings
The analysis demonstrates the particular way in which the user is scripted in an e‐health demo, as a manager of his own health and, consequently, as a good citizen. This is a kind of script that does not directly groom its user, as implied in the notion of script, but rather figures up a probable future user in order to create and manage strategic partnerships that may secure the future of the technology and organisation behind it.
Research limitations/implications
The paper extends the script metaphor beyond a limited designer‐technology‐user configuration and argues that scripts in the paraphernalia of technologies also can and should be “de‐scribed” in understanding the making of the technology and the distributed networks of actors involved.
Originality/value
The paper is a contribution to the discussion on inscriptions in technology and the politics of technology design. Its originality lies in the combined use of notions of script and making things public. Empirically it contributes to the discussion of transformed patient identities following in the wake of implementation and use of ICT in the health care sector.
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Alison Eddy and Kate Whittaker
This article summarises and provides commentary upon the case of Peters v East Midlands Strategic Health Authority [2009] EWCA Civ 71 and considers its likely effect on claims for…
Abstract
This article summarises and provides commentary upon the case of Peters v East Midlands Strategic Health Authority [2009] EWCA Civ 71 and considers its likely effect on claims for future care in personal injury litigation. In future, there should be less impetus on case managers and deputies to pursue applications for state funding of care packages on behalf of injured claimants, where those claimants intend to claim the future costs of such packages from defendants. A state‐funded package is likely to be regarded as an interim measure pending the Court's final award of damages.
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Julia Brandl, Jochen Dreher and Anna Schneider
According to neo-institutional scholars, experts need to support decoupling, yet doing so may be more or less subjectively understandable for those who are employed as experts…
Abstract
According to neo-institutional scholars, experts need to support decoupling, yet doing so may be more or less subjectively understandable for those who are employed as experts. The authors mobilize the phenomenological concept of the life-world as a lens for reconstructing how individuals give meaning to decoupling processes. Based on a hermeneutic analysis of a human resource management expert’s reflections on his activities, the authors highlight the subjective experience of decoupling as a process of solving tensions between an individual’s convictions and the relevances imposed by an organization. The authors conclude that a phenomenological lens enriches microfoundations debates by focusing on an individual’s learning within the framework of an imposed organizational reality.
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Judith Harwin and Nicola Madge
This article examines the value of the concept of significant harm some 20 years after its introduction in the Children Act 1989. It introduces the concept of significant harm and…
Abstract
This article examines the value of the concept of significant harm some 20 years after its introduction in the Children Act 1989. It introduces the concept of significant harm and then discusses the profile of children and families in care proceedings, the decision‐making process, the interpretation of significant harm in case law, ‘panic’ and its impact on patterns of referrals for case proceedings, and the issue of resources. An alternative model of the problem‐solving court is outlined. It is suggested that ‘significant harm’ has largely stood the test of time. However, the absence of a clear operational definition is both its strength and its weakness. It allows necessary professional discretion but is vulnerable to external pressures affecting its interpretation. A more confident workforce and sufficient resources are required, but the future role of the court and compulsory care is more contentious. The problem‐solving court model may offer a helpful way forward for the scrutiny of significant harm.
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The purpose of this paper is to recognise communication as a central challenge between autistic and non-autistic individuals as the autistic voice is not silent, but lacks…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to recognise communication as a central challenge between autistic and non-autistic individuals as the autistic voice is not silent, but lacks involvement at any level other than that of the observed participant (Milton and Bracher, 2013; NAS and Ask Autism, 2014; Parsons et al., 2009). The main research question, therefore, explores data to understand how some autistic individuals conceptualise their experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design, informed by autistic people, used a flexible methodology to accommodate their communication preferences. Methods contextualised autistic narratives regarding support requirements and service provision and located power within these, acknowledging autistic individuals as the expert “insider”. This is critical in tackling access to services and social barriers to inclusion impacting negatively on well-being. Visual and written data were gathered using collage and narrative diary methods, and presented and analysed as three individual case studies (anonymised as Michael, Sophie and Peter) and as a meta-analysis providing a broad picture of themes.
Findings
Findings showed similarities and differences in a number of key areas, so highlighting the importance of the smaller narratives within the broad picture of autism.
Originality/value
This study’s key contribution to autism research is that it blends IPA, narrative analysis and discourse analysis with distinct sites of analysis (narrative process, images of autism, audiencing, turning points and discourse). Furthermore, the flexible methodology employed facilitates inclusion of autistic voices by embracing their diverse communication preferences.
Maud van Merriënboer, Michiel Verver and Miruna Radu-Lefebvre
Drawing on an intersectional perspective on racial, migrant and entrepreneurial identities, this paper investigates the identity work of racial minority entrepreneurs with…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on an intersectional perspective on racial, migrant and entrepreneurial identities, this paper investigates the identity work of racial minority entrepreneurs with native-born and migrant backgrounds, confronted to experiences of othering in a White entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Design/methodology/approach
The study takes a qualitative-interpretivist approach and builds on six cases of racial minority entrepreneurs in nascent stages of venture development within the Dutch technology sector. The dataset comprises 24 in-depth interviews conducted over the course of one and a half year, extensive case descriptions and online sources. The data is thematically and inductively analysed.
Findings
Despite strongly self-identifying as entrepreneurs, the research participants feel marginalised and excluded from the entrepreneurial ecosystem, which results in ongoing threats to their existential authenticity as they build a legitimate entrepreneurial identity. Minority entrepreneurs navigate these threats by either downplaying or embracing their marginalised racial and/or migrant identities.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature on the identity work of minority entrepreneurs. The paper reveals that, rather than “strategising away” the discrimination and exclusion resulting from othering, racial minority entrepreneurs seek to preserve their sense of existential authenticity and self-worth, irrespective of entrepreneurial outcomes. In so doing, the study challenges the dominant perspective of entrepreneurial identity work among minority entrepreneurs as overly instrumental and market-driven. Moreover, the study also contributes to the literature on authenticity in entrepreneurship by highlighting how racial minority entrepreneurs navigate authenticity threats while building legitimacy in a White ecosystem.
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Informed consent, confidentiality, disclosure, policy and the wider consequences of HIV testing are issues explored in this paper concerning a man with learning disabilities who…
Abstract
Informed consent, confidentiality, disclosure, policy and the wider consequences of HIV testing are issues explored in this paper concerning a man with learning disabilities who tested positive for HIV. The events and outcomes are summarised, with lessons identified for policy and practice in HIV risk management and adult protection in services for people with learning disabilities.
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Fiona Collins and Janet McCray
This paper seeks to report on education, health, and social care practitioners' experiences of working across traditional boundaries and establishing new relationships in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to report on education, health, and social care practitioners' experiences of working across traditional boundaries and establishing new relationships in the context of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) in UK children's services.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with a total of 20 education, health and social care practitioners, and operational managers using the qualitative methodology of interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Findings
The article highlights how change in the composition of teams has provided stimulus for new relationships, learning, and ways of working.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based upon a relatively small number of interviews conducted within one county.
Originality/value
Consideration of relationships and learning within multi‐agency practice contexts is underdeveloped within the literature. As new forms of partnership may result from ongoing reconfiguration of services, this research into partnership working around the CAF offers insights and learning for future interprofessional teamworking.