Kathryn Goldman Schuyler, with Margaret Wheatley, Otto Scharmer, Ed Schein, Robert E. Quinn, and Peter Senge
Emily C. Bouck and Sara Flanagan
The chapter Technological Advances in Special Education provides information on advances of technology and how such technological advances have influenced students with…
Abstract
The chapter Technological Advances in Special Education provides information on advances of technology and how such technological advances have influenced students with disabilities and special education across the globe. The chapter presents technological advances that benefited students with disabilities in developed countries as well as potential technologies to support students with disabilities in developing countries. The scant exiting literature on developing countries suggests some universal themes regarding technology for students with disabilities including access and training. Additional attention and research is needed on assistive technology to support students with disabilities in both developed and developing countries, with recognition that what works is developed counties may not work in developing.
Colin Clarke‐Hill, Huaning Li and Barry Davies
Co‐operation and competition characterise the inter‐firm relationships in strategic alliances. This article proposes a paradox approach to studying co‐operation and competition…
Abstract
Co‐operation and competition characterise the inter‐firm relationships in strategic alliances. This article proposes a paradox approach to studying co‐operation and competition. It explains the paradox perspective and provides an analytic framework for the paradox of co‐operation and competition. In the light of the paradoxical nature, it advocates a multi‐paradigm approach to co‐operative and competitive strategies, which combines strategic positioning, the resource‐based view and game theory. The article suggests that the multi‐paradigms can not only encompass the contradictions of the paradox from the different perspectives, but also emulate the individual ones and provide a holistic picture. The multi‐paradigm approach therefore establishes a better methodology basis than fragmented orthodox theories in exploring the contradictory, interactive and dynamic nature.
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Rassel Kassem, Mian Ajmal, Matloub Hussain and Petri Helo
The purpose of this paper is to assess the organizational culture of courts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the culture type required to achieve business excellence. This…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the organizational culture of courts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the culture type required to achieve business excellence. This research also aims to benchmark the criteria weights of the International Framework for Court Excellence (IFCE) in the UAE and suggest new weights that better reflect courts’ local priorities and national work culture.
Design/methodology/approach
The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to prioritize the IFCE criteria and select the most important culture types to consider. A questionnaire was designed and data were collected from first instance courts in UAE. The respondents were judges in management roles, to ensure that the opinions provided reflected experience of judging and were aligned with the courts’ strategic objectives.
Findings
The results show that the IFCE model criteria have different levels of importance in UAE than in the original model. The major differences are in court proceedings and processes, and affordability and accessibility of services. Adaptability and mission seem to be the most important cultural traits.
Originality/value
No previous studies have investigated court excellence in UAE. This study should supply court managers and administrators with a clearer understanding of the priorities for achieving court excellence. There is inconsistency about the culture needed to boost good performance in public service organizations like courts, and decision makers may use these findings to enhance the cultural attributes that are particularly associated with excellence in courts.
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In recent years, considerable interest has been expressed in the evolving role of professional management and the extent to which it should take account of the different interest…
Abstract
In recent years, considerable interest has been expressed in the evolving role of professional management and the extent to which it should take account of the different interest groups in industrial society. A new theory is now emerging which advocates that the primary task of professional management is to balance or try to harmonise the conflicting interests of the major power blocs in society—the employees, the shareholders, the unions, consumers, the community at large and, in some ill‐defined sense, 'the public interest'. More recently, managers have also become deeply pre‐occupied with the inherent conflict of interests in their relations with foreign states as a result of the growth in foreign subsidiaries. The justification for this new approach is that it no longer makes sense to talk about the 'paramountcy' or the 'primacy' of the shareholder interest in the very large organisations which account for a large proportion of the nation's productive assets. Furthermore this viewpoint has some solid backing from surveys carried out in both Britain and the United States which show that the vast majority of professional managers no longer feel that a corporation's duty is only—or even primarily—to its nominal owners, the shareholders.
Peter Björk and Hannele Kauppinen-Räisänen
The purpose of this article is to focus on travellers’ perceptions of culinary-gastronomic sensations as experiences and how these relate to the locality. The aim of the study is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to focus on travellers’ perceptions of culinary-gastronomic sensations as experiences and how these relate to the locality. The aim of the study is to explore the factors that contribute to travellers’ culinary-gastronomic dining experiences with an emphasis on the local food markets.
Design/methodology/approach
One-hundred and fifty-eight prospective travelers at an annual fair in Helsinki completed a self-administered survey questionnaire. On the questionnaire, the respondents were asked to rate the importance of 17 items related to eating and food experiences when deciding on a destination for their next leisure trip.
Findings
The findings reveal a frequency distribution of the sample characteristics and travel behavior, the respondents’ use of food and eating experiences as evaluative criteria when choosing travel destinations and latent factors of food and eating experiences. Based on an explorative factor analysis using a varimax abstraction method, the study concludes that eating and food experiences are influenced by the overall service (i.e. the food and where it is served and the dining setting and how it is served). The factors show that culinary-gastronomic food experiences are founded on local, original and authentic food that represents the local food culture.
Practical implications
The study attempts to provide insights into aspects to consider for promotional activities related to local food and, ultimately, as a means for destination branding. The Finnish sample has a casual attitude to food, where new but also rather mundane experiences are sought. Accordingly, slow food preparation and atmospherics contribute to local food experiences that may lure travelers to revisit certain locations.
Originality/value
Local food as a means of culinary-gastronomic sensations deserves scholarly attention, as many questions related to its consumption by tourists remain unanswered. Accordingly, the topic of the current study is truly timely and this research contributes by studying a rather unchartered issue.
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João Pardinha, Jorge Mota and Rui Augusto Costa
The boom of new players in the accommodation sector has led to an increase in the level of competitiveness and has highlighted the importance of using key performance indicators…
Abstract
Purpose
The boom of new players in the accommodation sector has led to an increase in the level of competitiveness and has highlighted the importance of using key performance indicators (KPIs) in organisational decision-making processes as efficient tools for thriving in the growingly competitive environment. This study aims to assess the use of KPIs by owner-managers of small and medium-sized short-term rental accommodation (STRA) units.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve this aim, this research encompasses two different primary data collection methods conducted in 2021. Firstly, from April to May, a set of exploratory interviews with experts within the STRA domain was planned. Secondly, an intensive data collection, from June to September, included an online questionnaire with close-ended questions to a sample of all the companies that manage STRA units in Portugal.
Findings
These managers tend to use more widely financial and operational KPIs that depict relationships with guests and reflect the activity of the STRA units, the external environment and the innovation level. Moreover, younger managers and those with higher levels of education tend to use a “monitoring review of digital platforms” KPI, while less experienced managers use financial and operational KPIs and senior and higher experienced managers place greater value on KPIs associated with customer relationships.
Originality/value
STRA units hold a very relevant position in the hospitality industry, and it is urgent to generate more information to better understand this growing subsector. This research contributes to the literature providing evidence on the importance of KPI to STRA units, for owner-managers and for urban tourism, considering their growth, proliferation and importance for the planning of cities by destination management organisations.
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N. Muthukumar, K. Ganesh, Sanjay Mohapatra, K. Tamizhjyothi, R. M. Nachiappan and M. Bharati
The interest for hosting the Olympic Games is now at its historical peak. Heads of states, culture elites, top athletes and professional marketers are engaged in selling their…
Abstract
The interest for hosting the Olympic Games is now at its historical peak. Heads of states, culture elites, top athletes and professional marketers are engaged in selling their cities to the deciding International Olympic Committee. This host selection process has recently been in the focus of public interest due to the bribery allegations against the winner of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Salt Lake City.