Antje Bierwisch and Marina Schmitz
In an era of polycrisis, we argue that responsible leaders need to unlearn common thinking patterns imprinted by old (management) paradigms in order to find new solutions to the…
Abstract
In an era of polycrisis, we argue that responsible leaders need to unlearn common thinking patterns imprinted by old (management) paradigms in order to find new solutions to the grand challenges of our time. To be able to overcome the “crisis of the imagination” and spur narratives about more sustainable futures, leaders need to update and restructure their skill sets and invest in developing anticipatory and futures (thinking) skills, as well as futures literacy as a competence. To achieve this on the student level, we also need to rethink business and management education at the university level by challenging the ways we teach, i.e., teaching pedagogics, as well as the content and story we want to tell about the future of management. Thus, with this chapter, we aim to rethink pedagogical methods and tools by introducing educators to potential pathways for equipping students with adequate skills to be able to “use-the-future”. As the process of unlearning is difficult, we argue that we need to venture out of the business discipline and push the barriers of the business and management curriculum so as to be able to further unleash creativity and imagination. To achieve this aim, we propose the integration of methods and approaches from art-related disciplines, such as theater, visual arts, or design, into the business curriculum.
Details
Keywords
Discusses natural resources policy‐making issues in the context ofexpectations about the work of the Australian Resource AssessmentCommission and its performance so far. For…
Abstract
Discusses natural resources policy‐making issues in the context of expectations about the work of the Australian Resource Assessment Commission and its performance so far. For example, mining and forestry are under challenge as industries because scientific knowledge is extending beyond the technical justification of their activities. Policy makers cannot rely on value‐free scientific information: data are open to different interpretations and both sides in a dispute (industry and conservationists) can marshall scientific evidence to support their case. Government is forced to establish independent agencies to give them advice but their role in transforming knowledge into policy‐relevant information is problematic.
Carl Edlund Anderson and Rosa Dene David
This paper aims to present a theoretical model for restructuring Colombia’s educational initiatives in response to current socioeconomic needs. More equitable and decolonized…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a theoretical model for restructuring Colombia’s educational initiatives in response to current socioeconomic needs. More equitable and decolonized education could help learners decouple their capacities to imagine the future from colonialized paradigms, thereby opening spaces for more active engagement in their own futures.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors take a critical, postmodern approach focused on empowering people to transcend constraints from a colonial past and recognizing that the purpose of knowledge, although reflecting power and social relationships, is to help people improve society. Notions of situated and futures literacies nourish an approach toward a decolonized and glocalized educational model.
Findings
The current Colombian educational system tends to favor a single focus – local, national or international – at the expense of the others. The authors argue that educational policy and planning should account for three realms of knowledge: locally situated literacies, nationally situated literacies and globally situated literacies.
Originality/value
Deconstructing obsolete and colonized methodologies could not only help prepare Colombian learners for active engagement both within and beyond their modern-day borders but could also help transform other educational systems originally designed to support societies and economies that no longer exist, including those of the Global North.
Details
Keywords
In recent years, democracies across Europe have been challenged in ways this paper has not witnessed on such a scale for generations. It is therefore unsurprising that innovations…
Abstract
Purpose
In recent years, democracies across Europe have been challenged in ways this paper has not witnessed on such a scale for generations. It is therefore unsurprising that innovations within democracy are emerging, particularly in terms of participatory and deliberative practices. Focusing specifically on local democracy and decision-making, this paper aims to examine ways of democratising future studies as a means of enhancing citizen participation in democracy.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws upon the growing body of work under the umbrella term of “participatory futures” as a way of contextualising and critiquing the “real-world” application and empirical testing of methods within this field by local municipalities.
Findings
It identifies the importance of supporting the development of futures literacy in citizens, public administration officials and political and strategic leaders. The paper demonstrates how broadening the application of existing foresight techniques through their confluence with participatory action research (PAR) principles can create spaces that reignite people’s social imagination. This in turn enables citizens and those working in local municipalities to engage in dialogue about the future.
Originality/value
The paper examines the results of a PAR study, in which innovative participatory future methods were tested as tools for enhancing citizen involvement in local decision-making. Through this, it outlines how foresight practices can be democratised, supporting local democracy to thrive, and identifies future research and practice directions within the field.
Details
Keywords
A. Loh, M. Ariff, Z. Ismail, M. Shamsher and M. Ali
This is the first report on estimates of tax compliance costs of Malaysian companies. Compliance cost is an unavoidable cost of doing business and arises from activities…
Abstract
This is the first report on estimates of tax compliance costs of Malaysian companies. Compliance cost is an unavoidable cost of doing business and arises from activities associated with the reporting of income for tax purpose. The average compliance cost per company was estimated to be RM68,836, which is RM0.26 per RM 1,000 sales turnover. Sixty‐one percent of compliance cost was incurred in computation‐related activities and 39 percent in tax planning activities. Measured relative to revenue, the compliance cost is higher for smaller companies than for larger companies, which suggests that compliance cost is regressive, a finding similar to those reported in other countries.
Amira E.M. Abdallah and Rafat M. Mohareb
This work aims to synthesize a series of novel acyclic and/or heterocyclic systems, as precursors for dyes with potential antimicrobial activity that could be used for…
Abstract
Purpose
This work aims to synthesize a series of novel acyclic and/or heterocyclic systems, as precursors for dyes with potential antimicrobial activity that could be used for simultaneous dyeing and antimicrobial textile finishing. Thus, a series of novel pyridine, thiophene and pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine derivatives were synthesized, and their antimicrobial and textile finishing properties were studied and evaluated.
Design/methodology/approach
The synthesis, structure elucidation and antimicrobial activities of the newly synthesized compounds based on 4,4-dicyano-3-phenyl-but-3-enoic acid phenylamide (1) were demonstrated. The minimal inhibitory concentration in μg/mL of the compounds showed significant antimicrobial activity against most of the tested organisms. On the other hand, their spectral characteristics and fastness properties were measured and evaluated. Antimicrobial activities of the dyed fabrics in terms of inhibition zones (mm) were measured and evaluated.
Findings
A series of novel heterocyclic compounds (Schemes 1-3) were synthesized based on starting material (1). Compounds (1), 2, 4a, 8a and 9c exhibited comparable or even higher antibacterial activities than the selected standards (ampicillin), while compounds 2, 3c, 3d, 4a and 8b revealed higher antifungal activities than the selected standard (cycloheximide). On the other hand, some dyes showed high antimicrobial evaluation on the dyed fabrics (nylon 66, acetate and polyester) expressed as size (mm) of inhibition zones (Tables I-IV).
Practical implications
Results revealed that many hydrazo and azo derivatives were synthesized from some pyridines and thiophenes. The antimicrobial evaluation and textile finishing of the newly synthesized products revealed significant and potent values of antimicrobial activity.
Originality/value
All the synthesized compounds were novel and most of them exhibited higher antimicrobial activities than the selected standards antibiotics, thus are valuable for simultaneous dyeing and antimicrobial functional finishing of textile fabrics.
Details
Keywords
Dave Williams, Leann Collingwood, James Coles and Stefanie Schmeer
Interventions intended to aid offender re-entry, rehabilitation and desistence based around specific sports and championed by sporting institutions have been introduced in…
Abstract
Purpose
Interventions intended to aid offender re-entry, rehabilitation and desistence based around specific sports and championed by sporting institutions have been introduced in custodial settings. Though research evaluating these is positive (Meek, 2012), conclusions are often hampered by the absence of control groups in such work. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the Saracens “Get Onside” rugby-based intervention at HMP YOI Feltham, while employing a non-randomised control group.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 24 young offenders took part. Those in the treatment condition experienced a ten-week course which included a range of activities leading to accredited awards, exercises in functional skills in literacy/numeracy and 72 hours of rugby sessions. Those in the control condition were matched on key static factors, crime attitudes and aggression. Self-reported measures of pro-crime attitudes, aggression, self-esteem, and impulsivity were taken once before the start, once during, and at the end of the course for both groups.
Findings
As predicted, self-reported scores measuring attitudes towards aggression and crime did differ significantly across groups, with those experiencing the intervention showing more positive values by the end of treatment compared with others. However, measures of impulsiveness and self-esteem showed no change.
Research limitations/implications
Revisions are suggested in respect of both the self-esteem and impulsivity measures, and future work needs better control over the match between treatment and comparison groups.
Originality/value
Concerns over the potentially iatrogenic effects of contact sport interventions with offender groups may be misplaced, and the benefits of sporting interventions are replicated in a between groups design.
R. Sandford and A. Gindre
For more than 30 years Goodyear has been a leader in solvent paint resin technology for the building sector, with the Pliolite range of resins. Today however, the paint industry…
Abstract
For more than 30 years Goodyear has been a leader in solvent paint resin technology for the building sector, with the Pliolite range of resins. Today however, the paint industry is moving into a new era of social awareness of the environment. Goodyear, determined to maintain their lead by bringing new technology to the industry, is now in a position to announce the first of the new Plioway range of acrylic copolymer resins soluble in low odour, “aromatic free” solvents. The principal idea behind the development program of Plioway resins is to obtain for the first time solubility in non‐aggressive, low toxicity solvents while maintaining the very highest level of performance associated with solvent paint systems.