The aim of this paper is to provide a framework to measure the response of blue‐collar workers to new technology in manufacturing and to establish the relationship between…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to provide a framework to measure the response of blue‐collar workers to new technology in manufacturing and to establish the relationship between learning culture and that response.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected with a survey questionnaire from 12 manufacturing sites that were implementing a number of diverse new technologies. The dimensions of worker response were identified with exploratory factor analysis and the relationship between these factors and learning culture was established with path analysis.
Findings
Factor analysis identified seven dimensions of worker response: disgruntlement, job‐security concerns, accommodation, informal learning, resistance, discussion, and formal learning. Learning culture had a large, statistically significant relationship with disgruntlement and medium, statistically significant relationships with job‐security concerns, accommodation, informal learning, and formal learning.
Research limitations/implications
The sample was limited to manufacturing locations in the southeastern USA and the respondents were almost all male and either White or African‐American.
Practical implications
These findings establish a strong positive relationship between learning culture and behavioral, affective and cognitive responses of workers to new technology. This is key for supporting learning culture in organizations that naturally are inclined to worker isolation and independence.
Originality/value
Empirical work of this nature is limited in manufacturing facilities. These organizations tend to be closed to research because of concerns regarding the security of proprietary information or the personal safety of the researcher.
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This inductive, qualitative study investigates how learning took place among nine experienced engineers in an industrial setting after a major reorganization. A thematic analysis…
Abstract
This inductive, qualitative study investigates how learning took place among nine experienced engineers in an industrial setting after a major reorganization. A thematic analysis of the transcripts revealed that the learning was informal and that it fell into three distinct categories: learning new workflows, learning about the chemical process, and developing engineering expertise. The participants also describe five limitations to the learning in this context. The dynamic context of this study had a strong influence on the learning that took place.
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I want to thank Paul Jargowsky for his comment. I take it as a serious comment by a thoughtful scholar. I admit, however, that I cannot make sense of much of it.
The basic premise of Hutchens's paper is that there are cases in which measures of segregation need to take account of the relative status of the groups into which members of a…
Abstract
The basic premise of Hutchens's paper is that there are cases in which measures of segregation need to take account of the relative status of the groups into which members of a population are segregated. Segregation by occupation, Hutchens argues, is in some sense worse for a group if that group is segregated into lower status occupations. Hutchens proposes several measures that incorporate group status information, shows their properties, and works out their decompositions. I argue in this comment that the measures proposed by Hutchens have questionable utility in that they combine two fundamentally dissimilar types of information: a segregation dimension and a disparity dimension.
Robert Crosnoe, Aprile D. Benner and Pamela Davis-Kean
Applying sociological and developmental theoretical perspectives to educational policy issues, this study analyzed data from 7,710 children from low-income families in the Early…
Abstract
Applying sociological and developmental theoretical perspectives to educational policy issues, this study analyzed data from 7,710 children from low-income families in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort. The goal was to examine how much the association between phonics instruction in kindergarten classrooms and children’s reading achievement during the first year of school in the low-income population would depend on whether children had previously attended preschool as well as the socioeconomic composition of their elementary schools. Lagged linear models with a series of sensitivity tests revealed that this association was strongest among children from low-income families who had not attended preschool and then enrolled in socioeconomically disadvantaged elementary schools and among children from low-income families who had attended preschool and then enrolled in socioeconomically advantaged elementary schools. These findings demonstrate how insights into educational inequality can be gained by situating developing children within their proximate ecologies and institutional settings, especially looking to the match between children and their contexts. They are especially relevant to timely policy discussions of early childhood education programs, classroom instructional practices, and school desegregation.
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Yves Flückiger, Sean F. Reardon and Jacques Silber
Although the measurement of segregation by gender or ethnic group in the labor force has long been of interest to both sociologists and economists, the sociology and economics…
Abstract
Although the measurement of segregation by gender or ethnic group in the labor force has long been of interest to both sociologists and economists, the sociology and economics literatures on this topic have evolved in different ways and remained largely separate. This has also been the case to some extent with research on the measurement of residential segregation. Although much of the segregation measurement literature is in sociology and geography, economists have contributed to this field as well, particularly in the development of measures of residential income segregation. Again, however, the economics literature has remained largely separate from that in geography and sociology.
Purpose – This paper considers methods for decomposing indexes that incorporate economic disadvantage into a measure of segregation. According to such indexes, segregation in…
Abstract
Purpose – This paper considers methods for decomposing indexes that incorporate economic disadvantage into a measure of segregation. According to such indexes, segregation in high-economic-status occupations is worse than similar segregation in low-economic-status occupations. The paper presents three decompositions of these indexes.
Methodology/Approach – The paper first characterizes a class of segregation indexes that include economic disadvantage in the index. It then develops mathematical methods for decomposing a change in such an index. The change is decomposed into two or more components: components that indicate either the effect of changes in economic disadvantage or the effect of changes in a standard measure of segregation – a measure that essentially ignores economic disadvantage. The paper then implements the decompositions using data on U.S. occupational segregation by gender between 1970 and 2000.
Findings – The primary finding is that a segregation index that incorporate economic disadvantage can be decomposed in interesting ways. A secondary finding is that such indexes indicate reduced segregation between 1970 and 2000. The dominant forces associated with the reduction were (a) the convergence of occupational gender ratios and (b) the movement of women out of less advantaged occupations and into the comparatively well-compensated professional and managerial occupations.
Research limitations/Implications – The 1970–2000 results are mainly illustrative. They are based on three broad occupational categories for which there were compatible earnings data, and the analysis could quite feasibly be done with more detailed occupational categories.
Douglas Cumming, Sofia Johan and Robert Reardon
This paper aims to provide an in-depth examination of the emergent state of financial technology (fintech), particularly emphasizing capital-raising innovations and their…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an in-depth examination of the emergent state of financial technology (fintech), particularly emphasizing capital-raising innovations and their implications for international business.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the highly influential articles published in fintech, the authors identify the advantages and disadvantages of each significant fintech in the credit, deposit and capital-raising services sector. The authors assess the adoption of these services and the international firm-level implications of their use.
Findings
This study highlights fintech’s role in fostering entrepreneurial internationalization, with a particular focus on the impact of crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending and online banking. A thorough analysis of Google Scholar citations uncovers research gaps and unveils emerging trends bridging international business and fintech. Furthermore, the examination of regulatory efforts presents evidence of a robust positive relationship between global e-commerce legislation and fintech adoption, demonstrating the interconnected nature of these elements in the world of international business.
Research limitations/implications
Fintech research in international business has only taken off in the last five years. Innovations and regulatory developments are continuously evolving.
Originality/value
This study emphasizes the significance of fintech in international business research, addressing its implications on regulatory environments, entrepreneurial internationalization and multinational corporations’ global strategies. By investigating the synergies and applications of various fintech types, the research provides valuable insights for scholars and practitioners, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field of international finance.