Sabine van Erp and Esther Steultjens
This study aims to explore the difference in cognitive strategy use during observed occupational performance between and within different levels of impaired awareness of deficits…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the difference in cognitive strategy use during observed occupational performance between and within different levels of impaired awareness of deficits of individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI).
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional study (N = 24) of individuals with ABI receiving rehabilitation and with the capacity to demonstrate goal-directed behaviour (Allen cognitive level screen score = 4.0) was undertaken. Cognitive strategy use during occupational performance of daily activities (measured with the perceive, recall, plan and perform [PRPP]) was evaluated between and within different awareness levels (awareness levels measured by the self-regulation skill interview). Statistical analyses, using independent t-test, Mann Whitney U test, ANOVA and Friedman test, were executed.
Findings
Significant differences were shown for both strengths and weaknesses in cognitive strategy use between emergent (n = 13) and anticipatory awareness (n = 11) groups on PRPP items “perceive”, “sensing” and “mapping”; and “searches”, “recall steps”, “identify obstacles”, “calibrates”, “stops”, “continues” and “persists”. Within emergent awareness group, participants scored lowest related to “perceive”, “plan”, “sensing”, “mapping”, “programming” and “evaluating”. Within anticipatory awareness group, participants scored lowest related to “plan”, “programming” and “evaluating”.
Practical implications
This study showed differences in cognitive strategy application during task performance in individuals with emergent or anticipatory awareness deficits that fit with theoretical expectations. It is recommended to make use of the PRPP assessment results (strengths and weaknesses in cognitive strategy application) to support the level of awareness determination. The PRPP assessment results and the level of awareness tailor the clinical reasoning process for personalised intervention planning and cognitive strategy training.
Originality/value
Because impaired awareness has so much impact on the course and outcome of rehabilitation (Rotenberg-Shpigelman et al., 2014), in clinical practice, it is of paramount importance to be aware of the level of awareness of the client (Smeets et al., 2017) and the effect on occupational performance.
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Using a case study in the temporary services industry, this paper illustrates the common concerns of large multinational corporations with their legacy information systems. The…
Abstract
Using a case study in the temporary services industry, this paper illustrates the common concerns of large multinational corporations with their legacy information systems. The paper uses the popular concept of the organizational life cycle to demonstrate how and when to respond to new competitive challenges and opportunities. Organizational and systems rigidities faced by large and mature firms are identified. These rigidities include: a multitude of diverse and globally dispersed systems that need to remain operational while new systems are being implemented, thus diverting staff attention from development to maintenance; formalized, but possibly outdated business processes are embedded into existing information systems; within each functional area, “ownership” relationships exist regarding business processes and related IT systems; and difficulties in achieving cross‐functional consensus for cross‐functional systems.
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Sabine Khalil and Maksim Belitski
This paper aims to investigate the role of dynamic capabilities in the Information Technology (IT) Governance view framework and explores the relationship between three domains of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the role of dynamic capabilities in the Information Technology (IT) Governance view framework and explores the relationship between three domains of IT governance (Strategy, Management and Operations) and firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the authors used a mixed methods approach and using a survey instrument and its validation with interviews, to collect data from 134 successful European SMEs in the multi-country setting of Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain and the UK.
Findings
The findings show that various IT governance mechanisms function as dynamic capabilities and are directly associated with firm performance. The impact of each mechanism is different.
Originality/value
This study highlights the relationship between IT governance acumens and organisational performance. It contributes to the field of IT Governance Framework in management, and the results may be generalisable to wider economies and different organisation types.
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François-Xavier DeVaujany, Sabine Carton, Nathalie Mitev and Cécile Romeyer
This paper investigates how Information Systems (IS) researchers apply institutional theoretical frameworks. The purpose of this paper is to explore the operationalization of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates how Information Systems (IS) researchers apply institutional theoretical frameworks. The purpose of this paper is to explore the operationalization of meta-theoretical frameworks for empirical research which can often present difficulties in IS research. The authors include theoretical, methodological and empirical aspects to explore modalities of use and suggest further avenues.
Design/methodology/approach
After an overview of institutional concepts, the authors carry out a thematic analysis of journal papers on IS and institutional frameworks indexed in EBSCO and ABI databases from 1999 to 2009. This consists of descriptive, thematic coding and cluster analysis of this textual database, this combined qualitative and quantitative method offers a unique way of analyzing how operationalization is carried out.
Findings
The findings suggest three groups of publications which represent different methodological approaches and empirical foci: “descriptive exploratory approaches,” “generalizing approaches,” and “sociological approaches.” The authors suggest that these three groups represent possible patterns of the use of “meta” social theories in IS research, reflecting a search for disciplinary legitimacy. This helps us analyze papers according to how they use and apply theories. The authors identify the “organizing vision” and the regulatory approach as two institutionalist “intermediary” concepts developed by IS researchers. Furthermore, the authors find that institutional theoretical frameworks have been used in “direct,” “intermediary” or “combined” conceptualizations. The authors also confirm the dynamism of the IS institutional research stream, as evidenced by the increase in number of articles between 1999 and 2009, and identify a maturation process of the IS field in investigating a social theory.
Originality/value
The evolution the authors identify in the application of institutional theoretical frameworks in the IS field reveals conformity in methodological, theoretical and empirical terms. By identifying these patterns, it becomes possible to understand institutional reasons for their existence and legitimacy; and to propose other avenues of exploration in future IS research, such as combining different theoretical lenses in institutional frameworks. The methodological contribution is to provide an innovative methodology which helps describe categories and levels of institutional theoretical frameworks used, leading to the identification of gaps and proposing further avenues of research.
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Adefemi Aka, Abubakar Danladi Isah, Chukwudum J. Eze and Owolabi Timileyin
Non-value adding activities or wastes in the lean term have been the major challenge of the construction industry. Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate how such…
Abstract
Purpose
Non-value adding activities or wastes in the lean term have been the major challenge of the construction industry. Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate how such wastes can be reduced so as to improve the performance of the construction industry. However, the aspect of bricks production process (BPP) has not been extensively covered. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of lean manufacturing concepts in BPP with a view to identifying the various wastes in the practice, the causes of these wastes and how such wastes can be reduced.
Design/methodology/approach
Mixed methods research design was adopted by the researchers where literature review was first conducted to establish the fundamental theories and practice standards of lean manufacturing process. Thereafter, a phenomenological study was carried out in a Shelter Clay and Brick Factory located in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. The data obtained in the phenomenological study were analyzed through content analysis. These data served as the basis for the validation survey that subsequently followed the phenomenological study.
Findings
The findings in the study show that poor or inadequate supervision is the main factor responsible for wastes such as excessive drying of bricks, overheating of bricks and re-glazing of bricks in Nigerian BPP.
Research limitations/implications
The study focused on the various wastes in Nigerian BPP. It also focused on the various lean tools/techniques that can be adopted to reduce the wastes. Aspects such as the percentage of the wastes and their cost implication on the factory were not covered during the study and could be further investigated by prospective researchers.
Practical implications
The study provides knowledge on how lean thinking can be adopted to reduce wastes in BPP. Such knowledge may be beneficial to the present and prospective bricks producers. This implies that the proposed framework in the study allows producers of bricks to identify gaps in their implementation efforts, focus attention on areas that may require improvements, and access the benefits of lean approach in their factory products. The proposed framework may also be beneficial to the academics.
Originality/value
This paper first gain originality in the study context to propose for a lean framework that can be adopted to reduce wastes in BPP. Furthermore, the paper has not been previously published and all the information obtained from other sources are duly referenced.
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Héctor Simón-Moreno and Padraic Kenna
The measures enacted so far at European level to address the global financial crisis are likely to have limited effects as they are still market efficiency oriented. Accordingly…
Abstract
Purpose
The measures enacted so far at European level to address the global financial crisis are likely to have limited effects as they are still market efficiency oriented. Accordingly, this study aims to explore how the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights may be useful to achieve a more human right dimension in EU regulatory law.
Design/methodology/approach
The work departs from the current commodification of housing worldwide and the limited capacity of EU to tackle new housing challenges. The work takes the link already established by the CJEU between EU consumer law and the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights one step further and addresses the potential implications concerning residential mortgage lending.
Findings
The main finding is the potential influence that the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights may have on EU regulatory mortgage lending, as there are indicators of a bifurcation of mortgage law regimes at the EU level, separating home loans from other mortgages.
Social implications
The influence of the Charter of Fundamental Rights on EU regulatory law, mainly consumer law treated in a human rights dimension, could be a first step to treat housing as a social good and not as a commodity in the EU. This could lead to a completely new approach concerning the traditional rules governing residential mortgage loans.
Originality/value
The potential constitutionalisation of consumer law and the impact of the CJEU cases on national procedural rules have already been addressed by scholarship. The present work goes one step further as it addresses the potential implications of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights on EU regulatory law in terms of the potential bifurcation of EU rules on mortgage lending.