This research aims to assess how marketing-related projects with small- and medium-size enterprises act as a form of experiential learning and help develop entrepreneurial and…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to assess how marketing-related projects with small- and medium-size enterprises act as a form of experiential learning and help develop entrepreneurial and employability attributes for students in higher education (HE).
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on published material and an evaluation, within HE, of consultancy projects as a final assessment option alongside the well-established dissertation.
Findings
External initiatives that embrace experiential learning have helped students develop a better appreciation of client needs, while enhancing their confidence and team-working skills. The institutional degree programme studied is in its seventh year and more than half of students have chosen the project option so far. One key finding is the pivotal role of the academic supervisor and a need for that person to have suitable industry and sector knowledge, as well as effective and empathetic client relationship management abilities.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to one programme at one university but, as it encompasses a very broad definition of marketing-related activities, covers several years and is part of a longer-term longitudinal study, it constitutes research from which some conclusions can be drawn.
Practical implications
In addition to enhancing the students’ entrepreneurial and employability attributes, outward-facing activities help enrich the overall student experience and also offer HE institutions an opportunity to raise their profile with external organisations.
Social implications
With graduate employability rising in importance, initiatives such as these can help develop important graduate attributes and capabilities.
Originality/value
The principal originality and value is that this is a starting point for a potential longitudinal study of the impact of experiential learning and client-orientated projects on graduate career development.
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Rebecca Fakoussa, Simon O'Leary and Suzan Salem
The purpose of this paper is to add to the existing wealth of knowledge on the benefits and challenges of social entrepreneurship in Egypt, a challenging emerging economy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to add to the existing wealth of knowledge on the benefits and challenges of social entrepreneurship in Egypt, a challenging emerging economy.
Design/methodology/approach
The research combines secondary and primary research with the latter including interviews across the public, private and social entrepreneurship sectors, together with surveys to gather Egyptian and international perspectives.
Findings
The study addresses several political, cultural and economic themes that significantly influence the emergence and growth of social entrepreneurship organisations in Egypt.
Research limitations/implications
Egypt is undergoing significant change at present; hence, this research provides a snapshot of what may be considered a very dynamic environment.
Practical implications
Recommendations are made that have practical implications for each of the public, private, development and non-profit sectors in Egypt. It is suggested that the public sector ought to unite its efforts under one umbrella organisation, the private sector could benefit from growing social awareness across the region, while development groups should continue to focus on education generally. Non-profit entities can seek to collaborate with others, and all organisations can make better use of developing global communications technology.
Social implications
A base of social entrepreneurship is already established in Egypt, but this research suggests that further encouragement of these initiatives could help develop the economy and foster a more socially aware culture and political landscape.
Originality/value
Social entrepreneurship in Egypt continues to evolve, and this research identifies a number of economic, cultural and political perspectives that, if addressed, could help accelerate progress.
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Pamela L. Bozeman and Daniel W. Eadens
As young people are seeking degrees that will help them with employment and as universities seek ways to increase enrollment and retention, the emphasis of the value of higher…
Abstract
Purpose
As young people are seeking degrees that will help them with employment and as universities seek ways to increase enrollment and retention, the emphasis of the value of higher education has emerged as an important aspect in achieving these goals. The focus of this particular study, where a paucity currently exists, was to examine the concepts of value in relation to undergraduate business education. A main aim of this study was to identify values (beyond economic), based on time since graduation, and the motivating factors that help to define those values. One of the key trends this study revealed was a cross-generational assessment of value.
Design/methodology/approach
The driving research question was regarding business undergraduate alumni's perceptions of value: Is there a relationship (based on time since graduation) in the value of an undergraduate degree? The Final Revised Survey was sent to 945 business college alumni, randomly selected from a list of 15,012 names. Quantitative data were disaggregated by groups: 0 = 3 years post-graduation (recent graduates), >3 = 6 years post-graduation (advanced graduates), >6 = 9 years post-graduation (experienced graduates) and >9 years (senior graduates) for analyses using Independent Samples T-Test, Simple Linear Regressions and Pearson's r Correlations tests.
Findings
Results of the Pearson's r Correlation tests showed significant findings in terms of strength of relationship between variables involved the following: (1) gender and average motivation (0.004) (2) time since graduation and average commitment (0.047), (3) gender and average value (0.045) and (4) age and average value (0.036). This suggests that gender has the strongest relationship between variables. Also, age and time since graduation seem to be correlated to how alumni value their undergraduate education and are willing to commit to continuing to support an organization. The averages of three types of groups of continuous data (value, motivation and commitment) were analyzed as the results related to ethnicity and time since graduation. When comparing ethnic outcomes based on two categories, non-Caucasian and Caucasian, although there were fewer respondents in the non-Caucasian category, those individuals' perception of value, motivation and commitment rated higher (8.87, 7.71 and 5.83 respectively) than their Caucasian counterparts (8.41, 6.58 and 4.96 respectively). Additionally, it is interesting to note that for both groups, the average commitment score was the lowest out of the three for both groups. Finally, for Caucasians, time since graduation seemed to increase their perception of value of their undergraduate business degree. Whereas, for non-Caucasians, the perception of value was less. This specific result could be since in the age group for non-Caucasians seven of the eight respondents were in the = 47 age group.
Research limitations/implications
Results rested limited to opinions of undergraduate business alumni. Because the rate of return for the data results was limited, it is unlikely that a firm argument can be made solely on the results from the Pearson's r Correlation in terms of a conclusion for the research question for this study. However, based on the results of this study the responses can be generalized to the respondents, not the overall population. Therefore, the Null Hypothesis was rejected as preliminary findings, with the understanding that additional data could change this decision.
Practical implications
Practitioners (instructors and professional staff) in higher education can utilize the results of this study to align their decision making and engagement actions. For example, as the work of Starrett (2018) shows, in and out of classroom engagement, approachability and the ability to determine what their clients, (future students) are ways that practitioners can help to increase retention rates. For practitioners and policymakers alike, it is important that they work together to understand what today's potential students are looking for in their educational experience. In the past, extrinsic values such as fancy dorms and athletic facilities may have been key considerations. However, as this study has shown, today's potential students are seeking more intrinsic values from their college experiences such as a deeper connection with faculty and staff, a feeling of inclusion and belonging and commitment, on the part of a university, to their long-term success. Additionally, it is vitally important that both groups work together because everyone who works in higher education has a level of responsibility for enrollment and retention rates. This study provides information that will enable both groups to begin to meet those goals.
Social implications
Social implications from this study surround better understanding of current and potential college students determine the value of higher educational degrees. Practitioners (instructors and professional staff) in higher education can utilize the results of this study to align their decision making and engagement actions. For example, as the work of Starrett (2018) shows, in and out of classroom engagement, approachability and the ability to determine what their clients, (future students) are ways that practitioners can help to increase retention rates. It is important that all work together to understand what today's potential students are looking for in their educational experience. In the past, extrinsic values such as fancy dorms and athletic facilities may have been key considerations. However, as this study has shown, today's potential students are seeking more intrinsic values from their college experiences such as a deeper connection with faculty and staff, a feeling of inclusion and belonging and commitment, on the part of a university, to their long-term success. Additionally, it is vitally important that both groups work together because everyone who works in higher education has a level of responsibility for enrollment and retention rates. This study provides information that will enable both groups to begin to meet those goals.
Originality/value
This information is important to universities because the results can act as a guide to aid them in revising their current individual recruitment and retention models for accuracy and relevancy. While a review of the current literature showed an abundance of theoretical information about economic value, it also showed a deficit in connecting alternative meanings of value as it relates to the university selection and commitment process. This study called attention to the need to examine this area to clarify higher education's other values to society.
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Computer based accounting information systems (AIS) have been a major force behind the current wave of corporate downsizing and reengineering (Deloitte & Touche LLP, 1996). While…
Abstract
Computer based accounting information systems (AIS) have been a major force behind the current wave of corporate downsizing and reengineering (Deloitte & Touche LLP, 1996). While greater economy and competitiveness is typically associated with these changes, conventional AIS literature usually eschews a counter‐hypothesis: that this new technology may also degrade both the quality and quantity of work, and therefore people’s working lives. The advent of Accounting, Management, and Information Technologies in 1991, with an espoused aim of “critically analyzing the relationships among our information systems designs, the qualities of our social and economic life, and our practices of management and control” (Boland and O’Leary, 1991, p. 2) presents a major opportunity to redress this deficiency. This paper reviews the journal’s inaugural issue and ancillary literature to assess its likely contribution. This literature is found to lack a sufficient appreciation of the social and historical context of AIS developments and thus compromises the new journal’s ability to achieve its espoused aims. The paper calls for a better understanding of the upheavals currently under way in the accounting workplace and ways in which AIS technology (and ethnographers) may compound these instabilities. A different kind of ethnographic research is called for: one capable of recognizing the dysfunctionalities of AIS‐induced downsizing and restructuring, and more politically and socially self‐aware of AIS agency in social and technological change.
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The European Union (EU) is not a state, though it has some statelike attributes; it is not an empire, though it includes many former European imperial powers; and it is not a…
Abstract
The European Union (EU) is not a state, though it has some statelike attributes; it is not an empire, though it includes many former European imperial powers; and it is not a federation, though Euro-federalists seek to make it one. There is, however, no need to argue that the Union is a singularity, nor to invent novel terminology, such as that deployed by “neo-functionalists” and “intergovernmentalists” to capture its legal and political form. The EU is a confederation, but with consociational characteristics in its decision-making styles. This conceptualization facilitates understanding and helps explain the patterns of crises within the Union.
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Amit Gur, Shay S. Tzafrir, Christopher D. Zatzick, Simon L. Dolan and Roderick Iverson
The purpose of the research was to develop a tool for measuring antecedents of customer aggressive behavior (CAB) in healthcare service settings, by identifying its roots in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the research was to develop a tool for measuring antecedents of customer aggressive behavior (CAB) in healthcare service settings, by identifying its roots in organizational and interpersonal dynamics.
Design/methodology/approach
Four studies were conducted. In Studies 1 and 2, antecedents of CAB were identified through analysis of internet reader comments and a questionnaire was distributed to students. In Study 3, scenarios were used to validate the findings of the previous studies. Finally, in Study 4, a scale was developed and validated for measuring organization- and person-related triggers of CAB using samples of 477 employees and 579 customers.
Findings
The concept of CAB was conceptualized and validated. In total, 18 items were identified across five dimensions: personal characteristics, uncomfortable environment, aggressive role models, reinforcement of aggressive behavior and aversive treatment. The scale demonstrated good psychometric results.
Research limitations/implications
The research relies mainly on customer perspective. Employees and additional stakeholders should be included to achieve more accurate information that could contribute to a better understanding of CAB and its roots.
Practical implications
Exploring social and organizational antecedents that trigger CAB could help healthcare managers evaluate and proactively manage CAB and its implications within their organization.
Originality/value
This measurement scale is the first comprehensive tool, based on Bandura’s social learning theory (1973), that may identify and measure antecedents of CAB, and could be used to reduce CAB in healthcare service settings.
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This paper explores environmental accountability and downward accountability role of nongovernmental organisations (henceforth NGOs) under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR…
Abstract
This paper explores environmental accountability and downward accountability role of nongovernmental organisations (henceforth NGOs) under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the food and beverage industry of Nigeria. The paper relies on empirical data gathered from qualitative interviews of three stakeholders – accountants, Corporate Social Responsibility Officers (CSROs), CEOs and NGO CSROs. It employed theoretical conceptualisation of environmental accountability and NGO's downward accountability. Analysis shows that despite the existence of attributes of environmental accountability such as sense of responsibility on the part of corporations and citizens' rights to demand for and enforce accountability, passivity of citizens' right caused by vulnerability prevails. The finding also shows that downward accountability roles of NGOs in the industry have been framed as that of enhancing activities in the value chain. Part of this is RecyclePay project that funds education for the poor. Thus NGOs' downward (environmental) accountability in Nigeria has potential to promote environmental well-being, beneficiary's economic empowerment and education for the poor, thereby simultaneously addressing vulnerability. It shows that vulnerability may induce a different conceptualisation of environmental accountability than that of a normal democratic setting where the citizens are deemed to have right to demand and enforce (environmental) accountability. This paper contributes to our understanding of (environmental) accountability and downward accountability role of NGOs within an emerging market context.
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Hakan Erkutlu and Jamel Chafra
The purpose of this paper is to posit that leader’s integrity decreases employee’s interpersonal deviance by increasing moral efficacy in the workplace. Specifically, the authors…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to posit that leader’s integrity decreases employee’s interpersonal deviance by increasing moral efficacy in the workplace. Specifically, the authors propose that perceptions of moral efficacy serve as a mechanism through which leader’s integrity affects workplace deviance. The authors further argue that the modeled relationships are moderated by moral identity.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from ten universities in Turkey. The sample included 693 randomly chosen faculty members along with their department chairs.
Findings
The results of this study supported the negative effect of leader integrity on employee’s interpersonal deviance as well as the mediating effect of moral efficacy. Moreover, when the level of moral identity is high, the relationship between leader integrity and interpersonal deviance is strong, whereas the relationship is weak when the level of moral identity is low.
Practical implications
This study’s findings indicate that higher education administrators should be cautious in treating their subordinates, as this will lead to a favorable interpersonal relationship, which in turn will reduce the interpersonal deviance of the subordinate. In addition, the buffering role of the moral identity should be paid more attention, particularly to people with low moral efficacy and high interpersonal deviance.
Originality/value
This study contributes to workplace deviance literature by revealing the relation between leader integrity and interpersonal deviance. Furthermore, it offers practical assistance to higher education employees and their leaders concerned with building trust, increasing the relationship between leaders and employees and reducing the interpersonal deviation.
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Strategy scholars have long argued that breakthrough innovation is generated by recombining knowledge from distant domains. Even if firms have the ability to access and absorb…
Abstract
Strategy scholars have long argued that breakthrough innovation is generated by recombining knowledge from distant domains. Even if firms have the ability to access and absorb knowledge from distant domains, however, they may fail to pay attention to such knowledge because it is seemingly irrelevant to their tasks. We draw attention to this problem of knowledge relevance and develop a theoretical model to illuminate how ideas from seemingly irrelevant (i.e., peripheral) domains can generate breakthrough innovation through the cognitive process of analogical reasoning, as well as the conditions under which this is more likely to occur. We situate our theoretical model in the context of teams in order to develop insight into the microfoundations of knowledge recombination within firms. Our model reveals paradoxical requirements for teams that help to explain why breakthrough innovation is so difficult.