To make the most of their intellectual assets, companies must have a solid implementation strategy.
UP AT BOSTON SPA they've decided to try to change the colloquial abbreviation used for ‘The British Library, Lending Division’ from the current ‘BLL’—which Donald Urquhart…
Abstract
UP AT BOSTON SPA they've decided to try to change the colloquial abbreviation used for ‘The British Library, Lending Division’ from the current ‘BLL’—which Donald Urquhart promoted because it tied up with the former NLL—since they find that ‘outsiders, and even on occasion insiders’, writes Press Officer Denys Parsons, think it means ‘British Lending Library’.
Teacher education for social justice aims to enable teachers to work toward equity and justice in society and humanizing the educational experience of their students…
Abstract
Teacher education for social justice aims to enable teachers to work toward equity and justice in society and humanizing the educational experience of their students. Conceptualizing teaching as a political and ethical endeavor, social justice teacher education must engage seriously with the local and lived experiences of both teacher educators and student teachers. How then does teacher education for social justice move across communities and identities, and through cultural, social, geographic and temporal spaces? This chapter presents an autobiographical narrative inquiry into social justice teacher education across sociocultural and sociopolitical contexts, across time, and within different educational communities. Bakhtin's dialogic theory (1981) helps to trace the narrative threads wherein “each word tastes of the context and contexts in which it has lived its socially charged life” (p. 293). The study examines my ideological becoming (Bakhtin, 1981) as a critical teacher educator in the context of a youth mentoring service-learning course for undergraduate teacher candidates. I examine the complexities and tensions in exploring experiences and co-constructing understandings of oppression, privilege and social justice with my student teachers on the youth mentoring course in dialogic struggles with my experiences of justice and education in the USA and Hong Kong as an English-speaking Chinese American. Providing an in-depth examination of the convergence of identity, social relations, place, and time in my knowledge formation, I critically reflect upon the notion of social justice to suggest that social justice teacher education is multi-voiced and lived both locally and globally.
Details
Keywords
Those who move among the people with their eyes open will not doubt that the number of non‐smokers is increasing, but mostly among older adults. Sales of cigarettes, despite the…
Abstract
Those who move among the people with their eyes open will not doubt that the number of non‐smokers is increasing, but mostly among older adults. Sales of cigarettes, despite the ban on advertising and the grim warning printed on packets, do not reflect this however, which can only mean that those who still smoke are the heavy smokers. This is a bad sign; as is the fact that youngsters, including a high percentage of those at school, openly flaunt the habit. The offence of using tobacco or any other smoking mixture or snuff while handling food or in any food room in which there is open food (Reg. 10(e)), remains one of the common causes of prosecutions under the Food Hygiene Regulations; it has not diminished over the years. The commonest offenders are men and especially those in the butchery trade, fishmongers and stall‐holders, but, here again, to those who move around, the habit seems fairely widespread. Parts of cigarettes continue to be a common finding especially in bread and flour confectionery, but also in fresh meat, indicating that an offence has been committed, and only a few of the offenders end up in court. Our purpose in returning to the subject of smoking, however, is not to relate it to food hygiene but to discuss measures of control being suggested by the Government now that advertising bans and printed health warnings have patently failed to achieve their object.
Jingyi Bai, Xinyuan (Roy) Zhao, Tzung-Cheng Huan and Aliana Man Wai Leong
Building on the social capital theory of career success (SCT), this paper aims to explore how and when newcomers’ overqualifications can grant them positions as informal leaders…
Abstract
Purpose
Building on the social capital theory of career success (SCT), this paper aims to explore how and when newcomers’ overqualifications can grant them positions as informal leaders within the workgroup over time.
Design/methodology/approach
The model was tested using a social relations modeling analysis conducted using a three-wave survey with 242 newcomers in Macau.
Findings
The results support the view that relatively qualified newcomers can enjoy social capital advantages in workgroup networks. Newcomers’ desired qualifications can grant them positions as informal leaders through leader–member exchange and advice network centrality. These relationships are moderated by relational dissimilarity, such that the benefits of being relatively overqualified will be weakened when relational dissimilarity is high (vs. low).
Practical implications
When assisting overqualified newcomers in integrating into their teams, practitioners shall be aware of the time and resources that new hires require for adjustment, especially when significant newcomer–veteran relational dissimilarity exists.
Originality/value
The present paper challenges the overtly detrimental outcomes of overqualification by highlighting the positive relational implications of being relatively overqualified.
Details
Keywords
Examines the influence of social interaction on the process of knowledge creation. A cross‐sectional study was conducted in an Institute of Higher Education to determine the…
Abstract
Examines the influence of social interaction on the process of knowledge creation. A cross‐sectional study was conducted in an Institute of Higher Education to determine the relationship between the level of social interaction and the quality of the knowledge created. The knowledge creation process was operationalised for the curriculum development process while the quality of the knowledge created was operationalised for the quality of the modules developed. The findings show a positive correlation between the level of social interaction and the quality of the modules developed. Among the three dimensions of social interaction, the relational dimension was shown to be the strongest predictor to the quality of the modules developed. Practitioners are, therefore, advised to prioritise the development of the relational dimensions of the social interaction. In addition, the findings confirm the difficulty associated with knowledge measurement. Suggests that in measuring knowledge, meaningfulness and context take greater importance over objectivity.
Details
Keywords
Mostafa Jafari, Mohammad Fathian, Alireza Jahani and Peyman Akhavan
The purpose of this paper is to explore the contextual dimensions of organizations for finding the interactions between of these dimensions and knowledge management (KM) and to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the contextual dimensions of organizations for finding the interactions between of these dimensions and knowledge management (KM) and to identify the critical success factors, drivers and constraints, relevant to the implementation of KM in the Tehran business environment. The most research of KM merely pays attention to its relation with dimensions of the organizations especially contextual dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach
A new exploration based on research experiences of the KM is formalized as an extension of the model by Daft. The present article reports the empirical findings of a survey conducted among managers and experts in Tehran. In this survey we give them a questionnaire that contains some questions related to the mentioned dimensions and asked about relations of them and KM critical success factors for better implementation based on factor analysis. The questionnaire reflects insights gained from a mix of individual choice models developed by various researchers and Delphi technique.
Findings
This research finds seven critical success factors, Collaboration and knowledge workers, Technology Deployment, Learning Culture, Flat Structures, Supply Chain Integration, Comprehensive strategies and Flexible Organizations, which related to the conceptual Dimensions of organizations and also drivers and constraints of KM implementation.
Research limitations/implications
This framework reflects the interactions between contextual dimensions and KM. It may need further research to be used for structural dimensions of the organizations.
Originality/value
Using this research, organizations interested in implementing KM may be familiar with the impacts of KM implementation and contextual dimensions on each other for achieving the desirable outcomes.
Details
Keywords
Rafiq Hijazi and Taoufik Zoubeidi
The purpose of this study is to investigate the state of undergraduate business statistics education in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and assess its alignment with the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the state of undergraduate business statistics education in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and assess its alignment with the best practices in equipping business graduates with the knowledge and skills demanded by the labor market.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of 108 instructors from 80 business schools in 17 MENA countries was conducted to gauge information on the delivery of business statistics courses. The survey results were benchmarked to a proposed framework for best practices in business statistics education.
Findings
The gap analysis identified deficiencies in the delivery of business statistics education in the region as compared to international best practices. This study revealed a need to revise statistics education as part of a comprehensive reform of business education with the aim to meet international quality standards in business education.
Research limitations/implications
The study relied on the self-reported responses of business statistics instructors in MENA. One hundred eight questionnaires were completed, corresponding to a response rate of 40 per cent. Moreover, the study did not measure the effectiveness of teaching and learning in business statistics courses.
Practical implications
Recommendations from the study are intended to guide business statistics instructors in improving the quality of business statistics education through adopting more effective ways to enhance student learning experience and graduate employability.
Originality/value
This study is the first of its kind to investigate and assess the business statistics education in the MENA region.
Details
Keywords
Susana Pérez López, José Manuel Montes Peón and Camilo José Vázquez Ordás
Aims to analyze how the organizational culture impacts knowledge management, organizational learning and ultimately the performance of the firm. The degree to which collaborative…
Abstract
Aims to analyze how the organizational culture impacts knowledge management, organizational learning and ultimately the performance of the firm. The degree to which collaborative culture influences organizational learning and performance is investigated for 195 Spanish firms. The technique used was structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show, first of all, that collaborative culture encourages the development of organizational learning, which at the same time, has a significant effect on business performance. And, second, it is highlighted that collaborative culture does not constitute in itself a source of competitive advantages. Collaborative culture must modify, through learning, the organization’s guidelines and attitudes in order to improve competitive performance. Perhaps the most significant limitation of the study is associated with the use of cross‐sectional data. While we presented and tested models in which we assumed a causal flow from collaborative culture to organizational learning to organizational performance, there is the possibility that these relationships may occur in reverse order. In future researches it would be interesting to analyze the influence that other variables, such organizational structure, leadership and corporate strategy have on learning. The establishment of a knowledge strategy can be determined by a global approach, which affects all fields in organization. For knowledge management initiatives to be truly effective must take into account the social contexts in which learning take place. Culture need to be re‐examined in light of its role in managing the overall organizational learning infrastructure. This study provides empirical evidence for the hypothesis that collaborative culture influences organizational learning which in turn influences business performance. The current study provides some understanding of the manner in which collaborative culture influence organizational outcomes.