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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a new master’s programme for promoting energy access and energy efficiency in Southern Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

A transdisciplinary approach called “participatory integrated assessment of energy systems” (PARTICIPIA) was used for the development of the curriculum. This approach is based on the two emerging fields of “multi-scale integrated assessment” and “science for governance”, which bring innovative concepts and methods.

Findings

The application of the PARTICIPIA methodology to three case studies reveals that the proposed transdisciplinary approach could support energy and development policies in the region. The implementation of the PARTICIPIA curriculum in three higher education institutions reveals its ability to respond to the needs of specific contexts and its connection with existing higher education programmes.

Practical implications

Considering energy issues from a transdisciplinary approach in higher education is absolutely critical because such a holistic view cannot be achieved through engineering curricula. Deliberate and greater efforts should be made to integrate methods from “multi-scale integrated assessment” and “science for governance” in higher education curricula to train a new breed of modern-day energy planners in charge of coming up with solutions that are shared by all relevant stakeholders.

Originality/value

This paper presents an innovative higher education curriculum in terms of the attention given to energy access and energy efficiency that affect the southern Africa region and the nature of the methodology adopted to face these issues.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 19 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 27 October 2020

Wendy Cukier, Suzanne Gagnon and Ruby Latif

This paper examines actors and discourses shaping new Canadian legislation designed to advance diversity in corporate governance.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper examines actors and discourses shaping new Canadian legislation designed to advance diversity in corporate governance.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper performs a stakeholder and discourse analysis drawing on texts of parliamentary debates.

Findings

The paper illuminates tensions regarding definitions of diversity, its importance for boards of directors and the mechanisms favoured for implementation. Official discourses examined show that, unlike for other political issues, opposition was largely muted, and most stakeholders engaged in the process supported legislation advancing diversity. Nonetheless areas of debate and positioning by actors and suggest important differences, with outcomes linked to non-traditional power bases.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides insights into the discursive environments of organizations and processes relating to promoting diversity and equality in the political decision-making domain, a critical venue for understanding advancement of equity, often neglected in organizational studies.

Practical implications

By understanding the complex and competing discourses surrounding diversity and inclusion at the macro level this paper provides a context for understanding organizational (meso) and individual (micro) beliefs and behaviours.

Social implications

This study shows how advocacy shapes how policy and legislation are framed and the ways mainstream organizations, including women's groups, may advance gender equality without regard to other dimensions of diversity or intersectionality.

Originality/value

This study maps the political discourse around recent Canadian legislation designed to improve diversity on boards that must, in the Canadian context, address more than gender.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 40 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 July 2023

Antaine Stíobhairt, Nicole Cassidy, Niamh Clarke and Suzanne Guerin

This paper aims to explore the roles of psychologists in seclusion in adult mental health services in Ireland, their perspectives on seclusion and its use in recovery-oriented…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the roles of psychologists in seclusion in adult mental health services in Ireland, their perspectives on seclusion and its use in recovery-oriented practice and related professional practice issues.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted from a social constructivist perspective. Semi-structured interviews with 17 psychologists were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Findings

Twenty-four themes were identified, which were clustered into four overarching themes. Participants viewed themselves and psychology in Ireland more broadly as peripheral to seclusion. They believed that seclusion possessed no inherent therapeutic value but viewed it as an uncomfortable and multi-faceted reality. Participants regarded seclusion and recovery as largely inconsistent and difficult to reconcile, and they perceived systemic factors, which had a pervasive negative impact on seclusion and recovery in practice.

Practical implications

The findings highlight the perceived complexity of seclusion and its interface with recovery, and the need to conscientiously balance conflicting priorities that cannot be easily reconciled to ensure ethical practice. The findings suggest psychologists are well-suited to participate in local and national discussions on using seclusion in recovery-oriented practice.

Originality/value

This study offers a unique insight into psychologists’ perceptions of seclusion and considers the implications of these views. Participants’ nuanced views suggest that psychologists can make valuable contributions to local and national discussions on these topics.

Details

Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

Keywords

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Book part
Publication date: 3 September 2015

Tova Band-Winterstein, Hila Avieli and Yael Smeloy

In face of global deinstitutionalization policy, some aging parents find themselves confronting violence and crime in the family due to abusive behavior from their adult child…

Abstract

Purpose

In face of global deinstitutionalization policy, some aging parents find themselves confronting violence and crime in the family due to abusive behavior from their adult child with mental disorder. The aim of this paper is to explore and understand the meaning given by aging parents to this deviant behavior and the different ways in which they cope with a lifetime in the shadow of violence.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Data collection was performed through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 16 parents, followed by content analysis.

Findings

Three themes that expressed the meaning attributed to life with ACMD in the shadow of violence: (1) constructing parental identity in a shared reality of violence, (2) social and family networks as a resource in coping with ACMD, and (3) keeping a daily life routine as an anchor in a vulnerable, abusive relationship

Practical Implications

Intervention with such families should focus on the life review process as a therapeutic tool. Interventions should also provide a “safety belt,” including health services, public social networks, and knowledge regarding their right for self-protection.

Originality/Value

Old age becomes an arena for redefined relationships combining increased vulnerability, needs of both sides, and its impact on the well-being of the ageing parents. This calls for better insights and deeper understanding in regard to intervention with such families.

Details

Violence and Crime in the Family: Patterns, Causes, and Consequences
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-262-7

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 27 July 2012

Brooke Fisher Liu, Abbey Levenshus and J. Suzanne Horsley

The purpose of this study is to refine and expand an emerging US government communication model, the government communication decision wheel, by testing the differences between…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to refine and expand an emerging US government communication model, the government communication decision wheel, by testing the differences between the communication practices of US public sector communicators working for non‐elected officials versus those employed by elected officials.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from surveys of 781 US government communicators, the study compares the communication practices and influences of government communicators working for elected officials versus non‐elected officials.

Findings

The study identifies four significant differences and five similarities in how the public sector environment affects non‐elected and elected officials’ communicators’ public relations practices.

Research limitations/implications

While the study and underlying model focus on US government communication, this study provides valuable theoretical insights. It supports the model's underlying premise that the public sector is unique from the private sector while also further refining the significant differences within the US government sector.

Practical implications

This study helps US government communicators identify unique environmental attributes that affect communication activities in the public sector. It helps identify how these attributes affect communication practices within individual and collaborative contexts. Finally, it helps non‐governmental communicators and communicators outside of the US to understand how the attributes may affect communication practices when they collaborate with government communicators from the four levels of US government as well as with those who work for elected and non‐elected officials.

Originality/value

Despite the critical importance of communication in the public sector, very little research focuses specifically on government communication outside of political communication. The findings provide valuable insights for practitioners and contribute to public relations theory development for the under‐researched public sector.

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Article
Publication date: 7 April 2021

Shani Kuna and Ronit Nadiv

There has been ample research on the antecedents and consequences of workplace sexual harassment (WSH), a volatile issue in contemporary labor markets. There is, however, a…

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Abstract

Purpose

There has been ample research on the antecedents and consequences of workplace sexual harassment (WSH), a volatile issue in contemporary labor markets. There is, however, a lingering gap in the scholarly literature regarding the organizational practices involved in contending with WSH incidents following their occurrence. By exploring the practices and challenges of sexual harassment commissioners, a mandatory role performed by Israeli human resource practitioners, this study aims to unpack the embedded power dynamics, which construct how WSH is both deciphered and handled within organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 sexual harassment commissioners (SHCs) in various business organizations in Israel to explore practitioners' conceptions of the challenges underlying their role. A grounded theory approach was utilized.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that, while SHCs seemingly are empowered by their exclusive authority to inquire into an intricate organizational matter, counter practices have emerged to undermine their authority and influence. This negatively affects their ability to reduce the prevalence of WSH. SHCs' attempts to approach WSH utilizing a power discourse are eroded by systematic barriers that channel them toward adoption of the default legal discourse. The latter frames WSH in terms of individual misconduct rather than as a phenomenon stemming from and expressive of organizational and societal gender inequalities.

Research limitations/implications

This study does not represent the voices of WSH complainants or of top executives. The data focused on SHCs' descriptions of their role challenges.

Practical implications

Implications are suggested regarding the academic education and training of SHCs.

Originality/value

This study sheds light on covert and unspoken barriers to gender equality in the labor market.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 40 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 11 July 2023

Riana Schreuders, Andreia Carita and Suzanne van Aswegen

Self-initiated expatriates (SIE) women's career decisions are often based on the establishment of close personal relationships in various spheres of life. This paper aims to…

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Abstract

Purpose

Self-initiated expatriates (SIE) women's career decisions are often based on the establishment of close personal relationships in various spheres of life. This paper aims to explore the effects of social isolation in times of crisis on SIE women's work, psychological and general adjustment.

Design/methodology/approach

The model of expatriate women's adjustment by Caligiuri and Lazarova (2002) is reviewed and adapted to account for the impact of social isolation and loneliness on SIE women's adjustment and professional development in a crisis context. The interplay between duration and intensity of crisis and acculturative stress over time is highlighted; danger zones for potential maladjustment are identified, and adjustment-as-a-crisis context are incorporated into the model.

Findings

The spillover effects between different life spaces in times of isolation have a negative impact on SIE women's ability to develop supportive relationships in different life spaces. The organization becomes the main point of contact with the host culture, but pressure to perform, uncertain contracts, gendered role division and the experience of a double crisis add to the existing acculturative stress which may lead to maladjustment or further fit-dependent crisis over time.

Originality/value

The authors contribute to the theoretical understanding of the impact of social isolation on a single, vulnerable acculturating group, by expanding on an existing static model of adjustment, to account for the temporal (time) and spatial (multi-dimensional crisis context) constraints faced by SIE women which has not been done before.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 28 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

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Case study
Publication date: 24 January 2025

Boris Urban and Stephanie Althea Townsend

At the end of the case discussion, students should be able to trace the journey of launching a start-up by evaluating how opportunities and hurdles can be navigated throughout the…

Abstract

Learning outcomes

At the end of the case discussion, students should be able to trace the journey of launching a start-up by evaluating how opportunities and hurdles can be navigated throughout the international entrepreneurial process; assess the increasing trend towards internationalisation for start-ups and identify a range of factors contributing to the growth in global entrepreneurship; formulate an argument highlighting the role of the networking and partnerships when adopting a global strategy; propose how a firm could develop a unique mix of resources to obtain a sustained competitive advantage globally against other firms; and make an informed decision regarding various issues that entrepreneurs need to consider when going global and analyse how they can effectively deal with a crisis they may face.

Case overview/synopsis

Oryx Desert Salt is sourced from ancient, unpolluted, sustainable underground salt lakes in the pristine and remote uninhabitable Kalahari semi-desert of South Africa. Samantha Skyring is the founding CEO of Oryx Desert Salt. Her inspiration for the name was her 120-km, one-week walk through the Namib Desert in 2000, when she had several close encounters with the Oryx Gazelle, becoming the symbol of that Kalahari experience. Oryx products currently feature on the tables of between 1,500 and 2,500 local restaurants country-wide, and in the retail sector, Oryx salt is on the shelves of about 1,000 stores of retailers, plus in several health shops and deli’s countrywide. Regarding the business’s global footprint, Oryx Desert Salt currently exports to 23 countries and is also available on Amazon.com. Notwithstanding that Samantha Skyring has succeeded in making Oryx Desert Salt the well-known local household brand she had intended; she is contemplating greater international expansion and reach. She has envisioned Oryx salt to become a respected global household brand, in the same way Himalayan pink salt gained popularity worldwide as a gourmet salt. Given Samantha’s challenge of finding suitable speciality distributors in the different countries to help get her product in restaurants and retail, what would be the best approach to achieve her vision of becoming a global brand? To what extent could she capitalise and leverage various resources to further globalise Oryx’s business operations? How could she ensure that the extent and diversity of global reach provides Oryx Desert Salt with a sustained competitive advantage?

Complexity academic level

Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Management, Executive Education

Supplementary material

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

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Article
Publication date: 13 September 2022

Sharfuddin Ahmed Khan, Wafaa Laalaoui, Fatma Hokal, Mariam Tareq and Laila Ahmad

Reverse logistics (RL) has become integral in modern supply chains, with many companies investing in circular economy (CE), a recuperative and effective industrial economy. The…

1038

Abstract

Purpose

Reverse logistics (RL) has become integral in modern supply chains, with many companies investing in circular economy (CE), a recuperative and effective industrial economy. The traditional linear model triggered many negative environmental consequences such as climate change, ocean pollution, loss of biodiversity and land degradation. The development of RL strategies that support the transition between RL to CE is crucial. The purpose of this paper is to connect RL with CE in the context of Industry 4.0 and develop a hierarchal structure to explore the relationship between RL and CE critical success factors in the context of Industry 4.0.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used both qualitative and quantitative approach. Literature review in collaboration with the Delphi method is used to identify and validate critical success factors. Then, the ISM-based model and MICMAC method were used to determine the relationship between CE and RL success factors and its driving and dependence power.

Findings

This study result shows that waste reduction, skilled employees and expert's involvement and top management commitment and support will provide guidelines and paths for implementing CE and RL, leading to the competitiveness of a firm.

Practical implications

The findings provide managerial insight, particularly useful to third-party logistics companies' managers who are looking to implement RL and CE, to help prioritize where to invest company resources to generate prime difference. Furthermore, this study also identified Industry 4.0 technologies, which would tackle top identified critical success factors within the hierarchical model such as block chain and digital platforms.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature by exploring the connection between RL and CE in the context of Industry 4.0 that determines the critical success factors enabling sustainable inter-firm collaboration.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 52 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

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Article
Publication date: 13 June 2016

Katarzyna Szkuta and David Osimo

This paper aims to analyse a set of converging trends underpinning a larger phenomenon called science 2.0 and to assess what are the most important implications for scientific…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse a set of converging trends underpinning a larger phenomenon called science 2.0 and to assess what are the most important implications for scientific method and research institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

It is based on a triangulation of exploratory methods which include a wide-ranging literature review, Web-based mapping and in-depth interviews with stakeholders.

Findings

The main implications of science 2.0 are enhanced efficiency, transparency and reliability; raise of data-driven science; microcontributions on a macroscale; multidimensional, immediate and multiform evaluation of science; disaggregation of the value chain of service providers for scientists; influx of multiple actors and the democratisation of science.

Originality/value

The paper rejects the notion of science 2.0 as the mere adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in science and puts forward an original integrated definition covering three trends that have not yet been analysed together: open science, citizens science and data-intensive science. It argues that these trends are mutually reinforcing and puts forward their main implications. It concludes with the identification of three enablers of science 2.0 – policy measures, individual practice of scientists and new infrastructure and services and sees the main bottleneck in lack of incentives on the individual level.

Details

Foresight, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-6689

Keywords

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