Harmonizing a melody?!

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sou Kuan Vong
Keyword(s):  
Education Policy ◽  
Civic Education ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Democratic Citizenship ◽  
The Self ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Disciplinary Power ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a critical analysis of the policy of moral and civic education in the non-tertiary education system in Macao and to examine the kinds of citizens it prepares. Design/methodology/approach – It is a qualitative research design informed by the Foucauldian concepts of “governmentality” and “technology of the self” to analyze the moral and civic education policy in Macao. Findings – The governmentality or art of government of the moral and civic education policy in Macao is made possible by three strategies, namely “governmentalisation of the state,” construction of “moral and civic education as a field of actions” and creation of “social harmony as a new form of civic virtue.” Based on the disclosed governmentalities, three approaches adopted by the government are identified, “normalising the school system,” “educating the students” and “disciplining the scapegoats.” Through these approaches, two technologies of the self are identified, namely disciplinary power and bio-politics, which are used to prepare citizens. In Macao, it seems that there is a tension between the discourses of active democratic citizenship and patriotic education. Research limitations/implications – The type of policy and theoretical analysis the author has adopted in investigating moral and civic education policy illuminates the local and national policy and, in so doing, creates opportunities for building comparative research on similar issues and their implications for education. Social implications – This paper can contribute to the local discussion of the possibility of rewriting the meanings of citizenship. Originality/value – This paper is comprehensive and can therefore provide a ground for further and future research.

A benchmarking study of Indian seaports

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-102
Author(s):  
Sajeev Abraham George ◽  
Anurag C. Tumma
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Port Authorities ◽  
Financial Performance Measures ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to benchmark the operational and financial performances of the major Indian seaports to help derive useful insights to improve their performance. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology has been used with the help of data collected on the 13 major seaports of India. The first stage of the DEA captured the operational efficiencies, while the second stage the financial performance. Findings A window analysis over a period of three years revealed that no port was able to score an overall average efficiency of 100 per cent. The study identified the better performing units among their peers in both the stages. The contrasting results of the study with the traditional operational and financial performance measures used by the ports helped to derive useful insights. Research limitations/implications The data used in the study were majorly limited to the available sources in the public domain. Also, the study was limited to the major seaports which are under the Government of India and no comparisons were carried out with other local or international ports. Practical implications There is a need to prioritize investments and improvement efforts where they are most needed, instead of following a generalized approach. Once the benchmark ports are identified, the port authorities and other relevant stakeholders should work in detail on the factors causing inefficiencies, for possible improvements in performance. Originality/value This paper carried out a two-stage DEA that helped to derive useful insights on operational efficiency and financial performance of the India seaports. A combination of the financial and operational parameters, along with a comparison of the DEA results with the traditional measures, provided a different perspective on the Indian seaport performance. Considering the scarcity of research papers reported in the literature on DEA-based benchmarking studies of seaports in the Indian context, it has the potential to attract future research in this field.

(In)effective leadership? Exploring the interplay of challenges, goals and measures in the context of school improvement

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Böse ◽  
Stefan Brauckmann-Sajkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
School Effectiveness ◽  
School Quality ◽  
School Principals ◽  
School Context ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government

PurposeThis study aims to explore the extent to which schools principals serving disadvantaged communities in Germany are able to set appropriate goals and choose suitable measures for improving their schools according to the specific challenges they face. The authors determine whether principals are able to identify their schools' challenges or whether they merely follow “universal recipes” of the school effectiveness research paradigm regardless of their particular school context. This effectiveness-driven accountability approach requires an in-depth evaluation of the school and its stakeholders and might lead to a new attitude toward failure that sees it as an essential part of developing effective school improvement plans.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted descriptive and correlative analyses as well as exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using longitudinal data of 164 school principals. Through cross-sectional analyses, the authors investigated the connection among challenges, goals and measures and how they correlated with (self-reported) improvements.FindingsFrom a leadership perspective, priorities for school improvement should be aligned with the school-specific challenges they identify and the goals they set to address them.Research limitations/implicationsThe extent to which legislation concerning individual school quality development programs can translate into feasible and effective actions is unclear. Caution should be taken when interpreting the findings of this study, as they reflect school principals' self-selected evaluation measures and therefore might be biased.Practical implicationsIn future research, emphasis should be placed on school management processes, in particular, the development of strategic decision-making, structuring of target perspectives and derivation of steps in school improvement and instructional development. The authors recommend the government offer school principals appropriate and adequate training and support services to prevent them from overburdening their staff.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to a deeper understanding of processes concerning strategic leadership, as opposed to operative management, of schools by revealing context-sensitive considerations.

Hospital information systems in developing countries: a state-of-the-art systematic review

Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Lei ◽  
Jianming Liu ◽  
Wu Li
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Information System ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government

Purpose Hospital information system (HIS) can be examined as a vital factor for developing the quality of health care and cost managing. There exists abundant literature on HISs, but implementation-based literature of HIS is rare, typically about progressive countries. However, a study that can comprehensively review published articles is scarce. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the systematic and comprehensive study of HIS in developed countries. Together, the benefits and harms relevant to HIS’s different mechanisms have been considered, and the fundamental challenges of them are addressed to design more efficient HIS in the future. Design/methodology/approach HIS has been used globally for numerous years and is now being used in a wide area. HIS is broadly used in clinical settings. Information technology (IT) and information system have been suggested as a required piece to solve the health-care-related issues. Hence, to improve HIS’s ability, this paper conducted a review method concentratating on research related to HIS until 2019. A total of 21 papers were recognized and examined as principal research for the summary. Findings The authors found that HIS can help in reduction of medical mistakes, enhancement doctors’ performance and increase in the quality of the care provided. HIS management can be used to provide better health-care services. Therefore, HIS must be sensible and use clear structures. The authors conclude that, generally, with an increase in awareness, acceptability and the need for HIS worldwide, there will be more strategies and approaches available. Research limitations/implications First, this paper provides an outline of the status of HIS. Second, it identifies some distinct research gaps that could be worth studying. Some flawless work may be removed because of applying some filters to select the original articles. Surveying all the papers on the topic of HIS is impossible, too. Practical implications Design and sustainability of HIS is still a big issue for most developing countries, despite its wide usage in the developed countries. The technology is changing rapidly, so the field should be reviewed regularly. This paper suggests a suitable framework that will guide HIS in the local conditions of developing countries. Social implications The government will be assisted by the suggested solving ways in its performance and design of electronic health-care projects. Originality/value The study brings the viewpoints on the state of HIS mechanisms in developing countries. The paper’s results can offer visions into future research requirements. By providing comparative information and analyzing the current growths in this area, this study will support researchers and professionals to understand the progress in HIS mechanisms better.

Why research is needed in women entrepreneurship in India: a viewpoint

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 1042-1057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sucheta Agarwal ◽  
Usha Lenka
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Growth Process ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Women Entrepreneurship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The Government

Purpose The spirit of entrepreneurship among nationals of a country leads and contributes significantly to the growth process of a country. In this drive, there cannot be gender biases among men and women. The government in India has taken several initiatives to increase the participation of women entrepreneurs and, thus, making a partner to the growth and development process of the country. The initiatives in this direction were taken up through five-year development policy plans commencing from the fifth five-year plan (1974-1978). The focus of five-year plans since then has been reoriented toward women welfare stressing more specifically on women empowerment through women entrepreneurship programs. The purpose of this paper is to appraise the series of development plans and programs initiated for the empowerment of women entrepreneurship in India. Design/methodology/approach The paper is developed based on the concepts, policies and practices being implemented across the regions to promote women entrepreneurs. The methodology adopted to assess and analyze the relevant components very much matches the existing practices. The paper relates the concepts, programs and practices. This study has revealed certain issues based on the available data and information on women entrepreneurship to establish a view and rational as of why research is needed in the area of women entrepreneurship. To support this concept, the study has considered the experiences of two important states of India, namely, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Findings The study reveals that Government of India has launched several policies and development programs to infuse the spirit of entrepreneurship among the women groups and thereby not only making them financially self-sustained but also to contribute to the growth process of the economy. However, there remain many gaps in achieving the goals due to the variety of factors. This becomes more significant as the level of women entrepreneurship in India is very low as compared to other economies and also between the men and women entrepreneurs within the country. The study brings out the need and importance for the future research in the area of women entrepreneurship and thereby exploring the areas of concern and bringing out needed improvements to strengthen the women entrepreneurship programs and policies. Originality/value This research provides a future direction to the academicians, researchers and policymakers to provide a framework to reorient the programs and policies for the cause of women entrepreneurship growth in India. The paper very much emphasis that the research findings will have influence on government policies and serve as an effective tool for implementation of state programs meant for woman entrepreneurs more effectively and efficiently. The ultimate impact of research findings will be an economic change in the quality of life of woman enterprise in the society.

scholarly journals Modeling crowdfunders’ behavioral intention to adopt the crowdfunding-waqf model (CWM) in Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Asmy Mohd Thas Thaker ◽  
Hassanudin Mohd Thas Thaker ◽  
Anwar Allah Pitchay
Keyword(s):  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Behavioral Intention ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Liquidity Constraint ◽  
Muslim Countries ◽  
The Government

PurposeWaqf institutions in many Muslim countries including in Malaysia are facing liquidity constraints in developing waqf land. This paper aims to offer a sustainable model of source of financing for waqf institutions to meet their liquidity constraint in developing waqf land, which is known as the crowdfunding–waqf model (CWM). Later, CWM validated its acceptance in the field among the crowdfunders by adopting the theory of technology acceptance model (TAM).Design/methodology/approachThe primary data are collected from the survey administered to donors or crowdfunders in Selangor, Penang, Johor and Pahang. The total number of respondents aren= 1,000. The analysis is conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsBased on findings, both the perceived usefulness and perceived easy to use of CWM are found to have a positive impact on the behavioral intention of crowdfunders or donors in assisting waqf institutions to develop waqf land in Malaysia. Furthermore, perceived easy to use has a positive relationship and direct effect on perceived usefulness of crowdfunders to use the CWM.Research limitations/implicationsThere are some limitations of the current study. The sample size and area of study become the obvious limitations. Thus, there is a need for caution in the interpretation of the results, and the conclusion cannot be as generalized. Besides, the use of current factors might limit the ability to explore other potentially important determinants of the crowdfunders’ behavioral intention on using CWM. Thus, future research can be conducted by incorporating new factors and provide new insights for optimizing CWM. Other potential moderator variables should be included into the research model in order to obtain more robust results.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper will provide a new avenue for waqf institutions to raise funds for developing waqf land, particularly in Malaysia. The present study also has implications for the government and policymakers. Through CWM, it enables to reduce the expenses of the government for the development of waqf land. Indeed, CWM could be applied in other Muslim countries that are facing liquidity constraint in developing waqf land.Originality/valueThis paper offers an additional literature on waqf and crowdfunding, especially in the Malaysian context. The paper proposes a viable alternative model for waqf institutions as a source of financing by using crowdfunding.

Understanding firm survival in a global crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uday Salunkhe ◽  
Bharath Rajan ◽  
V. Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Marketing Research ◽  
Firm Survival ◽  
Consumer Response ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Global Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Churn ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

PurposeGlobal crises create an environment that is characterized by a fight for survival by countries, companies and citizens. While firms have adopted business initiatives to ensure survival in a global crisis, many measures are geared toward preventing customer churn, declining revenues and eroding market share. Such short-term focus raises an important question regarding long-term survival – how can firms survive a global crisis? The purpose of this study is to investigate how firms can survive a global crisis.Design/methodology/approachThis study considers pandemics as the study context and uses a triangulation methodology (past research, managerial insights and popular press articles) to advance the organizing framework. Using the process study approach, the proposed framework recognizes the onset characteristics of a global crisis with a focus on pandemics and the government actions that reflect the pandemic onset. The framework also identifies a logical order of three marketplace reactions to the pandemic – management response, consumer response and critical business transformations that ultimately lead to firm survival – and advances related research propositions of such reactions.FindingsBy deploying critical business transformations, firms can ensure firm survival in a pandemic by fostering engagement with customers, employees and resources. Additionally, the moderators that influence the relationships between (1) management response and critical business transformations, (2) consumer response and critical business transformations, and (3) critical business transformations and firm survival are identified. Finally, this study presents an agenda for future research.Research limitations/implicationsTo the authors' best knowledge, this is the first study to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to study firm survival in a global crisis such as a pandemic. This study answers the call for more research to the growing field of pandemic research in the areas of marketing research and marketing strategy.Practical implicationsThe learnings from this study can help firms on what to anticipate and how to respond in a crisis such as a pandemic.Social implicationsSocietal welfare is accounted for as firms plan to deal with a crisis.Originality/valueThis is the first study to propose a strategic framework to deal with a crisis that is largely unanticipated where the duration and the impact is not predictable.

Maintenance of public hospital buildings in Nigeria – an assessment of current practices and policy options

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Ebekozien ◽  
Okechukwu Saviour Dominic Duru ◽  
Okhatie Emmanuel Dako
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Public Hospital ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Policy Options ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hospital Administrators ◽  
Automation Systems ◽  
The Government

Purpose The recent COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the declining conditions of many of the hospital buildings, especially in developing countries. Past studies have shown inadequate maintenance practices but how far regarding Nigerian public hospital buildings is yet to receive empirical research. This paper aims to investigate the underlying issues leading to inadequate maintenance practices and proffers policy options to improve Nigerian public hospital buildings via an unexplored dimension. Design/methodology/approach The study used a mixed research design method involving both qualitative and quantitative data. First, results from the qualitative phase were analysed and verified at the quantitative phase through a well-structured questionnaire, developed from the qualitative findings across hospital maintenance experts (work/maintenance department, health-care provider, design team and health-care building/service contractor) in Abuja, Lagos and Benin City. Findings Insufficient funds for maintenance works, absence of planned maintenance programmes, inadequately trained personnel, etc., emerged as the maintenance inadequacies in the public hospital buildings across the cities covered. The paper categorised the cause of inadequate maintenance practices of public hospital buildings into six groups: statutory requirements, design stage, construction stage, budget for maintenance task, managing maintenance unit activities and user’s perception regarding maintenance management. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited to maintenance practices of Nigerian public hospital buildings. Future research is needed to evaluate factors that will enhance outsourcing maintenance and the use of the 4th industrial revolution (building information modelling for refurbishment and building automation systems) amongst others in maintenance practices of public hospital buildings. Practical implications As part of the practical implication, the government and hospital administrators should make provision for adequate funding and accountability of annual maintenance budgetary allocation. Also, the government should establish a national maintenance policy for public infrastructure with an emphasis on preventive maintenance and contractor’s reputation, outstanding pedigree, technical and financial soundness during build maintenance contract award, etc., were recommended. Originality/value This paper reveals that the stakeholders, especially hospital administrators, policymakers and political office holders that are concern with maintenance budget, approval and disbursement concerning maintenance practices in public hospital buildings need to reawaken to her responsibility because of the inadequate implementation across the cities covered.

Angolan Higher Education, Policy, and Leadership

2020 ◽  
pp. 580-604
Author(s):  
Nicolau Nkiawete Manuel
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Transformative Leadership ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Higher Education Access ◽  
Education Access ◽  
Leadership For Social Justice ◽  
The Government

Since the end of the armed conflict in 2002, Angola has witnessed rapid socio-economic development characterized by the stabilization of macro-economic indicators. In this context, the government has been implementing important structural and economic reforms, including in the area of education. The purpose of this chapter is to reflect on these developments and the implication they might have on development of sustainable higher education, access, quality education, equity, leadership, and education policy. The chapter provides a brief comparative analysis of tertiary education funding among the countries of Southern Development Community (SADC) and other African countries in order to draw the attention of the decision makers about the relevance to invest more on education and protect the investments that the state has been making in education. In addition, the chapter calls for transformative leadership for social justice and change in organizational culture as an alternative avenue for enforcing current policies.

Design incubatees' perspectives and experiences in Hong Kong

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-496
Author(s):  
Tiffany W.M. FONG
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Business Incubation ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
The Government ◽  
Start Ups

PurposeThis paper discusses the services and support from one of the government design-based business incubators in Hong Kong. The characteristics of a design business incubator are explained, and a multiple-case study indicates the perspectives of incubatees from different design disciplines after their graduation from the incubation programme.Design/methodology/approachThe research under discussion in this paper was based on eight design incubatees in different design disciplines within two years of incubation period, all of whom had participated in one of the government-funded business incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong. The programme is unique because there are no other government-based incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect feedback from incubatees in areas ranging from terms of service to support of the incubation programme.FindingsThe services of training, mentorship and finance were found to be the most important to design start-ups. Financial support and flexible funding allocation were another important issue for design incubatees, but training in these subject areas was not included in the incubation programme. However, it was confirmed that funding provided may have helped a number of the incubatees in developing their start-up businesses as a result of the reduced financial burden and office allocation.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focused on one incubation programme because of the lack of incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong, therefore future research which compares different types of business incubation programmes is suggested.Practical implicationsThe outcomes of the research not only identified the possible areas of development and improvement of business incubation in entrepreneurship but they will also be useful for the government, universities, institutions, designers, policy makers, entrepreneurs and practitioners. These, in addition to industry stakeholders who want to evaluate their entrepreneurship programmes and develop their plans for potential development in incubation- or entrepreneurial-related programmes or training, especially in the area of design, will find the results useful.

scholarly journals Testing the self-selection theory in high corruption environments: evidence from African SMEs

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 733-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel Gomes ◽  
Ferran Vendrell-Herrero ◽  
Kamel Mellahi ◽  
Duncan Angwin ◽  
Carlos M.P. Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Developing Economies ◽  
The Self ◽  
Future Research ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Selection Theory ◽  
Self Selection ◽  
Cluster Networks ◽  
Strategic Factors

Purpose Whilst substantial evidence from low-corruption, developed market environments supports the view that more productive firms are more likely to export, there has been little research into analysing the link between productivity and exports in high corruption, developing market environments. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to test the premise of self-selection theory whether the association between productivity and export is maintained in high-corruption environments, and second to identify other variables explaining export activity in high-corruption contexts, including cluster networks and firms’ competences. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw on the World Bank Enterprise survey to undertake a cross-section analysis including 1,233 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in nine African countries. The advantage of this database is that it contains information about the level of perceived corruption at firm level. Logistic regressions are performed for the full sample and for subsamples of firms in high- and low-corruption environments. Findings The findings demonstrate that the self-selection theory only applies to low-corruption environments, whereas in high-corruption environments, alternative factors such as cluster networks and outward-looking competences (OLC) exert a stronger influence on the exporting activity of African SMEs. Research limitations/implications This research contributes to the theory as it provides evidence that contradicts the validity of self-selection theory in high-corruption environments. The findings would benefit from further longitudinal investigation. Practical implications African SMEs need to consider cluster networks and OLC as important strategic factors that might enhance their international competitiveness. Originality/value The criticism of the self-selection theory is distinctive in the literature and has important implications for future research. The authors show that the contextualisation of existing theories matters and this opens a research avenue for further more sensitive contextualisation of existing theories in developing economies.

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