Towards more employable Egyptian HE graduates – a case study

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 229-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amal Abou-Setta
Keyword(s):  
Research Literature ◽  
Western World ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Job Market ◽  
Significant Discrepancy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The unemployment rate in Egypt has reached 24.8 per cent of the labor force and is significantly higher among university graduates. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Higher Education (HE) and employability in Egypt and to ask these pressing questions: How do students perceive the relationship? What are its main problems? What are the changes required to help improve the relationship from their own perspective? Design/methodology/approach – Offering an in-depth analysis of a case study of an Egyptian public university by interviewing four Egyptian HE students either in their final or their second-to-last year of study, this paper attempts to decipher the Egyptian HE students’ attitudes towards quality education and employability as an ultimate purpose. It also offers a macroscopic view of the necessary changes to make HE graduates more employable. Findings – The paper argues that, for effective HE reform to take place in Egypt, radical, comprehensive changes pertaining to programme design, curricula, assessment, pedagogy and admissions are called for, taking into account the contextual political, economic and cultural conditions. Originality/value – Although there is a considerable amount of research literature examining the significant discrepancy between university graduates’ educational gains and the functional requirements of the job market (Allen and De Weert 2007), not much of that research has examined the way graduates understand and manage their employability in light of the recent changes in both HE and the job market and the few studies focusing on this were mainly conducted in the Western world (Al-Harthi 2011).

scholarly journals Resituating the political in cultural intermediary work: Charity sector public relations and communication

2021 ◽  
pp. 136754942199423
Author(s):  
Anne M Cronin ◽  
Lee Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
The Political ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Cultural Intermediary ◽  
Cultural Intermediaries ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship

Drawing on a case study of public relations in the UK charity sector, this article argues that cultural intermediary research urgently requires a more sustained focus on politics and the political understood as power relations, party politics and political projects such as marketization and neoliberalism. While wide-ranging research has analysed how cultural intermediaries mediate the relationship between culture and economy, this has been at the expense of an in-depth analysis of the political. Using our case study as a prompt, we highlight the diversity of ways that the political impacts cultural intermediary work and that cultural intermediary work may impact the political. We reveal the tensions that underpin practice as a result of the interactions between culture, the economy and politics, and show that the tighter the engagement of cultural intermediation with the political sphere, the more tensions must be negotiated and the more compromised practitioners may feel.

University social responsibility and empathy in organizations during COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariane Lemos Lourenço ◽  
Mara Rosalia Ribeiro Silva ◽  
Rafael Santana Galvão Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Psychological Assistance ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between empathy and social responsibility (SR) practices in a university organization in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Design/methodology/approach The research was qualitative, using case study methodology. The case study was about the Brazilian organization Ânima Educação, which is the greatest among the five largest publicly traded education companies in Brazil. Secondary data collection and content analysis was carried out. Findings As emotional response toward the problems caused by the pandemic, the company's leadership adopted an empathic behavior, allowing traces of its empathic culture to emerge. Empathy was expressed through the implementation of SR practices aimed at workers (policy of not firing in the first two months of the pandemic), at students (provision of technological apparatus, online classes, physical/psychological assistance and negotiation of late fees) and at the society (assistance to the elderly). Originality/value It was concluded that empathy can be taken as the emotional motivator for companies to engage in SR practices, especially in extreme circumstances in society, as the economic and health challenges that the world is experiencing with the COVID-19 pandemic nowadays. SR practices, in turn, can foster even more empathy in organizations, mobilizing leaders and their respective groups in the creation and implementation of new practices, thus demonstrating that the relationship between empathy and SR practices is a “two-way street.”

The influence of homeschooling on entrepreneurial activities: a collective case study

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 706-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Jeanne Pannone
Keyword(s):  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collective Case Study ◽  
Internal Locus Of Control ◽  
Entrepreneurial Characteristics ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how a homeschool education influences entrepreneurial characteristics and activity. Design/methodology/approach A collective case study design was used to investigate how a homeschool education influences entrepreneurial characteristics and activity. Findings From the participant interviews, surveys, and document analysis, three salient themes emerged. First, participants noted that their home education, at least in later years, was largely self-directed and that this independent, self-motivated type of learning impacted their subsequent entrepreneurial activities. Next, participants also related that they believed the alternative nature of their homeschooling education and its emphasis on being comfortable with being different influenced their entrepreneurial pathway. Finally, the third theme to surface was the idea that homeschooling helped develop an internal locus of control, a belief that is helpful in entrepreneurial undertakings. Research limitations/implications Research limitations included a lack of generalizability due to a small sample size and possible selection bias. Practical implications Despite these shortcomings, however, several implications exist. For example, the findings from this study show that homeschooling may be a viable alternative education method for parents looking to encourage entrepreneurial traits and activities in their children. Social implications Future areas of research were also identified, including a call to research the role locus of control plays in homeschooled students. Originality/value This study addresses an area that, to the knowledge of this researcher, is completely lacking from the research literature.

Family businesses: fertile environments for conflict

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 294-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffen Großmann ◽  
Arist Von Schlippe
Keyword(s):  
Social Systems ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Business Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative study with a twofold focus: on highly escalated family business (FB) conflicts and on the interactions between conflicts and the failure of the company as FB. The authors devoted this paper to the question of how family-related conflicts are connected with the demise of FB. Conflicts constitute an essential part of every FB and may definitely have the power to superimpose the performance of the FB as well as the family life in a destructive way. Especially, highly escalated so called relationship conflicts can be seen as one reason for the failure of FB. Design/methodology/approach – The research aims at analysing the meaning of conflict in FB with respect to the failure of the FB. Therefore, the authors use an explorative case study approach. The study is based on a total of five case studies. As the authors use theory of social systems as a theoretical background, the authors focused in the analysis in all cases on patterns rather than on individual characteristics. Findings – As an essential part of the study the authors formulated eight hypotheses describing specific patterns of the conflict process as a communicative system. These hypotheses convey a comprehensible impression of the effects conflicts may have within FB and present a number of new facets of conflict dynamics and patterns of escalation in FB. Originality/value – In particular, the authors provide new insights into the dynamics of highly destructive forms of conflicts in FB and the relationship between family-related conflicts and the failure of FB. The authors also pave the way for future research that aim to develop a more holistic understanding about when and why the outcomes from family and business systems will conflict or be harmonious.

scholarly journals Developing cybersecurity education and awareness programmes for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Bada ◽  
Jason R.C. Nurse
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Security Education ◽  
Education And Awareness ◽  
The One ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Training ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to focus on organisation’s cybersecurity strategy and propose a high-level programme for cybersecurity education and awareness to be used when targeting small- and medium-sized enterprises/businesses (SMEs/SMBs) at a city-level. An essential component of an organisation’s cybersecurity strategy is building awareness and education of online threats and how to protect corporate data and services. This programme is based on existing research and provides a unique insight into an ongoing city-based project with similar aims.Design/methodology/approachTo structure this work, a scoping review was conducted of the literature in cybersecurity education and awareness, particularly for SMEs/SMBs. This theoretical analysis was complemented using a case study and reflecting on an ongoing, innovative programme that seeks to work with these businesses to significantly enhance their security posture. From these analyses, best practices and important lessons/recommendations to produce a high-level programme for cybersecurity education and awareness were recommended.FindingsWhile the literature can be informative at guiding education and awareness programmes, it may not always reach real-world programmes. However, existing programmes, such as the one explored in this study, have great potential, but there can be room for improvement. Knowledge from each of these areas can, and should, be combined to the benefit of the academic and practitioner communities.Originality/valueThe study contributes to current research through the outline of a high-level programme for cybersecurity education and awareness targeting SMEs/SMBs. Through this research, literature in this space was examined and insights into the advances and challenges faced by an on-going programme were presented. These analyses allow us to craft a proposal for a core programme that can assist in improving the security education, awareness and training that targets SMEs/SMBs.

scholarly journals Secondary teachers' perspectives on sustaining growth mindset concepts in instruction

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Jorif ◽  
Cheryl Burleigh
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Practices ◽  
Growth Mindset ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analysis Process ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Secondary Grades ◽  
Teachers Perspectives

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore perspectives of secondary (9–12) teachers on how to sustain growth mindset concepts within instructional practices as well as identifying barriers to sustainment.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed an exploratory case study to obtain the lived experiences of participants. An inductive analysis process was utilized on the data collected through structured interviews and a semi-structured focus group.FindingsFour major themes emerged from an in-depth analysis process: embed growth mindset practices in daily classroom instruction, communicate verbal affirmations and implement growth mindset learning tasks, allow students to experience academic successes and failures and teachers should receive continual support.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to secondary grades (9–12). Therefore, it is recommended to expand the study to grades K-8.Originality/valueDue to a gap in the literature, this study provided insights into sustaining an innovative psychological approach, growth mindset, within academic instruction. Growth mindset concepts have been supported through the work of seminal researcher Carol Dweck and other prevalent educational researchers (e.g. Robert Marzano) to provide teachers with effective classroom instructional practices that can academically progress students.

Employee perceptions of fairness toward IoT monitoring

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 504-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Al-Hitmi ◽  
Karma Sherif
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Electronic Monitoring ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Employee Perceptions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Universal Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceptions Of Fairness ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to explore Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled monitoring in a multi-national petrochemical organization in Qatar and finds that the technology does not negatively influence employee perceptions of fairness, challenging current propositions on monitoring and highlighting the emerging role of culture, competition and paradoxical leadership in moderating the relationship between IoT-enabled monitoring and perceptions of fairness. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopted qualitative research as the methodological premise to explore the relationship between IoT-enabled monitoring and perceptions of fairness. They collected data from an oil and gas organization in Qatar to test the validity of the proposed hypotheses. Findings While I0T-enabled monitoring was perceived as pervasive, tracking every move and recording conversations, the diffusion of the technology throughout Qatar desensitized employees who felt it was the new reality around workspaces. The following three important factors reshaped employees’ perceptions toward IoT-enabled monitoring: a culture that is driven by productivity and strongly adheres by policies and standards to reach set goals; a highly competitive job market; and a paradoxical leadership who balances between the competition and lucrative rewards. Research limitations/implications The limitation of this research is that the authors conducted a case study in similar organizations within the oil and gas industry in the State of Qatar to refute the theory that electronic monitoring of employees in the workspace elicits perceptions of unfairness. Future research can conduct quantitative surveys of employee perceptions in different industries within different cultures to be able to generalize and evolve a universal theory. Practical implications The research findings shed light on the escalating pressure global competition exerts on employees that nervousness about pervasive monitoring systems is replaced with fear of job loss and analytics on monitoring data is welcomed as a means of readjusting behavior to meet performance expectations. Originality/value The case study is the first to highlight the desensitization of employees to monitoring and the increasing pressure competition plays in motivating them to exceed expectations.

Implementation and adoption of CRM and co-creation leveraging collaborative technologies

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-132
Author(s):  
Neeraj Kumar Dubey ◽  
Preeti Sharma ◽  
Purnima Sangle
Keyword(s):  
Customer Orientation ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collaborative Technologies ◽  
Customer Centricity ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to study the role of the emerging technology landscape and collaborative platforms in customer relationship management (CRM) unravelling novel opportunities for mutual co-creation in Indian banking context. Design/methodology/approach This study used the case-study method for collecting various sources for “triangulation”. Findings The advancement of technology has drastically increased avenues of dialogue and access and brought transparency in the relationship, offering opportunities for co-creation and increased dependence on technology in CRM. A longitudinal approach explained how bank leveraged technology in multiple aspects of CRM for enhancing relationship quality and outcome. Research limitations/implications The study is exploratory in nature in Indian banking context, and thus it should be viewed as a preliminary step in contributing to the understanding of CRM in a new collaborative technology landscape. Practical implications This study explains the changing shape of CRM and provides relevance of customer orientation and offers insight about co-creation which has taken centre stage because of the emergence of collaborative technologies. Originality/value This study is possibly one of the first to conduct a case study to understand the way collaborative technological advancements are being exploited by organisations to develop superior CRM capability and achieve co-creation. This study analysed and comprehended the design and implementation of CRM in an Indian bank in real-life settings to gain a better understanding of the adoption of new collaborative technological advancements by a bank for customer centricity and facilitating co-creation.

An integrated fuzzy SWARA and fuzzy AD approach for outsourcing provider selection

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 531-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selçuk Perçin
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Ratio Analysis ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Chemical Company ◽  
Order Preference ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Unlike previous literature, this study offers a novel integrated fuzzy approach to the field of outsourcing decisions. The purpose of this paper is to use design ranges of evaluation criteria that satisfy the functional requirements (FRs) of decision makers to solve the outsourcing provider selection problem. Design/methodology/approach In this study, considering the expected significance of outsourcing evaluation criteria, and the FRs of decision makers expressed in linguistic terms, a robust multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tool based on the integrated use of fuzzy Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis and weighted fuzzy axiomatic design methods is proposed for use in decision process. Findings The proposed method is applied to a Turkish chemical company. A sensitivity analysis is performed and the outcomes of the proposed integrated framework are compared with those of other MCDM methods such as fuzzy-based Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution, fuzzy Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje and fuzzy Multi-Objective Optimization on the basis of Ratio Analysis. This validates the usefulness and practicality of the proposed methodology. Practical implications The main contribution of this study is that it defines specific requirements that will assist company managers in eliminating alternatives that do not satisfy the needs and expectations of their company. Originality/value This paper compares the present study with other studies in the field of manufacturing. Additionally, it provides a well-documented case study, which makes the paper of value to researchers interested in the practical applications of MCDM methods.

scholarly journals Work, resilience and sustainable futures

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Fergusson ◽  
Luke van der Laan ◽  
Bradley Shallies ◽  
Matthew Baird
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Related Problem ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Research Problems ◽  
Sustainable Futures ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper examines the relationship between work, resilience and sustainable futures for organisations and communities by considering the nature of work-related problems (WRPs) and the work-based research designed to investigate them. The authors explore the axis of work environment > work-related problem > resilience > sustainable futures as it might be impacted by work-based research.Design/methodology/approachThe paper introduces two current real-world examples, one in Australia and one in Asia, of work-based research projects associated with higher education aimed at promoting resilience and sustainability, and discusses the research problems, questions, designs, methods, resilience markers and sustainability markers used by these projects.FindingsWork-based research, when conducted rigorously using mixed methods, may contribute to increased resilience of organisations and communities and thereby seeks to promote more sustainable organisational and social futures.Practical implicationsWork-based research conducted in higher education seeks to investigate, address and solve WRP, even when such problems occur in unstable, changing, complex and messy environments.Social implicationsResilience and sustainable futures are ambiguous and disputed terms, but if work-based research can be brought to bear on them, organisations and communities might better adapt and recover from challenging situations, thus reducing their susceptibility to shock and adversity.Originality/valueWhile resilience and sustainability are commonly referred to in the research literature, their association to work, and specifically problems associated with work, have yet to be examined. This paper goes some of the way to addressing this need.

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