The nature of parental involvement in the city of Abu Dhabi in a context of change

Author(s):  
Fiona S. Baker ◽  
Rida Blaik Hourani

Purpose – The purpose of this exploratory study is to explore parent and school administrator perspectives on the value and nature of parent involvement in the city of Abu Dhabi through their perceptions of roles and responsibilities. Design/methodology/approach – The study is conducted in a random purposive sample of Public–Private Partnership schools during Abu Dhabi Education Council’s school reform. Findings – Findings show that while both administrators and parents agree on the value of parental involvement, the perceptions of their own and each others’ roles and responsibilities means that parent involvement is characterized by unfulfilled expectations. Practical implications – Recommendations are made to arrive at realistic roles and responsibilities for parent involvement and recommendations for a model of mutually responsive practice to evolve within a policy framework, with the support of ADEC, and informed by international and locally based research. Originality/value – The paper sheds light on a new educational dimension beyond curricula and instruction.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malihe Siyavooshi ◽  
Abdullah Foroozanfar ◽  
Yaser Sharifi

Purpose This study aims to conduct an experimental investigation into the effectiveness of using Islamic values and environmental knowledge in advertising for plant disposable containers on the level of willingness to purchase such products for religious ceremonies and rituals among Muslim consumers in Iran. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 270 individuals participating in one of the religious assemblies in the city of Shiraz in Iran was classified into three groups (a control and two experimental groups). A pretest was administered for each group; then both experimental groups received brochures whose contents were associated with environmental and religious messages about environmental protection. After four days, a post-test was similarly conducted for each group. The data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. Findings The results revealed that the use of religious and environmental messages in advertising for plant disposable containers could boost the willingness to purchase such containers for religious ceremonies and rituals; however, the effectiveness of using religious messages was stronger compared to that of the environmental ones. Research limitations implications Given that the present study was conducted based on an experimental research design in a real context, there was the possibility of the presence of other variables outside the control of the study design and affecting its results. Practical implications Increased awareness regarding the harmful environmental impacts of plastic containers and emphasis on religious duties to protect the environment can affect targeting a sector of the Muslim community endowed with strong religious beliefs. Originality/value This study confirmed that consumer values and beliefs could have effects on their purchase and consumption behaviors.


foresight ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 469-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Ravetz ◽  
Ian Douglas Miles

Purpose This paper aims to review the challenges of urban foresight via an analytical method: apply this to the city demonstrations on the UK Foresight Future of Cities: and explore the implications for ways forward. Design/methodology/approach The methodology is based on the principles of co-evolutionary complex systems, a newly developed toolkit of “synergistic mapping and design”, and its application in a “synergy foresight” method. Findings The UK Foresight Future of Cities is work in progress, but some early lessons are emerging – the need for transparency in foresight method – and the wider context of strategic policy intelligence. Practical implications The paper has practical recommendations, and a set of propositions, (under active discussion in 2015), which are based on the analysis. Originality/value The paper aims to demonstrate an application of “synergy foresight” with wide benefits for cities and the communities within them.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wasuthon Wisuchat ◽  
Viriya Taecharungroj

Purpose This paper aims to identify and to compare workplace location attributes that appealed to Generation Y and Z talent. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants to identify workplace location attributes. Choice-based conjoint surveys were collected from 750 Generation Y and Z individuals in the talent pool of Bangkok, Thailand to compare the importance of attributes. Findings The most important workplace location attribute was the availability and diversity of restaurants followed by place appearance, traffic density, availability of public workspaces, public transport and after-work activities. Transport-related attributes were more important for older generations, whereas public workspaces and place appearance were more important for younger talent. Practical implications To attract talent, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) should address the weaknesses of potential workplace locations through efficient, low-cost and rapid development plans. Although Bangkok is known for street food, BMA policies that promote restaurants as the most important attribute are limited. The BMA should initiate plans to promote the availability and diversity of restaurants. Innovation districts in Bangkok should connect to restaurants and food networks in their vicinity. Originality/value The existing literature explored factors that attract talent at the city level, but no study has investigated attractiveness at the workplace location level. Despite some similarities, workplace location attributes identified in this study were more specific than city-level attributes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunling Zhang ◽  
Chunlai Chen ◽  
Jian Ding ◽  
Zhinan Zhang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the economic impacts of China’s hukou system and propose the possible direction for future reform. Design/methodology/approach The study develops a framework to incorporate the hukou system into the economic growth model. Using prefecture city-level panel data covering 241 cities over the period 2004–2016 and applying the fixed effects and instrumental variable regression techniques, the authors investigated empirically the impacts of the hukou system on city economic growth. Findings The study provides three main findings. First, the city sector conditionally benefits from labour mobility deregulation that allows migrants to work in cities. Second, the hukou system has different impacts on economic growth among cities with different sizes and administrative levels. Third, to offset the costs of providing exclusive public services to the migrants, the big or high-administrative-level cities can use their high-valued hukou to attract the high-skilled migrants, but the small- or low-administrative-level cities do not have this advantage. Practical implications This study suggests that the key for further hukou system reform is how to deal with the hukou–welfare binding relationship. Originality/value The authors developed a theoretical framework and conducted an empirical analysis on the direct relationship between the hukou system and economic growth to reveal the mechanism of how does the hukou system influence the city economic growth and answer the question of why is the hukou system reform so hard in China. The framework also sheds some lights on explaining the success and failure of the hukou system reforms in the past 40 years.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-352
Author(s):  
Moula Cherikh ◽  
Nikolaos Karagiannis

Purpose This paper aims to propose a national development framework for Algeria while considering the country’s historical, social, cultural, institutional and political factors. The main focus of this paper is to sketch out the policy framework that might be advisable to develop and diversify the production lines of Algeria – given the country’s excessive reliance on oil and natural gas exports – while helping the country move to the next level of socioeconomic progress. Design/methodology/approach The approach is based on the developmental state analysis. Findings A developmental state argument is proposed here as a necessary basis for the support of selected industries of high potential and achievability while leaving space for further social and political advancement. Practical implications It can help greatly Algeria’s policymakers. Social implications Socio-economic progress. Originality/value This paper makes a significant contribution to the development efforts of Algeria.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Jalali Aliabadi ◽  
Graham Gal ◽  
Bita Mashyekhi

Purpose This study aims to examine the public budgeting process in the higher education and research sectors of Iran. It focuses on the actors’ budgetary roles and uses their perspectives to identify deficiencies in the budgeting process that cause delays in the transition to a performance-based system. Design/methodology/approach This study uses an interpretive research paradigm. It applies the grounded theory methodology to analyze the interviews conducted with those responsible for budgeting at Iranian public universities and research institutes (PURI). The results are interpreted using Wildavsky’s (1964) budgetary roles paradigm. Findings Using Wildavsky’s (1964) paradigm, “spenders” and “guardians” are identified and their perceptions about the public budgeting process are described. The results suggest a decoupling between the actors’ perceptions based on their budgetary roles. Spenders consider budgeting as a negotiation-based process, while guardians’ decisions are largely based on “outputs” and “information.” This study demonstrates that the disagreement over the perceived budget process was due to different budgetary roles. This disagreement leads to delays in the transformation of the budget process in Iranian PURI. Research limitations/implications While efforts are made to obtain a sample of individuals with different roles and responsibilities, the selection is limited by subjects’ willingness and availability. Therefore, sample size and diversity are potential limitations of this study. Practical implications When organizations attempt to transition to performance-based budgeting (PBB), it is critical to understand the current budgeting process to identify potential impediments. Understanding these impediments allows for alternate approaches to be considered. This is particularly important for universities that are mostly funded by the government (such as those in Iran). The results of this study show that the contradictory perceptions among budget actors have a significant impact on budgeting transition and require attention to understand budgeting decisions. Originality/value This study contributes to the budgeting literature in three ways. First, it examines the impact of endogenized shared values among budget participants on the budgeting transition process. Second, by focusing on budgetary roles, it contributes to the literature by examining disagreement on the perceived budgeting process and its implications for transforming the process into PBB. Finally, to the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the public budgeting process in a developing country – Iran.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-450
Author(s):  
Yu Liu ◽  
Bingjie Liu-Lastres ◽  
Qiuju Wang ◽  
Yao-Yi Fu

Purpose Beijing is becoming one of the top global destinations but the number of international tourists to the city has been declining recently. By analyzing inbound tourists experience in Beijing and identifying the relationship between the destination attributes and satisfaction, the purpose of this paper is to provide important insights into city tourism research and city destination development. Design/methodology/approach This study used an online deductive approach and collected 1,254 reviews on TripAdvisor referencing major attractions in Beijing. This study used the Leximancer software to analyze the content of the reviews and to identify the underlying relationships. Findings The results showed that international tourists’ experience in Beijing can be reflected via five aspects: attractions, city, transportation, service and people. The results further indicated that the major concern of international tourists visiting Beijing related to the service quality on site. Originality/value This study explored inbound tourists experience in Beijing using an online deductive approach. Practical implications were provided with respect to improving international tourists experience in Beijing and enhancing their satisfaction and revisiting intentions.


Author(s):  
Francesca Manes-Rossi ◽  
Natalia Aversano ◽  
Paolo Tartaglia Polcini

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore a citizen-centered tool for public accountability, the popular report (PR). Elaborating on previous studies and on content analysis of a sample of municipalities in the USA, this paper aims to identify the qualitative characteristics and content elements that PR should have to serve as a legitimation tool. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a mixed methodology. After the analysis of previous studies on PR and best practices in US municipalities, a list of content elements and qualitative characteristics of PR is compared with results emerging from the content analysis of PR published by of a sample of municipalities in the USA. Findings The analysis reveals that the PR should embed information about the government’s sources of revenues and taxes, expenditures, cost of government services, liveability and governance of the city. Research limitations/implications The paper offers new knowledge on reporting centered on citizens, framing the analysis in the legitimacy theory. Even though the research relates only to the US context, the results may assist standard setters in preparing guidelines for local governments to communicate financial data to citizens and stimulate further research in other contexts. Practical implications The results may encourage local governments to prepare a PR suitable to discharge accountability and gain legitimation. Originality/value This study is the first to discuss the PR within a theoretical framework, in this case, legitimacy theory. Moreover, a further novelty lays in the analysis carried out on the PRs published by US municipalities in order to derive qualitative characteristics and content elements with which the PR should comply.


Author(s):  
Sílvia Quinteiro ◽  
Vivina Carreira ◽  
Alexandra Rodrigues Gonçalves

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the relevance of developing literary tourism in Coimbra. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory qualitative research identifies existent resources and development potential of literary tourism. The instruments of data collection were bibliographic research, questionnaires, interviews and participant observation. Findings There are few literary tourism products in Coimbra, which contrasts with the number of literary places identified, namely, on the left bank of the River Mondego. Tourism development stakeholders in Coimbra have not paid enough attention to the emergence of literary tourism and the opportunities for the development of new sustainable cultural products related with it. Research limitations/implications This study is limited by the size and continual renewal of the corpus, which implies a constant updating of data regarding authors and texts. Practical implications This study will lead to the production of a database of Coimbra’s literary resources and a digital literary map, allowing any citizen or entity to design and implement literary tourism products. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study reviewing the potential of Coimbra as a literary tourism destination. Moreover, it discusses literary heritage as a source of products and experiences to foster more balanced tourist flows throughout the city.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 864-886
Author(s):  
Yuen Onn Choong ◽  
Lee Peng Ng ◽  
Seow Ai Na ◽  
Chun Eng Tan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of teachers’ perception on trust over their willingness to exercise organisational citizenship behaviours (OCB) using self-efficacy as a mediator. Design/methodology/approach Usable questionnaires were collected from 411 teachers in secondary schools. A two-stage analytic approach was used to analyse the data. Findings The results indicated that trust and teachers’ self-efficacy dimensions (general teaching and personal teaching) are positively related to OCB. Additionally, trust in the principal, colleagues and clients are predicted to have indirect influence on OCB through self-efficacy. Practical implications Teachers’ personal sense of efficacy is largely dependent on the amount of efforts devoted in their teaching, their decision-making ability and the degree of persistency in solving problematic issues. School management and policy makers are urged to develop effective human resources initiatives and programmes that can create a trusting relationship in the organisation and enhance teachers’ self-efficacy. These may include the socialisation programmes that can inculcate teachers’ inner natures, confidence and interpersonal skills when directed towards perceived abilities in given specific tasks and responsibilities to make a significant impact on OCB. Apart from this, the school administrator is advised to offer relevant training and workshops that able to enhance the efficacy level of teachers. Originality/value This study explored how teachers’ self-efficacy was related to trust and OCB. Teachers’ positive behaviours enable them to have greater belief in their capability of handling pressures and crises. The study contributes to the current body of literature and creates a comprehensive theoretical framework for teachers to be involved in OCB. Besides, these unique findings served as a reference to management of any school to better understand the importance of trust in the school and how it relates to teacher self-efficacy, which, in turn nurture the citizenship behaviour in workplace.


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