Human development and transcendence: a Vivekananda view

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-224
Author(s):  
Swami Tyagananda

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the following questions in the light of Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy: What will ultimately come out of human development? Is development a goal in itself or only a doorway to a higher goal called transcendence? Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive view of human development can come only through a comprehensive understanding of human nature. Findings – What the dimensions of the human personality are and how they function in the world provide a good starting point to assess the way in which human development can be achieved. Originality/value – Vivekananda’s quest for human development was not for human development per se, but to point to its potential as a spiritual practice that makes human beings realize that they are, in fact, not human being but divine beings.

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 626-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lerzan Aksoy ◽  
Loïc Guilloux ◽  
Hélène Duneigre ◽  
Sikaar Keita

Purpose As an interdisciplinary and applied discipline, managerial relevance has always been at the forefront of service research. This viewpoint article synthesizes the main ideas presented in one of the 10th SERVSIG conference panels by three practitioners about what they view as the biggest opportunities/challenges they face and two journal editors on current academic research priorities. The purpose of this study is to use this panel as a starting point to bridge more closely the world of academia with practice and propose a collection of recommendations toward this goal. Design/methodology/approach This study synthesizes the academic and practitioner viewpoints presented and research conducted into research priorities. Findings Although there is significant overlap in what is deemed important by the presenting academics and practitioners, there are some important differences when it comes to issues deemed important, how they are articulated and the language that is used. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature and practitioner community by summarizing the viewpoints of the two sides and curating a collection of existing approaches and new recommendations to more closely bridge academic and practitioner perspectives.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 176-180
Author(s):  
Jacob McNulty

Purpose With HR now at the center of efforts to address the talent crisis, how can HR strategists best deploy their resources to help their organizations to rise to the challenge? Design/methodology/approach Data-driven digital solutions can be a good starting point for discovering what’s working with existing employees. A new breed of high-tech tools are giving HR departments the means to more thoroughly and actionably understand the factors that attract, retain and drive away quality employees. Findings Based on data from these tools, HR teams can design inviting, engaging and productive work environments. Originality/value The struggle to attract and retain quality talent in the workplace is real, it is escalating and it has landed right at the doorstep of HR departments. It is perhaps the most pressing priority they – and their entire organizations – must confront to keep pace in the ongoing US economic expansion.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan J. Ballor ◽  
Victor V. Claar

Purpose Creativity and innovation are interrelated, and indeed often conflated, concepts. A corollary to this distinction is two different perspectives or types of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs. The purpose of this paper is to explore the distinction between creativity and innovation on the basis of their relationship to history and implications for understandings of entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a theoretical exploration of entrepreneurship understood in relation to a proper distinction between creativity and innovation. Creativity and innovation differ from the perspective of their relationship to what has already happened in history vs the radical novelty of a particular discovery or invention. Findings Creativity can be understood as what human beings do in connection with the fundamental givenness of things. Innovation, on the other hand, can be best understood as a phenomenon related to the historical progress of humankind. Innovation is what human beings discover on the basis of what has already been discovered. Entrepreneurs can be seen as those who discover something radically new and hidden in the latent possibilities of reality and creation. Or entrepreneurs can be seen as those who develop new, and even epochal, discoveries primarily on the basis of the insights and discoveries of those who have come before them in history. Originality/value This paper provides a helpful conceptual distinction between creativity and innovation, and finds compatibility in these different perspectives. A holistic and comprehensive understanding of entrepreneurship embraces both its creative and innovative aspects, its metaphysical grounding as well as its historicity.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Weretecki ◽  
Goetz Greve ◽  
Jörg Henseler

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate selling actors in multi-actor sales ecosystems. When selling actors start taking over tasks that were formerly performed by salespeople, the distribution of tasks, allocation of responsibilities and finally the role of the salespeople changes. However, little is known about salespersons’ perceptions of selling actors’ identities and participation behavior in multi-actor sales ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a World Café, a new qualitative method to the field of sales research, to obtain first data on selling actor identities in multi-actor sales ecosystems. Salespeople, who had the chance to observe and interact with more than 98,000 selling actors, disclosed their perceptions of selling actors’ participation behavior in a multi-actor sales ecosystem. Four different data sources were analyzed using qualitative content analysis to develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic and to test validity through the convergence of information from different sources. Findings Using identity theory, a salesperson–selling actor relationship/behavior typology for multi-actor sales ecosystems was developed. Eight different selling actor identities were identified: avoider, observer, receptive actor, prepper, expecter, savvy actor, challenger and coworker. Originality/value The typology provides researchers and managers with a tool to better understand and evaluate sales ecosystems. This knowledge can be used as a starting point for the reassessment of the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for salespeople in multi-actor sales ecosystems and to improve their training and coaching. The firsthand experiences reported by the participants of the World Café enable salespeople to identify different selling actors faster and prepare fitting approaches for all selling actor identities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 107-110
Author(s):  
Julie Smith ◽  
Susan Garriety

Purpose Being successful in a rapidly changing world of work depends upon having very clear insights into the nature of the workforce from top leadership to lowest employee levels. Understanding generational similarities and differences provides a good starting point, as it provides the basis for examining the diversity of generational perspectives and needs and insight and instruction to open the thinking about the diverse population of employees. The purpose of this paper is to explore ways to bridge the five generations that work in today’s workforce. Design/methodology/approach Human resources has an especially important role to play in employee policy development and implementation, employee relations, performance evaluation, career progression and a wide range of other equally important and complex situations. Findings While it is important to understand these broad generations, it is critical to engage with the individuals within your organization to better understand their perspectives, what matters most to them and where they see the greatest challenges and opportunities to bridge across generations. This paper explores approaches to take in bridging these generations. Originality/value This paper will offer readers valuable insight into managing a multi-generational workforce.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 773-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alcides J. Padilla ◽  
Alexander Garrido

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the causes that determine the UK’s civilian research and development (R&D) expenditure to forecast its possible evolution in a post-Brexit scenario. Design/methodology/approach The authors use the Johansen’s co-integration analysis for time series. Findings The authors find a co-integration relationship between R&D and variables such as exports, military expenditure, patents, EU GDP per capita and USA GDP per capita. The authors also observed a stagnation in the foreseen R&D expenditure over the next five years. Research limitations/implications The authors warned that the results can only be viewed as a glance into the understanding of the complex elements that undergird the UK’s civilian, scientific and technological policy-making. But the authors see them as an interesting starting point for scrutinizing current shortcomings in policy-making, while providing clues for corrective action that would otherwise lead the UK to a structural crisis in its economic performance. Originality/value This study constitutes a first attempt to account for the loss of the UK’s innovative influence all over the world.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-7

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings This research paper concentrates on updating the model of employee engagement formed by Saks in 2006. Based on subsequent studies the original model remains valid, but can be expanded by adding causal factors of engagement such as transformational leadership and a shared positive mood, as well as engagement effects such as health and well-being and task performance. Assigning intrinsically varied work that draws on a number of skills is a good starting point for managers who wish to stimulate employees toward optimal performance. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 492-507
Author(s):  
John A. Cotsomitis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the conceptual adequacy of the learning economy and its ability to describe the modern globalised economy. It is argued that unlike many fleeting catchwords and phrases found in economics, the learning economy represents a superior conceptual and heuristic starting point that reflects a new and emerging economic regime. Design/methodology/approach The paper examines those features of the learning economy which makes it a useful conceptualization and highlights some preconditions that are functional for its emergence. The paper then assesses the empirical validity of the learning economy and gauges its performance across 16 EU countries. Findings The learning economy represents a viable and useful concept in economics and the broader social sciences, which synthesizes recent attempts to depict what is new in the world economy into an internally coherent whole while overcoming previous shortcomings. It reflects a tangible reality that has taken hold most firmly in a small but significant part of the world, the Nordic countries of Northwestern Europe. Social implications Because it has already emerged in some advanced countries, the learning economy offers a concrete exemplar for other countries to emulate. If one has to ask people and communities to sacrifice, save and invest for the future, it is more convincing to do so for a concrete and credible future that does exist than for some conjectural future. Originality/value The paper uses an epistemological perspective to analyse the concept of the learning economy as articulated by Bengt-Äke Lundvall.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 648-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soyoung Kim ◽  
Jihyun Yoon ◽  
Joongwon Shin

Purpose This study aimed to investigate consumers’ perception on sustainable business-and-industry (B&I) foodservice and their willingness to pay a premium for it. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted. Among the 978 respondents, a total of 548 respondents who used B&I foodservice equal to or more than five times a month on an average were included for analyses. Findings The result revealed that consumers tended to perceive the concept of sustainability as “equivalent to (32 per cent) or beyond (28 per cent) being green or eco-friendly”. Consumers appeared to perceive the need for and the quality of sustainable B&I foodservice highly, but their awareness was comparatively low. Consumers’ awareness was significantly different across all demographic and food-related lifestyle variables. However, significant differences in the need and perceived quality were found only among food-related lifestyle variables. The result also indicated that 66 per cent of consumers were willing to pay a premium average of USD 0.72, 21 per cent of the reference meal price (USD 3.53) proposed in the survey. Consumers’ gender and eco-friendly dietary lifestyles were the significant determinants in predicting consumers’ willingness to pay a premium. Originality/value With concerns over environmental crisis, sustainable development has been a mainstream agenda across the world. However, the issue of sustainable development appears to be relatively overlooked in the field of foodservice research. This study is meaningful, in that it calls attention to the importance and potential of realizing sustainable foodservice and provides a starting point in relevant researches.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 29-31

Purpose Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The problem with developing a reputation of being something of an oracle in the business world is that all of a sudden, everyone expects you to pull off the trick of interpreting the future on a daily basis. Like a freak show circus act or one-hit wonder pop singer, people expect you to perform when they see you, and they expect you to perform the thing that made you famous, even if it is the one thing in the world you don’t want to do. And when you fail to deliver on these heightened expectations, you are dismissed as a one trick pony, however good that trick is in the first place. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


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