Creating an eventful rural place: Akaroa’s French Festival

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Fountain ◽  
Michael Mackay
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Place Image ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Construction Of Place

Purpose Recent theorising about the globalising countryside highlights the processes of place making, sense of place and the construction of place-based identities in rural regions, where exogenous forces are utilised, negotiated and contested by local communities as they seek to represent their place. A longitudinal case study of Akaroa’s French Festival shows how this place-based identity has been constructed, promoted and animated over the past two decades at the nexus of globalising and local forces. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on qualitative methods utilising documentary analysis, participant observation and key stakeholder interviews undertaken in the township of Akaroa, New Zealand. Findings The form this festival has taken, and the version of the place identity represented therein, has shifted over the course of the last two decades. While this is in part due to the energy, personal heritage and agenda of local champions, the influence of the globalising forces, political, economic and cultural, have shaped the place image portrayed through this festival. Originality/value There are limited attempts to theorise rural festivals within a “global countryside” framework, and the detailed longitudinal research underpinning this paper provides a unique opportunity to explore the emergent issues in a rural community festival in qualitative detail. The study reinforces the understanding of the role of local agency in the making of places in a globalising world.

Reaching organizational ambidexterity in the merger process: a temporal switching

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 879-896
Author(s):  
Anne-Sophie Thelisson ◽  
Audrey Missonier ◽  
Gilles Guieu
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Organizational Ambidexterity ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Merger Process ◽  
Post Merger Integration ◽  
And Control ◽  
Merger Integration ◽  
Parent Companies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how a company reaches organizational ambidexterity during a merger process. Organizational ambidexterity refers to the proactive adaptations of an organization to simultaneously explore and exploit. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents a longitudinal case study of a public-private merger of two listed French companies. The data were collected from participant observation, interviews and archival documentation over two years. Findings The balance between autonomy and control by the parent companies evolves during the post-merger integration. The findings reveal that there was no concordance between the oscillations between autonomy and control on the part of the parent companies and the new organization’s exploration/exploitation strategies. However, the progressive evolution of control and autonomy from the parent companies engendered organizational ambidexterity during the third phase integration. Practical implications The study adds insight into how organizations can develop ways to manage organizational ambidexterity dynamics by employing temporal mechanisms, referring to an organization’s shifting sequentially between exploration and exploitation. The case highlights how temporal switching between exploration and exploitation occurs to ultimately enable ambidexterity. Originality/value Although organizational ambidexterity is recognized as a key element for post-merger integration, how it is achieved over the course of the merger process has received little attention. The study highlights that in the case of public-private mergers, the parent companies influence exploration and/or exploitation strategies. The paper adds insights on whether exploration and exploitation can be differentiated over time and whether exploration and exploitation can be reconciled at the same time.

scholarly journals We are what we tell: an enquiry into NGOs' organizational identity and accountability

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Pianezzi
Keyword(s):  
Identity Formation ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Organizational Identity ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Over Time

PurposeThis study offers a critical inquiry into accountability vis-à-vis organizational identity formation. It investigates how accountability evolves in the transformation of an NGO operating in the field of migration management from an informal grassroots group into a fully-fledged organization.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is the outcome of a participatory action research project on Welcome Refugees (WR), a UK-based NGO. The project involved documentary analysis, focus group and semi-structured interviews, field notes, and participant observation. The analysis draws from poststructuralist theorization to explain the interplay between organizational identity and different forms of NGO accountability over time.FindingsThe study shows how different forms of accountability became salient over time and were experienced differently by organizational members, thus leading to competing collective identity narratives. Organizational members felt accountable to beneficiaries in different ways, and this was reflected in their identification with the organization. Some advocated a rights-based approach that partially resonated with the accountability demands of external donors, while others aimed at enacting their feelings of accountability by preserving their closeness with beneficiaries and using a need-based approach. These differences led to an identity struggle that was ultimately solved through the silencing of marginalized narratives and the adoption of an adaptive regime of accountability.Practical implicationsThe findings of the case are of practical relevance to quasi-organizations that struggle to form and maintain organizational identity in their first years of operation. Their survival depends not only on their ability to accommodate and/or resist a multiplicity of accountability demands but also on their ability to develop a shared and common understanding of identity accountability.Originality/valueThe paper problematizes rather than takes for granted the process through which organizations acquire a viable identity and the role of accountability within them.

scholarly journals Making sense of government budgeting: an internal transparency perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 377-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irvine Lapsley ◽  
Ana-María Ríos
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Scottish Parliament ◽  
The Media ◽  
Elite Interviews ◽  
Government Body ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is an investigation of internal transparency in government budgeting. Design/methodology/approach – A case study which uses mixed methods – documentary analysis, some observation and elite interviews. Findings – Politicians do not want transparency. Despite the way in which the idea of transparency in government is beyond open challenge, this study reveals the manner in which politicians can inhibit and limit transparency through political will and action. Research limitations/implications – These findings raise serious challenges for policymakers who design government budgeting systems. They should raise concerns among other interested parties, including the media, the electorate and oversight bodies. Practical implications – Are government budgets rigorously scrutinised? This evidence suggests not. This has major implications for accountants in government and for those who seek to use this information. Social implications – This research needs to be extended beyond the case of a government body – the Scottish Parliament – which was designed for and committed to transparency in its activities. For those public service organisations which have no such commitment, is public accountability achievable? Originality/value – This study uses a novel lens of three levels of transparency as devised by Biondi and Lapsley (2014). It focuses on an emergent field of internal transparency in government budgeting.

Intellectual Capital dynamics: seeing them “in practice” through a temporal lens

VINE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Giuliani
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to observe Intellectual Capital (IC) dynamics “in practice” through a temporal lens by considering IC as an on-going process, and thus taking into consideration its life cycle and how it changes over time. Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal case study has been investigated by adopting a participant observation approach to understand how the dynamics of IC are understood in practice. Findings – This study spotlights three main conceptions of IC dynamics (value creation, IC activities and organizational change) which, although generally proposed in literature as separable concepts, do co-exist and interact, in practice as is reflected in the related managerial tools. Research limitations/implications – The main limitations of this study are twofold. The first is related to the methodology adopted and in particular, to the participant observation approach. The second is related to the specifics of the case study undertaken. This paper contributes to the literature on “Intellectual Capital in action” and “Intellectual Capital in practice” by enriching the understanding of IC dynamics. Originality/value – By comparison to the extant literature in which the IC dynamics concepts are considered separately, this study combines the three different concepts and examines them in vivo, adopting a longitudinal perspective.

An image worth a thousand words? Expressions of stakeholder identity perspectives in place image descriptions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carola Strandberg ◽  
Maria Ek Styvén
Keyword(s):  
Place Identity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Place Image ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Qualitative Nature ◽  
Place Brand ◽  
Gathering Place ◽  
Social Group Identity ◽  
Image Descriptions ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose This paper aims to explore how place identity can be expressed in residents’ place image descriptions, addressing differences and similarities in place identity expressions between residents’ descriptions of the image of their place and the image of the place as described to others. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with residents of a Swedish city. Place image descriptions were analyzed through thematic analysis. Findings Different types of identity perspectives manifest in the place image descriptions of residents. Respondents’ associations reflect place, person and social group identity perspectives, including their own perspective as residents, but also as visitors, or a combination of both. Priming is needed when gathering place image perceptions, to establish which underlying identity perspective is expressed. Research limitations/implications This study offers a Nordic perspective on the organic communication of place image. The scope and qualitative nature of this study is a limitation to its generalizability but also suggests a rich ground for future cross-cultural studies on the topic. Practical implications Results point to the importance of accurately formulating questions to catch stakeholders’ place image. Insights are offered into how stakeholders communicate Nordic place image perceptions when engaging in communication about a place and into the effects of identity on organic place brand communication. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to explore how key stakeholders’ lenses to interpret a place brand are activated in the communication of place image, and how this influences their descriptions of the place.

scholarly journals Strong contracts: the relationship between power and action

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 272-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Royston Morgan ◽  
Des Doran ◽  
Stephanie Jean Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Application Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Potential Success ◽  
Poor Outcomes ◽  
Outsourcing Contracts

Purpose There is a view that strong preventative contracts are essential to control supplier opportunism and delivery during an outsourcing implementation. The purpose of this paper is to test the proposition that contractual project environments, typical of outsourcing engagements, are essentially conflictual and that context and circumstance can act to overwhelm formal contractual and project control and lead to poor outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports on a supply case study focussed on the outsourced delivery of an application development in the defence sector. Data were gathered by a participant observation in situ for a period of three years. A grounded analysis from observations, diaries, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, documentary analysis, and e-mails was carried out with six case organisations within the extended supply chain. Findings Collaboration between suppliers and buyers can be blocked by preventative fixed price contracts and as a result when requirements are incomplete or vague this adversely impacts success. Practical implications Strong contractual control focussed on compliance may actually impede the potential success of outsourcing contracts especially when collaborative approaches are needed to cope with variability in demand. Originality/value The research raises the important practical and conceptual notion that an outsourcing can be a conflictual inter-firm phenomenon especially where multiple actors are involved and business uncertainty is present.

Kairotic and chronological knowing: diabetes logbooks in-and-out of the hospital

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Maria Piras
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Condition ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The Right ◽  
Forms Of Knowledge

Purpose The paper reflects on the role of knowledge artefacts in the patient-provider relationship across the organisational boundaries of the clinical setting. Drawing on the analysis of the diabetes logbook, the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the role of knowledge artefacts in a fragmented system of knowledge through the study of two distinct practices: “logbook compiling” and “consultation in the surgery”. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical framework of analysis is rooted in the tradition of practice-based studies which envisions knowledge as the emerging, precarious and socially constructed product of being involved in a practice. The paper follows a designed qualitative research, conducting semi-structured interviews, participant observation and artefact analysis. Findings The knowledge artefacts support different and partially irreducible forms of knowledge. Knowing-in-practice is accomplished by means of different activities which contribute to the reshaping of the knowledge artefact itself. The analysis of the “knowledge artefact-in-use” reveals that different actors (doctors and patients) adopt two different perspectives when investigating the chronic condition. Clinicians are interested in a chronological representation of patient data while patients and families are interested in making sense of specific situations, adopting a kairotic perspective (Kairos: the right moment) that emphasises the instant in which something significant for someone happens. Originality/value The analysis of the knowledge artefacts-in-use has a twofold outcome. On one hand, it illustrates the mutual shaping of knowing, artefacts and practices. On the other hand, it shows how knowledge artefact can become pivotal resources in a fragmented system of knowledge.

What determines residents’ commitment to a post-communist city? A moderated mediation analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-68
Author(s):  
Laurent Tournois ◽  
Chiara Rollero
Keyword(s):  
Place Attachment ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
Moderated Mediation ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Place Image ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to investigate how residents’ perceptions of the image of their place of living influence their level of commitment toward it. The mediating role of human place bonds (place attachment and place identity) and the moderating effect of the socio-demographic characteristics of the host community in this relationship is specifically examined. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical direct–indirect–moderation relationships are examined using structural equation modeling and moderated-mediation or condition process analysis (Hayes and Preacher, 2013). Data were collected from 472 residents living in Belgrade (Serbia). Findings The findings support the contention that place attachment and place identity mediate the relationship between place image and commitment. The study further shows that the conditional indirect relationship of place image with commitment through place attachment and place identity is significant for age. Age and place of birth are found to moderate the relationship between place image and place attachment. Research limitations/implications A stimulating avenue for future research is to explore the effect of culture (individualist, short-term oriented and low on power distance vs collectivist, long-term oriented and high on power distance cultures) on model’s relationships as well as on commitment specifically. Practical implications To enhance their residents’ commitment, place marketers should focus on two levels of action. The first lever is to assess how residents perceive the image of the place where they live as it can serve as a strategic outline to explore their level of support and address the possible negative feelings they may have toward any development project. The second level of action is developing bottom up strategies that are likely to enhance residents’ commitment which aims at transforming residents into active place ambassadors and actors of the public life of the city. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first in the place branding research domain to examine the role of human place bonds in the relationship between place image and commitment using mediation, moderation, and moderated-mediation analyses. Moreover, place branding literature is underdeveloped regarding the current issues most post-communist countries face.

Making critical sense of discriminatory practices in the Canadian workplace

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalie K. Hilde ◽  
Albert Mills
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Immigrant Experience ◽  
The Government ◽  
Organizational Rules

Purpose – This paper aims to report on a preliminary study of how professionally qualified immigrants from Hong Kong to Canada make sense of their experiences, particularly workplace opportunities. Design/methodology/approach – The study is framed by a Critical Sensemaking approach, involving in-depth interviews with 12 informants from the Hong Kong Chinese community and discursive analysis (Foucault, 1979) of the local and formative contexts in which they are making sense of workplace opportunities. Findings – The findings suggest that a dominant discourse of “integration” strongly influences the way that professionally qualified immigrants come to accept the unchallenged assumptions that the government is providing help for them to “get in”; and that ethnic service organizations are offering positive guidance to the immigrants’ workplace goals and opportunities. Immigrants’ identity and self-worth are measured by whether they “get in” – integrate – into so-called mainstream society. The effect of this hidden discourse has been to marginalize some immigrants in relation to workplace opportunities. Research limitations/implications – The interplay of structural (i.e. formative contexts and organizational rules), socio-psychological (i.e. sensemaking properties) and discursive contexts (e.g. discourses of immigration) are difficult to detail over time. The interplay – although important – is difficult to document and trace over a relatively short period of time and may, more appropriately lend itself to more longitudinal research. Practical implications – This paper strongly suggests that we need to move beyond structural accounts to capture the voice and agency of immigrants. In particular, as we have tried to show, the sensemaking and sensemaking contexts in which immigrants find themselves provide important insights to the immigrant experience. Social implications – This paper suggests widespread policy implications, with a call for greater use of qualitative methods in the study of immigrant experience. It is suggested that policymakers need to move beyond uniform and structural approaches to immigration. How selected immigrants in context make sense of their experiences and how this can help to identify improved policies need to be understood. Originality/value – This paper is original in going beyond both structural and psychological accounts of immigration. Through the developing method of Critical Sensemaking, the study combines a focus on structure and social psychology and their interplay. Thus, providing insights not only to the broad discriminatory practices that so-called non-White immigrants face in Canada (and likely other industrial societies) but how these are made sense of. The study is also unique in attempting to fuse sensemaking and discourse analysis to show the interaction between individual sensemaking in the context of dominant discourses.

Globalizing community festivals: the case of the community festival in Wanwei, Guangxi, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-78
Author(s):  
Cham Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
National Level ◽  
Local Identity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working People ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
The Village ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to concern the community festival of a Jing minority village in the China–Vietnam border area. Since it was designated as a national-level Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006, the festival has undergone many changes. The festival has steadily expanded and evolved, assuming characteristics of globalization. How is the globalized character of the Wanwei festival manifested? What are the forces behind the elevation of this local festival onto the register of national events and how did it turn into an event organized by the township? Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on the results of the author’s research on the culture of Kinh people in Wanwei from 2000 to the present. From the anthropological approach, the author mainly uses method of participant observation and in-depth interviews. The author has observed the Wanwei communal festival from 2000 to the present, interviewing about 40 villagers in Wanwei in depth, they can be leaders, intellectuals, civil servants, officials or working people. Findings The paper is a case study of the new aspect of globalization of a village festival. The author argues that globalization can lead to a spread of global flows but in this process of globalization, villagers also want to define the local identity, they reinvent the tradition, rewrite history, create new nuances for the gods with many different purposes. Practicing the current Wanwei village festival is a vivid example of globalization from below and the politics of tradition. Originality/value The paper adds a theoretical dimension to current globalization research. The paper also points out the political, economic and social dynamics that govern the transformation of a village festival in particular and the village culture in general in the border areas. The paper is a testament to the dynamism and flexibility of villagers when participating in the current globalization process.

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