Re-thinking queue culture: the commodification of thick time

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 165-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark N. Wexler

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight both the contribution and the present need to reconfigure the literature on “queue culture” as a precursor of the sociology of waiting. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a legal-structural lens in comparing the initial conceptual treatment of the archetypal “waiting line” with the “line” modifying sociology of waiting that results in waiting rooms, number and telephone queues and in the experience of online waiting. Findings – The initial conception of the culture of the queue understates the importance of three factors: first, the role of third parties in the design, management and inculcation of rules binding those experiencing thick time; second the degree to which communication technology and its attachment to the “mobilities” paradigm has thinned the experience of thick time and lastly the degree to which the increasing commodification of the wait has resulted in the creation of waiting time as a form of pay as you go flexitime. Social implications – The social construction of waiting and the experience of thick time are shown to be increasingly part of the privatized market experience where queue management innovations not only are commercialized but have strong implications for the egalitarian social assumptions imbedded in the initial queue culture based sociology of waiting. Policy implications support the present pay for use philosophy increasingly applied in the transition from public to private management of space. Originality/value – The self-policing “fairness” of the waiting line is now open to scrutiny given the proliferation of the newly shaped distributional logics imbedded in the management, design and use of waiting spaces.

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 142-145
Author(s):  
Mario Coffa

Purpose Based on a comparison with different realities, analysis of the situation of libraries in line with International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) policies and directives. Design/methodology/approach The method used for the following paper is that of a remote interview. Findings The expected results will emerge from the debate that can be raised from this paper. Research limitations/implications The IFLA guidelines have international value but are implemented according to the context of the individual country, not always in a uniform manner. Originality/value The interview reveals the formality of the contents through the informality of the method.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-180
Author(s):  
Nathan Gerard

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the relevance of psychoanalysis to an emerging sub-field known as “critical healthcare management studies” (CHMS).Design/methodology/approachBuilding upon a wave of critical scholarship in the broader field of management, scholars and practitioners of healthcare management have begun to forge a critical scholarly movement of their own. CHMS, short for “critical healthcare management studies,” formally denotes a new subfield of inquiry dedicated to challenging entrenched assumptions, exposing power relations, and cultivating critical praxis, all the while serving as a vital counterpoint to mainstream scholarship. This paper seeks to augment the CHMS movement with psychoanalysis, and particularly the critical vein of organizational psychoanalysis already well-established in critical management studies.FindingsThe argument is made that a greater engagement with psychoanalysis offers novel avenues for critical theorizing and practice in healthcare management. Specifically three areas are considered: 1) the exploitative role of guilt in the caring professions, 2) the resurgence of authoritarianism and its implications for unconscious organizational dynamics, and 3) the potential for a psychoanalytically informed critical healthcare praxis.Originality/valueWhile there remain wide differences of opinion about the utility of psychoanalysis outside of the clinical arena, this paper reveals just how psychoanalysis can inform today's healthcare organizations, and more broadly the social and political organization of health in society.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1387-1405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petteri Uusitalo ◽  
Olli Seppänen ◽  
Antti Peltokorpi ◽  
Hylton Olivieri

Purpose Although prior studies have noted the importance of trust for project performance, research remains scant on describing the role of trust when using lean design management (LDM) in projects. The purpose of this paper is to explore the connection between LDM and interpersonal trust in solving construction projects’ design management problems. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was conducted that included 29 trust- and LDM-themed semi-structured interviews in the USA (California), Brazil and Finland; 11 focus group discussions were also organized to validate the interview findings. Findings The study reveals how LDM contributes to solving design management problems through two distinct but interconnected mechanisms: improved information flow; and improved trust among project team members. A conceptual framework was crafted to illustrate the mechanisms in building trust by means of the social domain of LDM concepts. Research limitations/implications The conceptual framework requires testing through an international survey or through multiple case studies. Practical implications The results indicate that design management would benefit from trustful environments and that trust may be the catalyst for actors’ engagement with LDM. Managers in charge of design within projects can use the conceptual framework when selecting the appropriate LDM tools, which should include both the social and technical domains. Originality/value The study emphasizes the importance of the social domain of LDM concepts. Previous studies have focussed on information flow aspects of LDM but have overlooked the value of interpersonal trust in solving design management problems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larissa Medianeira Bolzan ◽  
Claudia Cristina Bitencourt ◽  
Bibiana Volkmer Martins

Purpose Social innovation is a recent theme, and the practices related to this area are characterized by punctual actions and projects restricted by time and space that make it difficult to develop strategies that can be sustained in this field. Therefore, one point that deserves to be highlighted in studies on social innovation is a matter of scalability. This paper aims to deal with a bibliometry whose objective was to map the existing studies about scalability of social innovation carried out in the Capes and EBSCOHost portals. Design/methodology/approach This paper deals with a bibliometry. The topic researched in this bibliometry is scalability of social innovation. The databases chosen for this research were Portal Periódico Capes and EBSCOHost because they are the leading providers of search databases. Findings A total of 42 papers were considered, distributed between 2002 and 2017. The analysis criteria for the study were origin (composed by year, author, country of origin, periodical and impact factor), focus of the investigations, justification, method and main techniques of research, contributions and theoretical advances and challenges and paths. Originality/value Among the main results found, one of them is that scalability is a topic that began to be researched recently, so that the USA and Brazil lead the research. Most of the studies focused on the scalability process and justified the importance of studies on the subject as a way to explore the potential of expanding the social impacts of a social innovation. Several studies have emphasized the role of networks as being quite positive for the scalability process and have been concerned with identifying factors that contribute to the scalability process. The challenge that most stood out among the papers was the financial sustainability of a social innovation. At the end, a research agenda was proposed.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Imtiaz Arif ◽  
Amna Sohail Rawat ◽  
Lubna Khan

PurposeThis research intends to determine the role of terrorism in defying foreign direct investment (FDI) in top terror effected economies.Design/methodology/approachPanel data on FDI and terrorism from top terror effected economies spanning from 1987 to 2018 were used and the relationship for whole sample was investigated. Later the sample period was divided into pre (1987–2001) and post 9/11 (2002–2018) subsample and same relationship was tested to investigate the normalization of terror effect on FDI. The method of Pooled Mean Group (PMG) was used to test the hypothesis.FindingsThe results showed a negative but statistically insignificant impact of terrorism on the FDI inflows in the long run. Later the sample period was divided into pre (1987–2001) and post 9/11 (2002–2018) subsample. The empirical estimates for pre and post 9/11 periods indicated a negative and statistically significant relationship between terrorism and FDI for pre 9/11 period, and a negative but statistically insignificant relationship between the two variables for post 9/11 period.Originality/valueThe findings suggest several important policy implications for the terror affected countries and are further discussed in the study.


Author(s):  
Abbas J. Ali

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of innovation in society. It explores the relationship between societal happiness and economic growth and how innovation is linked to both issues. Design/methodology/approach – The paper briefly discusses the concept of innovation and the instrumental role that innovative people play in generating wealth and sustaining confidence and dedication among the widest possible segment of society. Findings – Based on economic logic and social perspectives, it is argued that innovation is not merely an economic issue but also a social factor that is characteristically linked to societal wellbeing and the position of a nation in the global marketplace. Originality/value – The paper offers a unique perspective on innovation and argues that it is a fatal mistake to view innovation as independent of the social and political aspects of any society. The paper sets the stage for an effective dialogue by which the essence of innovation, optimism, and economic growth can be recognized and reflected on as interrelated issues.


2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Yates

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of integration in tackling isolation in later life, propose institutions as a key factor in forming intergenerational friendships, and assess the key conditions which need to be established. Design/methodology/approach – Assessment based on work on social contact theory by Professor Miles Hewstone, amongst others, as well as case studies, research from Age UK and the Social Integration Commission. Findings – Isolation can be seen as part of the broader issue of a failure of social integration. A lack of integration in earlier life results in networks which are not age-diverse. This results in isolation in later life. Institutions are key in preventing this, as they allow for the formation of intergenerational friendships and trust. Originality/value – Based on an article by the author (www.demos.co.uk/publications/mapping integration), age-specific integration is reviewed, and supplementary research considered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-275
Author(s):  
Nevine El-Tawy

Purpose This paper aims to present a comprehensive view of the assets recognition criteria by providing a coherent set of pre-measurement themes that should be taken into consideration to be a candidate asset. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a conceptual review paper. Findings This synthesis review results in seven themes; the social constructionist nature of the conceptual framework (CF), the nature of assets, the changing nature of asset recognition, asset measurement bases, entity-specific vs market-specific recognition, the economic resource comprising “rights”, and finally, the role of “separability” in asset recognition. Originality/value With the increasing importance of internally created assets and their implications on the financial position of the business entity, and with coinciding of revisiting the CF for financial reporting (at the time of writing this paper), this paper shows a synthesis and comprehensive themes of asset-based recognition criteria for tangible and intangibles assets.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-115
Author(s):  
Silke Schwarz

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of religion in psychiatry and psychotherapy and it introduces a context-oriented approach to religion. Design/methodology/approach The paper opted for a selective literature review to highlight significant issues with regard to mainstream psychology. Findings It provides a short summary on the historical neglect and exclusion from clinical practice and shows how religion was integrated into the mainstream of psychotherapy and psychiatry. A quantitative and universalistic approach to religion is dominant. The widespread approach to religious coping by Pargament is presented as well as related findings with regard to religion and mental health. Research limitations/implications The paper includes implications for the development of a context-oriented inclusion of religion and encourages for associated empirical research. Originality/value With a critical inclusion of contexts, professionals may stay alerted to the issue that health and disorders are not ontological facts but contain moral codes of a current society. It takes the social context and unequal power relations as the starting point for a partisan cooperation with the affected persons.


2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-Ching Lee

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors affecting attitudes toward social-local-mobile (SoLoMo) advertising from the perspective of social capital. Design/methodology/approach – There were 422 respondents filling out the survey instrument. The research model in this study is tested using SPSS 20 software. Findings – The results show that structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions of social capital have impacts on consumer attitudes toward SoLoMo advertising. Originality/value – It contributes to the literature by advancing our knowledge about determinants of effective SoLoMo advertising from the perspective of social capital. It also provides constructs that constitute the three dimensions in advertising. The author expands the understanding of the social relations under the context of business to consumer by adding substantial nuances to the understanding of the role of social capital in advertising. Finally, this study provides practical suggestions.


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