Infrastructure and the experience of documents

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Carter
Keyword(s):  
Physical Space ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Reception Studies ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Institutional Organization ◽  
Alternative Research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to understandings of how documents are experienced by looking to work in reception studies for methodological examples. Based on a review of research from literary studies, communication studies and museum studies, it identifies existing approaches and challenges. Specifically, it draws attention to problems cited in relation to small-scale user studies and suggests an alternative approach that focusses on how infrastructures influence experience. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents data collected from over a year of ethnographic work at a cultural archive and exhibition space and analyses the implications of infrastructural features such as institutional organization, database structures and the organization of physical space for making available certain modes of reception. Findings – This research suggests that infrastructure provides a useful perspective on how experiences of documents are influenced by larger systems. Research limitations/implications – This research was conducted to explore the implications of an alternative research methodology. Based on the ethnographic study presented, it suggests that this approach produces results that warrant further work. However, as it is intended only to be a test case, its scope is limited, and future research following the approach discussed here should more fully engage with specific findings in relation to the experience of documents. Originality/value – This paper presents an alternative approach to studying the experience of documents that responds to limitations in previous work. The research presented suggests that infrastructures can reveal ways that the experience is shared across contexts, shifting discussions from individuals and objects to technical systems, institutions and social structures.

Accountability and the rise of “play safe” pedagogical practices

2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 663-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Student Teacher Relationship ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the culture of teacher accountability has been intensified in further education (FE) under neo-liberalist policy, with the result that the student-teacher relationship has shifted to one of supplier-consumer. The paper focuses on the impact which this shift has had on teachers’ pedagogical practice and employment prospects. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on data gathered during a three-year ethnographic study which focused on the experiences of trainee and newly qualified teachers working in the FE sector. The data were generated from naturally occurring evidence including reflective diaries, lesson observations and class discussions. Findings – The findings suggest that target-driven college cultures are creating conditions which encourage teachers to “play safe” in terms of pedagogical practice whilst students are becoming increasingly dependent on teacher-led direction in a bid to achieve targets. Not only are teachers being held increasingly accountable for their students’ results but their employment prospects are also dependent on them. Research limitations/implications – Although based on a small-scale study, the findings are of sufficient significance to stimulate debate and future research around the issue of how neo-liberalist policy impacts on practice in FE. Practical implications – The paper suggests that for both FE teachers and their students, creative thinking and experimentation may be at risk from the impact of such policy. Originality/value – This paper goes beyond existing critiques of accountability: it argues that as teachers’ employment prospects become increasingly dependent on student results, both teachers and their students are vulnerable to focusing on risk-free practices which jeopardise the potential for innovation and autonomy.

Bridging and bonding: having a Muslim diversity on corporate boards and firm performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohail Hassan ◽  
Maran Marimuthu
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Muslim Women ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Demographic Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Diversity Issues

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the demographic diversity at top-level management and its impact on the performance of Malaysian-listed companies. In addition, Muslim diversity on corporate boards is examined. Design/methodology/approachAlthough many organisations aspire to be socially diverse, diversity’s consequences for organisational performance remain unclear. This study specifies the whole distinct mechanism and measures it independently, bridging as the demographic diversity among the board of directors (BODs) and bonding as the firm’s financial performance. To maintain the homogeneity factor, the empirical analysis has been confined to 12 fully fledged sectors and 529 Malaysian listed firms out of 798 firms selected on the basis of judgmental sampling during the period of 2013. The paper applies the correlation matrix and linear regression model to justify this phenomenon. FindingsThe empirical findings suggest that gender diversity (Muslim and Non-Muslim women) is positively significant with firm performance with regards to management, shareholders and market perspectives. It means that both Muslim and non-Muslim women are contributing to firm performance. Ethnic diversity (minority) and Muslim diversity (majority) have no impact on firm performance. On the other hand, interaction variables are positively significant with firm performance. It means that majority and minorities are essential for corporate boards to produce a greater performance. Research limitations/implicationsFuture research could include more variables such as director’s age profile and foreign participation as well as other types of diversities, such as cognitive diversity and corporate diversity. In addition, another possible extension could be the investigation of diversity issues between small scale and large or high and low-profit firms. The findings provide insightful information to firms, as this study suggests that the diverse corporate boards can enhance firm performance. Originality/valueIn recent years, diversity issues have been examined with regard to firm performance of the listed companies. Whilst extensive literature exists on diversity issues, this issue is still under debate and has had inconsistent results. The paper attempts to fill the gap in the existing literature, discuss the empirically diverse corporate boards with the interaction approach and impact on the firm performance.

Sentiment annotations for reviews: an information quality perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 579-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heng-Li Yang ◽  
August F.Y. Chao
Keyword(s):  
Sentiment Analysis ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
Product Service ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Internet Information ◽  
Negative Sentiment ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose sentiment annotation at sentence level to reduce information overloading while reading product/service reviews in the internet. Design/methodology/approach The keyword-based sentiment analysis is applied for highlighting review sentences. An experiment is conducted for demonstrating its effectiveness. Findings A prototype is built for highlighting tourism review sentences in Chinese with positive or negative sentiment polarity. An experiment results indicates that sentiment annotation can increase information quality and user’s intention to read tourism reviews. Research limitations/implications This study has made two major contributions: proposing the approach of adding sentiment annotation at sentence level of review texts for assisting decision-making; validating the relationships among the information quality constructs. However, in this study, sentiment analysis was conducted on a limited corpus; future research may try a larger corpus. Besides, the annotation system was built on the tourism data. Future studies might try to apply to other areas. Practical implications If the proposed annotation systems become popular, both tourists and attraction providers would obtain benefits. In this era of smart tourism, tourists could browse through the huge amount of internet information more quickly. Attraction providers could understand what are the strengths and weaknesses of their facilities more easily. The application of this sentiment analysis is possible for other languages, especially for non-spaced languages. Originality/value Facing large amounts of data, past researchers were engaged in automatically constructing a compact yet meaningful abstraction of the texts. However, users have different positions and purposes. This study proposes an alternative approach to add sentiment annotation at sentence level for assisting users.

scholarly journals Spatially embedded inequality

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 643-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lotte Holck
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Workplace Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Opportunity Structures ◽  
Structure And Agency ◽  
Spatial Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply a spatial approach to organizational inequality to explore why unequal opportunity structures persist in an organization despite its commitment to diversity and employing highly skilled ethnic minority employees. Design/methodology/approach – The (re)production of inequality is explored by linking research on organizational space with HRM diversity management. Data from an ethnographic study undertaken in a Danish municipal center illustrates how a substructure of inequality is spatially upheld alongside a formal diversity policy. Archer’s distinction between structure and agency informs the analysis of how minority agency not only reproduces but also challenges organizational opportunity structures. Findings – The analysis demonstrates how substructures of inequality stabilize in spatial routines enacted in an ethnic zoning of the workplace and ethnification of job categories. However, the same spatial structures allows for a variety of opposition and conciliation strategies among minority employees, even though the latter tend to prevail in a reproduction rather than a transformation of the organizational opportunity structures. Research limitations/implications – The reliance on a single case study restricts the generalizability of the findings but highlights fruitful areas for future research. Practical implications – The study sensitizes HRM practitioners to the situated quality of workplace diversity and to develop a broader scope of HRM practices to address the more subtle, spatially embedded forms of inequality. Originality/value – Theoretical and empirical connections between research on organizational space and HRM diversity management have thus far not been systematically studied. This combination might advance knowledge on the persistence of micro-inequality even in organizations formally committed to diversity.

Team microfranchising as a response to the entrepreneurial capacity problem in low-income markets

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Camenzuli ◽  
Kevin McKague
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Training

Purpose – Drawing on a qualitative study of youth microfranchising in the Tanzanian computer sales, service, and training sector, the purpose of this study is to identify the challenges and advantages of a team-based approach to owning and operating a microfranchise business in the context of a least developed country. However, disadvantaged entrepreneurs typically still lack a critical mass of specialized technical skills and general managerial skills to manage a differentiated and competitive microenterprise business. A team-based approach to microfranchising can allow for combining specialized skills among more than one business owner; however, the potential risks and opportunities of team-microfranchising have not been studied. This study makes a contribution toward filling this gap by identifying five challenges and five advantages of team microfranchising which provide guidance for future research and practice. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative data (interviews, observation and archival documents) were analyzed from an in-depth case study of youth microfranchising in the Tanzanian computer sales, service and training sector. Findings – Results revealed that microfranchise businesses in sectors that require multiple complementary higher-level skills are suited to a team microfranchise approach. Findings suggest that the greater the limitations on franchisee skills and the more pronounced the lack of public goods and institutions, the greater the potential for team microfranchising to overcome the entrepreneurial capacity constraints and institutional voids in low-income market contexts. Further, team-based microfranchises may be able to compete more effectively in sectors where economies of scale are not a significant factor, such as service industries and small-scale niche manufacturing. Also identified are five potential challenges and five areas of opportunity for practitioners seeking to implement a team-microfranchise approach. Research limitations/implications – The current study examined microfranchising among teams of youth in the Tanzanian computer sales and service sector. Further research could examine team microfranchising among other demographic groups in different sectors and the different regulatory, institutional and cultural contexts of other regions and countries. Social implications – If developed effectively in the right contexts, the team-based approach to microfranchising can potentially double the job-creation impacts of microfranchising ventures. Originality/value – This study is the first to assess the viability and boundary conditions of a team-based approach to microfranchising.

Error management: implications for construction

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 418-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter E.D. Love ◽  
Jim Smith
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Error Reporting ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Error Management ◽  
Learning From Errors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Initial Starting

Purpose Conventional “wisdom” in construction has placed emphasis on error prevention and is often aligned with the concept of “Zero Vision”; improvements to safety and quality have been minimal. An alternative approach is needed to ensure significant improvements in safety and quality; thus, this paper aims to introduce the concept of error management. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews the extant literature and draws upon the phenomenological research and observations experienced by the authors. Findings It is promulgated that if quality and safety performance within projects is to improve, then construction organisations and their management need to openly acknowledge their presence so that “learning from errors” can form an integral part of an organisation’s fabric. This will require the institutionalisation of error reporting and an organisational (shared) responsibility for their occurrence. Originality/value The concept of error management has not been addressed previously in the construction literature. The authors introduce the concept and provide implications for management. The observations and experiences presented in this paper provide an initial starting point for future research to explore “how” construction organisations and projects can avoid the negative error consequences and learn to prevent them in the future.

Preparing for PhD: exploring doctoral students’ preparation strategy

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Thamrini Fadzlin Syed Mohamed ◽  
Ahmad Fahimi Amir ◽  
Nur Khadirah Ab. Rahman ◽  
Emily Abd Rahman ◽  
Afifah Quraishah Abdul Nasir
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Preparation Phase ◽  
Personal Level ◽  
Preparation Strategy ◽  
Professional Doctorates ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to give insight on the important preparation task needed to be considered by prospective PhD candidates prior to the start of their study. As pursuing and obtaining a higher degree qualification is becoming more eminent for those who want to advance their academic career, crucial preparation is needed before embarking on the doctoral quest. Design/methodology/approach A small-scale study of the PhD experience was carried out in a public university in Malaysia using semi-structured in-depth interviews with eight successful doctoral students representing three different faculties to assess respondents’ experiences concerning the preparation aspect, challenges faced and strategies used to overcome the problem. Findings From the interview data, three overarching themes emerged: motives, task and financial and health as important dominators that could influence a successful venture of a PhD journey. Research limitations/implications As the present research respondents were few, further research with bigger number of respondents may shed better light in identifying other important aspect in preparation for PhD. The authors are unable, in the space of this paper, to fully explore the implications of the data, and the work of others that it builds on, for the future of professional doctorates or other types of PhD awards. As professional doctorates are fully concentrated on their professional endeavour, i.e. nursing and education, the preparation needed may include different groundwork. In addition, this study was carried out in Malaysia, where the system may not necessarily share the same characteristics to other doctoral systems in other countries. Cultural differences, the impact of age, gender and race, were other variables that could be weighed by future research in the same area. Practical implications The university’s graduate office should line-up courses to inform future doctoral candidates on the aspect of preparation at personal level that the students need to carry out. Social implications The study provides new views where potential doctoral students should be helped and guided to become more consciously aware of their decision in pursuing a higher degree. This paper provides suggestions on the guidelines of the initial preparation needed before embarking on a PhD journey and managing their own learning. Originality/value The paper establishes the important aspect of the preparation phase needed to be considered by future doctoral students before pursuing their doctoral quest.

Work continuity constraints in repetitive project scheduling considering soft logic

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Zou ◽  
Guangchuan Wu ◽  
Qian Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Programming Model ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Project Duration ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Work Interruptions ◽  
Conflicting Objectives ◽  
Soft Logic

PurposeRepetitive projects play an important role in the construction industry. A crucial point in scheduling this type of project lies in enabling timely movement of crews from unit to unit so as to minimize the adverse effect of work interruptions on both time and cost. This paper aims to examine a repetitive scheduling problem with work continuity constraints, involving a tradeoff among project duration, work interruptions and total project cost (TPC). To enhance flexibility and practicability, multi-crew execution is considered and the logic relation between units is allowed to be changed arbitrarily. That is, soft logic is considered.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming model with the capability of yielding the optimal tradeoff among three conflicting objectives. An efficient version of the e-constraint algorithm is customized to solve the model. This model is validated based on two case studies involving a small-scale and a practical-scale project, and the influence of using soft logic on project duration and total cost is analyzed via computational experiments.FindingsUsing soft logic provides more flexibility in minimizing project duration, work interruptions and TPC, especial for non-typical projects with a high percentage of non-typical activities.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of the proposed model fails to consider the learning-forgetting phenomenon, which provides space for future research.Practical implicationsThis study assists practitioners in determining the “most preferred” schedule once additional information is provided.Originality/valueThis paper presents a new soft logic-based mathematical programming model to schedule repetitive projects with the goal of optimizing three conflicting objectives simultaneously.

scholarly journals Communicating an arts foundation’s values: sights, sounds and social media

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Wilks
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nonprofit Arts

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test and refine the long-established signal transmission model of the communication process by examining the ways in which a newly formed nonprofit arts foundation communicated its professed values to its stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a mixed method case study approach. Interviews with key informants and observations of the foundation’s webpages enabled the identification of the professed values of the arts foundation. Next, a questionnaire survey established whether these values had been successfully decoded by stakeholders and identified the channels via which the values-related signals had been received. Findings The transmission model was found to be relevant as a model. However, to improve its fit within a nonprofit arts context, a modification to the model is suggested which highlights the importance of multi-sensory channels, the importance of context and the increasingly important role of the stakeholder. Research limitations/implications This study is a small-scale case study, although its mixed methods help to ensure validity. Practical implications The findings will help nonprofit arts organisations to decide how to best communicate their values to their stakeholders. Social implications The improved communications model will contribute to the enabling of organisations to uphold and transmit their values and thus improve society’s overall quality of life. Originality/value Literature which provides in-depth examination of the communication of values within a nonprofit arts context via a range of channels, including traditional, online and multi-sensory, is sparse. The opportunity to study a newly formed nonprofit arts organisation is also rare. The results of this study provide valuable evidence that even in today’s social media-rich world, people, sounds, sights and material objects in physical space still have a vital role to play in the communication of values.

Correlation between business innovation environment (BIE) and entrepreneurial orientation dimension (EOD) on financial performance of manufacturing SMEs in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wisdom Apedo Deku ◽  
Jiuhe Wang ◽  
Edmund Danquah ◽  
Das Narain
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Innovation

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to provide comprehensive overview, and exposure of the correlation between entrepreneurial orientation dimension (EOD) and business innovation environment (BIE) on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) financial performance in the Ghanaian manufacturing SMEs sector that enhances knowledge and contextualization in marketing and entrepreneurship literature.Design/methodology/approachAnchored on resource-based view theory, 520 manufacturing SMEs companies were conveniently drawn from Association of Ghana Industry, through National Board for Small Scale Industries, using structural equation modelling techniques to analyse the hypotheses.FindingsThis study revealed that three entrepreneurial orientation dimensions EOD: risk-taking, innovations and pro-activeness have positive significant impact on financial performance manufacturing of SMEs. BIE also has positive impact on financial performance of manufacturing of SMEs and BIE moderates SMEs financial performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a country-specific manufacturing SMEs sector, which means that the findings cannot be used to justify other SMEs in Ghana and SMEs in different country. However, the study was limited to only three EODs: risk-taking, innovations, pro-activeness and Ghanaian manufacturing BIE of SMEs. More countries and other SMEs are needed to expand the field of research in EODs and BIE.Practical implicationsIt provides an insight into BIE which is important for marketers, entrepreneurs, regulatory bodies, SMEs owners-managers, directors, government and NGO to strengthening and reshaping their BIE in manufacturing SMEs sector policies, conducts and laws.Originality/valueThis paper fills knowledge and contextual gap in entrepreneurship and marketing literature by presenting comprehensive overview of BIE and EOD research that enhances the on-going discussion in the marketing and entrepreneurship manufacturing SMEs context and proposing priorities for future research streams within an emerging economy.

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