State policy directives and middle-tier translation in a Swedish example

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Nordholm
Keyword(s):  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Loose Coupling ◽  
National Agency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Middle Tier ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
Analytical Perspective ◽  
System Improvement

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the Swedish National Agency for Education’s launch of the nationwide Lgr11 curriculum reform and how local education authorities (LEAs) in one municipality translated and responded to the National Agency’s directives. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents empirical data from a qualitative study of documents and interviews using the analytical perspective from Scott (2001, 2008) to explore regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive aspects of the National Agency’s communications. To analyse the local translations made by LEAs at the central municipal level, analytical categories of assimilation, loose coupling and transformation were used. Findings – The overall results show that the National Agency primarily communicated its policy instructions to LEAs using normative and cultural-cognitive arguments and directives. The lack of sharper regulative directives, such as for division of labour, decision making, mandates and developmental roles, reduced the potential for LEAs to become influential actors in organising local implementation. An analysis using the assistance of assimilation categories, loose coupling and transformation of the paper also shows that LEAs need system support to accomplish more innovative middle-tier translations through elements of loose coupling and transformation – to become catalysts for school system improvement. Research limitations/implications – The research is designed to understand actions and interpretations within specific institutional, organisational and social settings. Originality/value – This paper contributes to former findings by offering a novel perspective for understanding policy translation and the role of middle-tier intermediaries in decentralised education systems.

scholarly journals Zooming out: actor engagement beyond the dyadic

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Alexander ◽  
Elina Jaakkola ◽  
Linda D. Hollebeek
Keyword(s):  
Structuration Theory ◽  
Multiple Roles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Meta Level ◽  
Analytical Perspective ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Service Ecosystem ◽  
Organizational Mechanisms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to broaden extant understanding of actor engagement behavior beyond its currently dominant dyadic (micro-level) focus, by examining it from multiple levels of aggregation within a service ecosystem framework. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper draws on service-dominant logic and structuration theory as theoretical lenses to inform engagement research. Findings By means of a stepwise exercise of “zooming out,” the paper introduces a multi-perspective (micro-, meso-, macro- and meta-level) view of actor engagement that develops understanding of multiple engagement contexts, and suggests that balancing multiple roles may result in actor disengagement behavior. The role of reference groups and role conflict associated with balancing multiple roles is critical to understanding why engaged actor proclivities may wax and wane between contexts. Research limitations/implications The paper offers a set of five propositions that can be utilized by engagement scholars undertaking further research in this area. Practical implications Firms need to understand the values and norms embedded in diverse engagement contexts which can affect actor groups’ needs and motivations. Firms should develop appropriate organizational mechanisms to facilitate (rather than impede or obstruct) the desired behaviors of engaged actors. Originality/value The broader context within which engaged actors operate, and its effects on engagement, has been largely overlooked to date. By broadening the analytical perspective on engagement beyond the dyadic this paper reveals previously unaddressed aspects of this phenomenon, such as the role of disengagement behavior, and the effects of multiple engagement contexts on actors’ future behaviors.

scholarly journals Problematising the interplay between employment relations, migration and mobility

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 580-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny K. Rodriguez ◽  
Lesley Mearns
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Work And Employment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue by problematising labour agency, precariousness, and labour fragmentation as defining themes of the interplay between employment relations, migration and mobility.Design/methodology/approachDrawing from discussions about the impact of globalisation on changes in features of work and employment, and bringing together theory and research on employment relations and labour migration, the paper discusses the relational spatial and temporal nature of agency, the diverse features of worker experiences of precariousness, and the resulting fragmentation in labour solidarity.FindingsLabour agency, precariousness and labour fragmentation intersect to create the axis of dynamics of hardship and abuse that dominate work experiences of migrant workers in the global labour market. Globalisation has a pervasive impact in articulating and perpetuating systemic processes of closure, entrapment and containment, which are triggered by migration and legitimised by dynamics of employment relations.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to current discussions about the interplay between migration, mobility and employment relations and sets out future directions of research to enhance our understanding of the role of employment relations to perpetuate, legitimise and normalise dynamics of globalisation that promote the migrant division of labour and create contradictory labour demands and displacements in the global labour market.

Budget preparers’ perceptions and performance-based budgeting implementation

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Jalali Aliabadi ◽  
Bita Mashayekhi ◽  
Graham Gal
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Loose Coupling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Organizational Processes ◽  
Budgetary Slack ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Budgeting Process

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the reason for the failure of implementing performance-based budgeting (PBB) at Iranian public universities and research institutes (PURI). This examination focuses on the actors participating in the budget processes and their perceptions.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses grounded theory and employs deep semi-structured interviews of budget preparers at Iranian PURI.FindingsThe results indicate a loose coupling between perceived and regulated budgeting process. This leads to budgetary slack as a barrier for authentic information flow and indeed PBB implementation. In the analysis of the results, the authors suggest some ways to improve the current situation of the budgeting processes at Iranian PURI.Practical implicationsPublic organizations that desire to transform their budgeting system need to consider their actors’ perceptions regarding the budgeting process. By explicitly considering their perceptions the organization may be able to solve any loose coupling as a result of internal, external and behavioral conditions.Originality/valueThis research examines issues that arise in the transformation of organizational processes. The focus on budget processes is critical for organizations which receive most, if not all, of their operational funds from a central authority. This research highlights the role of budget actors’ perceptions in transforming the budgeting process. An important result of this analysis is documenting the existence of loose coupling in the current budgeting process at Iranian PURI. This loose coupling results in slack creation and restricts the implementation of a PBB system. Additionally, this loose coupling limits the flow of authentic information.

Management control facing the challenges of overall performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Travaillé ◽  
Gérald Naro
Keyword(s):  
Control Function ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Loose Coupling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Measurement Monitoring ◽  
Management Accountants ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Integrated Or ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This paper aims to focus on the role of management control function in the strategies of corporate social responsibility adopted by companies. Since the years 1980/1990, multidimensional models appeared that give an integrated or balanced representation of performance. In parallel, facing the challenges of sustainable development (SD) and taking them into account in the management of companies, the concept of overall performance has developed. But, at the same time, research based on neo-institutional sociology suggests on the contrary the existence of a loose coupling between a management control oriented towards the search for legitimacy and the internal practices of management control. Design/methodology/approach The study took place between 2010 and 2015. In 2010, the authors conducted a primary exploratory survey of a sample of 40 management controllers. The study was continued in 2015 by a survey of 60 management accountants. The questionnaires were administered electronically. Sorting and cross-sorting, along with tests of independence based on the χ2 test, were carried out. Findings The results of the surveys have allowed us to observe the absence of significant links between proactive strategies displayed by companies in SD and the missions and instruments of management control. These latter would focus solely on measurement, monitoring and reporting of an exclusively economic and financial performance. Research limitations/implications This is an exploratory study among French controllers. This study could be deepened by an international survey of a larger sample and by case studies with different managers involved in SD steering. Practical implications The study highlights the need to involve management controllers in steering SD. Social implications While the literature in management control highlights the role of management accountants in the strategic alignment of SD, this study has shown the weakness of this role. Originality/value The article shows the weak involvement of management controllers in the implementation of SD, while the latter would want to become more involved in the steering of SD.

Accounting as capital and doxa: exploring power and resistance in World Bank projects in Tonga

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 608-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peni Fukofuka ◽  
Kerry Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
World Bank ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Power And Resistance ◽  
Social Settings

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the fluid role of accounting both as a form of power and resistance in the context of World Bank projects in the Island Kingdom of Tonga. Design/methodology/approach Bourdieu’s concepts of doxa and capital provided the framework for problematizing the fluidity of practices of accounting as both a form of power and of resistance. The authors used a qualitative field study design based on a combination of a documentary analysis of these loan agreements and interviews with key actors and informants. Findings The role of accounting in relation to subaltern groups is mediated by the doxic rules and existing capital arrangements at the national and the local or village level. Understanding accounting as both capital and as doxa explains why it can be both a form of power and of resistance. Practical implications This study provides policy makers and foreign donors of Tonga and other Pacific Islands a deeper understanding on the struggles to implement and the impacts of accounting at local level as accounting is deployed as part of struggles in various social contexts each with its own doxa and capital arrangements. Originality/value This study contributes to the growing accounting body of work that seeks to better understand accounting by proposing that role of accounting as a tool for domination is mediated in various social settings by the doxic value and the existing capital arrangements in those settings.

Why are well-adjusted people seen more accurately? The role of personality-behavior congruence in naturalistic social settings.

2019 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 465-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren J. Human ◽  
Marie-Catherine Mignault ◽  
Jeremy C. Biesanz ◽  
Katherine H. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Social Settings

Long-term management of patients with multiple brain metastases after shaped beam radiosurgery

2004 ◽  
pp. 406-412
Author(s):  
Paul Okunieff ◽  
Michael C. Schell ◽  
Russell Ruo ◽  
E. Ronald Hale ◽  
Walter G. O'Dell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Metastases ◽  
Tumor Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Multiple Metastases ◽  
Extracranial Disease ◽  
Successful Control ◽  
The Brain

✓ The role of radiosurgery in the treatment of patients with advanced-stage metastatic disease is currently under debate. Previous randomized studies have not consistently supported the use of radiosurgery to treat patients with numbers of brain metastases. In negative-results studies, however, intracranial tumor control was high but extracranial disease progressed; thus, patient survival was not greatly affected, although neurocognitive function was generally maintained until death. Because the future promises improved systemic (extracranial) therapy, the successful control of brain disease is that much more crucial. Thus, for selected patients with multiple metastases to the brain who remain in good neurological condition, aggressive lesion-targeting radiosurgery should be very useful. Although a major limitation to success of this therapy is the lack of control of extracranial disease in most patients, it is clear that well-designed, aggressive treatment substantially decreases the progression of brain metastases and also improves neurocognitive survival. The authors present the management and a methodology for rational treatment of a patient with breast cancer who has harbored 24 brain metastases during a 3-year period.

scholarly journals Vulnerable adults in police custody

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-8
Author(s):  
Ian Cummins
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Police Custody ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Vulnerable Adults

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the recent National Appropriate Adult Network (NAAN) report on the role of the appropriate adult. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on the NAAN report and a review of relevant policy and research literature. Findings There to Help 2 highlights that there are still significant gaps in the provision of appropriate adult schemes across England and Wales. These gaps potentially place vulnerable adults at increased risk. Originality/value This paper is a review of recent research.

Financial access and economic development: the moderating role of financial consumer protection

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 406-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Kriese ◽  
Joshua Yindenaba Abor ◽  
Elikplimi Agbloyor
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
World Bank ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Compliance Monitoring ◽  
Financial Access ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of financial consumer protection (FCP) in the access–development nexus. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on cross-country data on 102 countries surveyed in the World Bank Global Survey on FCP and Financial Literacy (2013). The White heteroscedasticity adjusted regressions and Two-stage least squares regressions (2SLS) are used for the estimation. Findings Interactions between FCP regulations that foster fair treatment, disclosure, dispute resolution and recourse and financial access have positive net effects on economic development. However, there is no sufficient evidence to suggest that interactions between financial access and enforcement and compliance monitoring regulations have a significant effect on economic development. Practical implications First, policy makers should continue with efforts aimed at instituting FCP regimes as part of strategies aimed at broadening access to financial services for enhanced economic development. Second, instituting FCP regimes per se may not be enough. Policy makers need to consider possible intervening factors such as the provision of adequate resources and supervisory authority, for compliance monitoring and enforcement to achieve the expected positive effect on economic development. Originality/value This study extends evidence in the law–finance–growth literature by providing empirical evidence on the effect of legal institution specific to the protection of retail financial consumers on the access–development nexus using a nouvel data set, the World Bank Global survey on FCP and Financial Literacy (2013).

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