Exploring public sector planning for transformational government

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tendani Mawela ◽  
Hossana Twinomurinzi ◽  
Nixon Muganda Ochara
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Electronic Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
Transformational Government ◽  
Developmental Transformation

Purpose This paper aims to understand the conceptualisation of the notion of transformational government that is emerging within the electronic government domain. It reviewed how transformational government is manifest in the policy and strategic commitments of government departments in South Africa. The study focused on understanding the role of public sector planning towards the attainment of transformational government. Design/methodology/approach The study is interpretive and qualitative in nature. It provides the outcomes of a deductive thematic analysis conducted on strategic documents of government departments to explore their alignment and support for transformational government. Findings The paper argues for the need for public sector planning that is focused on citizen benefit realisation. The results highlight the significance of strategic plans for developmental transformation. However, the planning instruments were found to have an inconsistent orientation towards transformational government. Originality/value The study is significant in light of the implications of public policy and the associated strategic plans for citizens. This paper also contributes to research on the nascent area of transformational government.

The role of network relationships in small wineries’ internationalization

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiia Vissak ◽  
Barbara Francioni ◽  
Fabio Musso
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Discussion Section ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wine Tourism ◽  
Considerable Research ◽  
Strategic Plans

Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of tourist-generated and other network relationships in small Italian wineries’ internationalization. Design/methodology/approach It is based on 14 cases of which four are discussed in detail. All 14 cases are summarized in two tables and analyzed in the Discussion section. Findings Most firms did not pre-plan their foreign activities. International wine tourism was a major source for creating the contacts necessary for their internationalization: they created relationships/networks in tourists’ home markets and, as a result, expanded there either through selling directly to tourists or to the importers they recommended. In addition, they relied on contacts created at trade fairs or by friends/relatives. Some internationalization attempts failed, as the firms were passive and lacked long-term strategic plans. Thus, these producers have not fully realized the potential of wine tourists’ contacts and other network relationships in their internationalization. Originality/value It shows how wineries benefited from tourists’ networks and other co-operative relationships and how, as a result, they started exporting, but also which problems they faced. These topics have not received considerable research attention yet.

Students as change agents for campus sustainability in Malaysian universities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeeda Fatimah Mohamad ◽  
Mohd Zufri Mamat ◽  
Muhamad Faisal Muhamad Noor
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Change Agent ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Campus Sustainability ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose The notion of students as change agents have widely been used in the campus sustainability literature, but very little has been done to unpack what it really means in practice. This paper aims to critically investigate university students’ perspectives on their role as a change agent for campus sustainability in the context of Malaysian universities. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were carried out with 21 students that have been categorized as change agents through selection criteria at three leading universities in the area of campus sustainability in Malaysia. The data collected from the interviews were analysed through content-based and thematic analysis. Findings Findings demonstrate that students are the backbone behind the implementation of campus sustainability activities. They play the multi-faceted role of leaders, supporters and ambassadors in initiating and driving campus sustainability. The results further suggest that support and freedom to act are the empowering factors that have driven these change agents in carrying out their initiatives. However, without a position, the students’ voices are not significant. Originality/value This study provides deeper evidence-based insights on the notion of students as change agents and how it can be operationalized in the context of campus sustainability.

scholarly journals Making it stick on borrowed time: the role of internal consultants in public sector lean transformations

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marte Daae-Qvale Holmemo ◽  
Daryl John Powell ◽  
Jonas A. Ingvaldsen
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lean Transformation ◽  
Transformation Processes ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the roles of internal lean consultants in western organizations during lean transformation processes and how these roles affect the outcomes of the changes. Design/methodology/approach Findings are based on a qualitative study of four Norwegian public organizations. Findings Characteristics of western organizations put internal lean consultants in important roles during the project initiation and change phases. However, consultants have less impact in the last phase of the transformation process while transferring the responsibilities over to line management. The organizations struggle to “make lean stick” due to the distribution of responsibilities between managers and internal consultants. Practical implications The distribution of responsibilities between managers and consultants should be carefully considered in lean transformation processes. Internal lean consultants should serve the managers as teachers and coaches, rather than doing their jobs for them. Originality/value The paper contributes with in-depth knowledge of the roles of internal consultants in lean transformation processes, a topic that the literature has left unexplored and undebated.

Italian companies’ attitude towards GM crops

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 685-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Sarno ◽  
Rosa Malgeri Manzo
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Genetically Modified Organisms ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Gm Crops ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Logical Sequence

Purpose Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a consolidated reality. While consumers are opposed to the introduction of GMOs in Italy, little or nothing is known about the companies’ attitude. For this reason, this work is focused on companies. This research aims to understand the problems, the possible solutions and the opinions of farms on the role of GMOs to arrive at a judgement based on the representation of various positions. Design/methodology/approach This paper was made possible thanks to a direct survey on the field. In particular, the work provides a significant number of interviews directed to livestock farms; a logical sequence of questions that allow you to understand the attitude and the willingness of companies and if there is a future propensity to transgenic cultivation; and the creation of an ad hoc analysis on the behaviour of farmers. Findings Thematic analysis revealed that GMOs are the only valid research to the advancement of agriculture, able to guarantee our companies productivity improvements. This technique could solve many problems related to agriculture, such as the possibility of future saving on crops. Originality/value There is a lot of research on GMOs. The research behind this paper is different, because it is a research carried out throughout all the country, from the point of view of businesses.

Perceptions of City Managers About Open Government Policies

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Ignacio Criado ◽  
Edgar Alejandro Ruvalcaba-Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Electronic Government ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Open Government ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
City Managers ◽  
Strategic Plans

At this point, the role of the concept Open Government (OG) has been key promoting transparency, participation and collaboration in public administration worldwide. This article presents research about the open government (OG) phenomena in Spanish municipalities over 50,000 inhabitants (146 municipalities), using a questionnaire. Particularly, the research objective of this article is looking at the perceptions of city managers responsible for OG policies in order to understand more about this emergent public policy in the local layer of government. The results are consistent with a notion of OG associated to terms like transparency or access to information, and less to collaboration, co-production, of technologies or electronic government. In addition, the results confirm the intention of city managers to promote transparency or access to information with OG policies, while other possible outcomes (collaboration, managerial improvements or reduction of management costs) are less popular. Finally, the implementation of OG policies remains in its initial stages, whereas they are much expanded in strategic plans or units/departments at the local level of government in Spain.

Personalized and cued advertising aimed at children

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristien Daems ◽  
Freya De Keyzer ◽  
Patrick De Pelsmacker ◽  
Ingrid Moons
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Behavioral Intention ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Joint Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personalized Advertising ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of personalization of advertising and adding an advertising cue to advertisements on Facebook, on 9-to-13-year-old children’s awareness of selling intent, attitude towards the advertisement (Aad) and word-of-mouth (WOM) intention. Design/methodology/approach A 2 (personalized ad vs non-personalized ad) × 2 (advertising cue vs no advertising cue) between-subjects design was tested among 167 Belgian children aged 9-13 by means of an in-class online experiment. Findings Personalization combined with an advertising cue increases the awareness of selling intent but influences neither Aad nor WOM intention. Awareness of selling intent does not affect WOM intention. Personalization does not increase Aad. Aad has a positive effect on WOM intention. Research limitations/implications Implementing a clear advertising cue enhances children’s awareness of selling intent of personalized advertising but does not affect behavioral intention. Public policy, the advertising community and the educational system should take these insights into account when developing regulations, ethical advertisements and educational packages to improve children’s understanding and responses to contemporary advertising formats. Originality/value The study is the first one to investigate the joint effect of advertising personalization and an advertising cue on awareness of selling intent and on evaluative and behavioral responses of children. Additionally, the role of Aad and awareness of selling intent for the development of WOM intention is explored.

Internships in China: exploring contextual perspectives

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 438-450
Author(s):  
Philip Rose
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chinese Context ◽  
Cultural Phenomenon ◽  
Graduate Employability ◽  
Internship Experience

Purpose Globally internships have become an increasingly pervasive means by which to enhance university learning and graduate employability. Whilst this practice has crossed national borders, the transferability of internships across national contexts has been largely assumed rather than empirically substantiated. The purpose of this paper is to explore interns’ and the host organisations’ perspectives of internships within the Chinese context. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data were gathered though a series of semi-structured interviews with interns and host organisations in China, results were interpreted via thematic analysis. Findings Overall the study revealed both the interns’ and host organisations’ perspectives were consistent with those within other national contexts. Particularly, the findings highlighted the key role of individual interns’ dispositions, and internship supervision, as well as the conceptualization of internships as a career entry point. The study also identified a contextually specific variable of guanxi, as playing an influential role within the Chinese context. Research limitations/implications The study was exploratory in nature, thus further research is required, to further substantiate the variables and relationships detected. Originality/value The study establishes the transferability of a number of theoretical premises to the Chinese internship context. The transportable nature of the internship experience suggests the appropriateness of a degree of standardisation of internship design across national contexts. Whilst, also suggesting cultural phenomenon such as guanxi should be considered when designing internships to achieve desired outcomes within a Chinese context.

The need for reassurance and modern food consumption

2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 880-893
Author(s):  
Wejdene Yangui ◽  
Nibrass Hajtaïeb El Aoud
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Moderating Factors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of the need for reassurance, while emphasizing the role of perceived traceability. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through individual interviews, and analyzed by thematic analysis. Findings – Results showed that the traceability of modern foods is low perceived by the consumers. This indirectly influences the need for reassurance toward the modern foods by reducing the confidence in these products and strengthening the feeling about the risk associated to their consumption. Research limitations/implications – The major limits of this paper concern the development of the research model through the means of an exploratory study. This can affect the possibility to generalize results since the described hypotheses are not quantitatively validated. Another limit is concerned by the non-investigation of moderating factors, which can be the object of future researches. Originality/value – This paper is one of the few efforts integrating the need for reassurance in a theoretical model of consumer behavior, and explaining its origins. This justifies the use of a qualitative methodology.

The role of the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) in strengthening the capacity and performance of supreme audit institutions in developing countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 729-733
Author(s):  
Einar Gørrissen
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Important Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Democratic Development ◽  
Academic Supports ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
And Performance

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to contribute to dialogue between practitioners and academics. The article discusses the importance of supreme audit institutions (SAIs), challenges and opportunities facing SAIs (also in light of COVID-19) and how the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) supports SAIs in developing countries in enhancing their performance and capacity.Design/methodology/approachThis is a practitioner’s viewpoint which reflects IDI’s publicly available documents and the opinions of a practitioner involved in the work of the IDI and that of INTOSAI.FindingsThe work of SAIs is ensuring effective public sector auditing matters, and it is increasingly recognized that strong and well-functioning SAIs can be key pillars in developing effective states, democratic development and trust in governments. At the same time, SAIs face challenges and opportunities in ensuring that they are effective and independent institutions that produce reports that have impact and add value to the life of citizens. The IDI supports SAIs in overcoming these challenges and seizing opportunities through support for all SAIs in developing countries. The IDI model is based on facilitated support that is need based and provided through peer-to-peer cooperation.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this article (which are also its strength in terms of fitness for purpose) are that as a practitioner’s viewpoint, it provides a brief overview and personal judgements rather than an empirical analysis of developments applying a theoretical framework.Social implicationsA practitioner’s engagement with academic supports increased understanding of the respective views leading to better outcomes for practitioners and academics working in the area of public sector auditing.Originality/valueThe article provides a practitioner's input on the important work of SAIs.

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document