Serb unity talk will invite hostility from neighbours

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Content Type ◽  
Precise Meaning ◽  
Counter Narratives ◽  
National Leaders ◽  
World Concept

Significance The new holiday is part of wider efforts by Serbia's leadership to encourage unity among Serbs in the region and promote the idea of a 'Serbian World' concept, where the precise meaning is kept vague. Impacts References to President Vucic as leader of a wider Serb community, not just Serbia, will be used as he seeks re-election. The 'Serbian World' provides a specific idea against which other national leaders can build counter-narratives. The region will be pulled in different directions between nationalist rhetoric and cooperative projects such as the Open Balkans Initiative.

The conceptual heritage of public relations: using public memory to explore constraints and liberation

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-392
Author(s):  
W. Timothy Coombs ◽  
Sherry J. Holladay
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Memory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Counter Narratives ◽  
Dominant Narratives ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Development And Evolution

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe three foundational concepts that contribute to conceptual heritage of the field of public relations (publics, organizations and relationships). Conceptual heritage is positioned as a type of shared public memory, a dominant narrative, that encourages adherence to the past whilst recognizing that counter-narratives can pose useful alternatives to foundational concepts. Design/methodology/approach The approach is a selective literature review that describes three dominant concept categories and presents more recently developed alternative concepts and approaches to illustrate how public memory is subjective and evolving. Findings The concepts of publics, organizations and relationships have grounded the dominant narrative and development of the field of public relations. Though these concepts continue to be influential as researchers rely upon and expand upon their legacies, counter-narratives can spur the innovation of ideas, measurement and practice. Research limitations/implications The paper focuses on only three major foundational concepts selected by the authors. The importance of these concepts as well as additional examples of the field’s conceptual heritage and evolution could be identified by different authors. Practical implications The analysis demonstrates how the public memory contributes to the development and evolution of the field of public relations. Counter-narratives can offer appealing, subjectively constructed challenges to dominant narratives. Originality/value This paper describes and critiques public relations’ conceptual heritage and argues that conceptually and methodologically-based counter-narratives have contributed to its evolution.

scholarly journals Intra-organizational brand resistance and counter-narratives in city branding – a comparative study of three Danish cities

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 1001-1018
Author(s):  
Marianne Wollf Lundholt ◽  
Ole Have Jørgensen ◽  
Bodil Stilling Blichfeldt
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Data ◽  
Political Support ◽  
The Political ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
City Brand ◽  
Counter Narratives ◽  
The City ◽  
Competition For Resources

Purpose This study aims to contribute to an increased understanding of intra-organizational city brand resistance by identifying and discussing different types of counter-narratives emerging from the political and administrative arenas. Design/methodology/approach The empirical material consists of secondary data as well as six in-depth semi-structured interviews with Danish mayors and city managers in three different municipalities in Denmark. Findings Intra-organizational counter-narratives differ from inter-organizational counter-narratives but resemble a number of issues known from extra-organizational resistance. Still, significant differences are found within the political arena: lack of ownership, competition for resources and political conflicts. Lack of ownership, internal competition for resources and distrust of motives play an important role within the administrative arena. Mayors are aware of the needs for continued political support for branding projects but projects are nonetheless realized despite resistance if there is a political majority for it. Research limitations/implications This study points to the implications of city brand resistance and counter-narratives emerging from the “inside” of the political and administrative arenas in the city, here defined as “intra-organizational counter-narratives”. Practical implications It is suggested that politicians and municipality staff should be systematically addressed as individual and unique audiences and considered as important as citizens in the brand process. Originality/value So far little attention has been paid to internal stakeholders within the municipal organization and their impact on the city branding process approached from a narrative perspective.

Cities, states to drive patchwork tax scene in Africa

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Headquarters ◽  
Traditional Leaders ◽  
Innovation Potential ◽  
National Leaders

Significance Several major regional cities and states are using new devolved powers or tax innovations to increase their locally generated revenue (LGR), but the results are mixed. Impacts Poor services will not hurt national leaders' support in rural areas, where patronage and traditional leaders are more critical. Cities with concentrations of corporate headquarters will benefit from economic 'cluster' effects, increasing their innovation potential. However, poor and often dangerous transport systems, along with severe congestion, impede major SSA cities' competitiveness. With a few exceptions, funding constraints will degrade the diplomatic capacity of SSA cities.

Conflicting perspectives in a housing association

2018 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Kjærbeck ◽  
Marianne Wolff Lundholt
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Housing Association ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Narrative Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Counter Narratives ◽  
Action Analysis ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate employees’ conflicting perspectives on the business strategy in a Danish housing association through a narrative approach, in order to gain insight into the relation between master- and counter-narratives. The authors discuss the possibility of integrating counter-narratives as a resource in strategy processes. Finally, the usefulness and challenges of the applied narrative approach are addressed. Design/methodology/approach The study was undertaken as a case study of strategy communication in a private housing association. The empirical material consists of 16 qualitative interviews from all levels of the organization as well as recordings of meetings where management presents a new strategy to the employees. The study adopts a mixed methods interpretivist approach using focus groups and interviews as data and with a focus on narratives as sense-making resources. The applied method of analysis is based on narratology, sociological action analysis and the concept of “framing.” Findings Employees’ counter-narratives focus on practical problems regarding the implementation of the business strategy. They materialize through temporal structures and framing strategies through which employees’ perspectives are presented indirectly and with great care. In spite of their oppositional content, these counter-perspectives cannot be considered to be resistance; on the contrary, employees take great interest in solving the reported problems. Counter-narratives are seemingly useful resources in a form of “reality check” in the organization, in order to elucidate the implementation of the business strategy and make necessary adjustments. The research furthermore points to a more dialogical strategy communication where employees are involved earlier in the process rather than marginalized to “resistant bystanders.” Originality/value These findings give insight into the use of narratives as practical meaning construction in an organizational context, and in relation to strategy communication and change.

The influence of the ASEAN economic community on the future of the management accounting profession

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-611
Author(s):  
Desi Adhariani
Keyword(s):  
Soft Skills ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Accountants ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
National Leaders ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
Asean Economic Community ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Training

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of Indonesian management accountants (MAs) regarding the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) – ASEAN economic community (AEC), an integration initiative in Southeast Asia, and its impact on their profession. More specifically, this study presents the perceptions on Indonesian MAs’ capabilities for facing challenges and opportunities in the AEC era, as well as identifies skills needed and training or development programmes that could support the achievement of qualification standards. Design/methodology/approach A survey was distributed and administered by using a convenience sampling method, resulting in 191 valid responses. The respondents’ answers were then analysed quantitatively using the descriptive and regression analysis. Findings It was revealed that the top skills needed in the AEC era, as identified by respondents, are soft skills, technical accounting capabilities and language skills. Language capabilities and soft skills were deemed as the most lacking, and training in these areas is considered important. Skill and knowledge upgrades are needed to reap the benefits of the opportunities offered by AEC to Indonesian businesses, especially among professional accountants who will join a bigger market not limited by borders. Research limitations/implications Findings from this study can guide executives and national leaders in developing the capacity and capability of Indonesian MAs to face competition in the ASEAN region. Originality/value Although research on the AEC has been conducted in previous studies, analysis of the impact on the MA cohort has not been much explored, which creates the research gap this study wishes to fill.

The creation of national intellectual capital from the perspective of Hofstede’s national culture

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 807-831 ◽  
Author(s):  
I-Chen Lee ◽  
Carol Y.Y. Lin ◽  
Te-Yi Lin
Keyword(s):  
National Culture ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
National Leaders ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Research Outcome ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain the difference of national intellectual capital from the perspective of national culture and to illustrate how national leaders or policy-makers increase their country’s national intellectual capital. Design/methodology/approach The study conducts a descriptive analysis combining the research outcome of Lin and Edvinsson’s (2011) national intellectual capital with Hofstede’s (2001) national culture. The research findings and results of these two studies were compared before running a t-test to determine whether countries with relatively high national intellectual capital have a higher level of certain national culture. Findings Based on the matching data of 26 countries, the study proposed that countries with certain national culture possess lower intellectual capital. Countries with high intellectual capital tend to exhibit a common culture of low power distance, weak uncertainty avoidance, and individualism. Practical implications The study suggests that for a country to enhance its overall intellectual capital, it should strive for a culture of equality, freedom and safety, and an active competitive environment, while avoiding social class distance in order to eliminate insecurity. The study proposes some suggestions to advance the countries’ national intellectual capital. In addition to admit the weakness of their intellectual capital due to cultural reasons, these countries could go a step further to increase their own national intellectual capital by increasing or enhancing certain national cultures if possible. Originality/value The study compares national intellectual capital and national culture and finds the relationship between these two sets of constructs. This study proves that national culture not only influences the strategies or behaviors of business level but also the competitiveness of national levels.

China's 'new era' will see Party power resurgent

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Xi Jinping ◽  
Compliance Costs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Era ◽  
National Leaders ◽  
Client Relations ◽  
People's Congress ◽  
Party Congress ◽  
Party Power

Subject Xi Jinping's second term. Significance The 'new era' announced by President Xi Jinping at the 19th Party Congress in October will get fully underway when the election of a new National People's Congress and associated appointments next March complete the five-yearly handover to a new cohort of national leaders. In important ways, however, it has already begun. Impacts Compliance costs will rise for enterprises, particularly foreign ones. The private sector will rely more than previously on patron-client relations rather than competitiveness. Government efforts to promote innovation will focus on technology.

Constructing a professional identity as an in-home carer

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Jane Blundell
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Care Work ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Counter Narratives ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Small Stories ◽  
Positioning Analysis ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which foreign live-in carers are able to construct agentive identities which counteract negative discourses regarding care work, sex and nationality. Design/methodology/approach Interviews with women working as carers in Bologna form the basis of this research which focuses on “small stories”. Using positioning analysis, both the immediate context where the narrative takes place and the wider societal discourses being referenced are examined. Subsequently, common recurrent discourses related to being a foreign carer in Italy are identified. Findings The interviewees make strategic use of prevailing negative discourses to construct counter narratives to avoid being positioned as low-skilled workers and to permit them to reject negative stereotypes of what it means to be a carer. In addition, more positive identities are constructed. Practical implications These findings suggest that a sociolinguistic approach can help towards a better understanding of the lived-experiences of foreign care workers, as it can reveal aspects of carers’ lives which do not easily fit into the categories which are often the focus of larger-scale, thematic studies. Originality/value This paper combines an analysis of content together with an analysis of the construction of narrative to present a more complete picture of the reality of working as a carer today.

Somali regional election portends unstable status quo

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
National Leaders

Subject Impact of the recent Jubaland regional election. Significance Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe on August 22 won a third term in office after receiving 56 of 74 votes from regional parliamentarians. However, the election was marred by allegations that Madobe manipulated the process, the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) has refused to recognise the result and two separate opposition camps -- backing Abdirashid Mohamed Hiddig and Abdinasir Seerar respectively -- have elected their own regional parliaments and presidents. Impacts Madobe’s re-election will deal a major blow to the FGS’s efforts to install allies in regional states. The recent arrest of Madobe’s security minister in Mogadishu will sour the political climate further. Al-Shabaab will use the episode to paint regional and national leaders as powerless and beholden to foreign interests.

scholarly journals How do female engineers conceptualise career advancement in engineering: a template analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Yates ◽  
Sarah Skinner
Keyword(s):  
Career Development ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Career Advancement ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
High Status ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Men 2 ◽  
Counter Narratives ◽  
Template Analysis

PurposeExisting research has established that women drop out of engineering careers in part because of a dissatisfaction with their career development, but women's understanding of career development in engineering has been as yet largely unexplored. This paper aims to explore female engineers' experiences of navigating their careers and their perceptions of barriers to career development, through the lens of the intelligent career framework (ICF).Design/methodology/approachThe in-depth interviews of this study were conducted with female engineers in the UK and analysed using template analysis.FindingsThe authors identified three structural barriers that participants felt hinder women's career development in engineering: (1) promotions are more likely to be given to people who are widely known – more often men; (2) promotions are more likely to be given to people on whom high status is conferred in this context – more often men and (3) promotions are more likely to be given to people who conform to the ideal worker ideology – more often men. The women also offered a series of counter-narratives in which they reframed the behaviour they witnessed as something other than sexism.Originality/valueThe findings highlight the significant and systemic bias against women's career development through gender stereotypes in workplaces and an implicitly gendered organisation that hinders the development of the three competencies needed for career advancement. The authors describe a range of counter-narratives that the participants use to help them to make sense of their experiences. Finally, the authors illustrate the application of the intelligent career framework (ICF) as a lens to view the career development culture of an organisation.

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