“You have to say everything is nice here”

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Kalina ◽  
Dianne Scott
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Dynamic Representation ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Local Officials ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the author’s research experiences in northern Mozambique in order explore the multiplicity of gatekeeper relations that arose while seeking to arrange access to both “the field” and respondents, as well as the impacts that these relationships had on the research process. Although this dynamic has been thoroughly described within methodological literature, there exists a tendency to presume research–gatekeeper relations as static; once established, there is little discussion on how the relationships develop or can be managed, once access has (or has not) been achieved. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws upon qualitative fieldwork conducted predominantly in rural communities in northern Mozambique. The study analysed the development of the Nacala Development Corridor programme and the N13 Highway Rehabilitation Project in northern Mozambique in order to examine the impacts of the development on local citizens and examine the relationship between citizen and state within development processes. Fieldwork consisted of three different phases of semi-structured and open-ended interviews with key stakeholders and affected persons, spanning five different interview schedules, and a total of 77 individual interviews and 27 community focus groups conducted along the N13. Findings The study found that duality of Mozambican governance which includes both local officials and traditional leadership contributed to a multiplicity of local gatekeepers which impacted the research process in a multitude of ways. As a result, researcher–gatekeeper relations were not static, but had to be managed throughout the duration of the study. Originality/value This discussion provides a more dynamic representation of the challenges involved with establishing and managing gatekeeper relations in rural, developing, and in particular, southern African, contexts, while offering cautious practical advice to researchers working within rural or southern African contexts.

scholarly journals Knowledge capabilities in supply chain networks: a taxonomy

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 655-674
Author(s):  
Robert Ogulin ◽  
Gustavo Guzman ◽  
Subasinghage Maduka Nuwangi
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Managerial Decision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Networks ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Two Bodies

Purpose This paper aims to develop a conceptual taxonomy for building requisite knowledge capabilities for different supply chain network (SCN) types. Specifically, it examines knowledge capabilities required for three types of SCNs: efficient, collaborative and agile SCNs. Design/methodology/approach This paper integrates two bodies of thought (i.e. knowledge management and organisational learning) and applies them to SCNs. An abductive research process is used to develop this conceptual taxonomy. Findings The conceptual taxonomy details three archetypical knowledge capabilities – exploitation, exploration and ambidextrous. Those knowledge capabilities are required for efficient, collaborative and agile SCNs, respectively. Research limitations/implications This paper is conceptual and theory-based. The next stages of the research seek to further strengthen the explanatory value of the taxonomy through empirical validation. Practical implications The taxonomy developed in this paper provides a valuable and pragmatic tool for managerial decision-making in the context of SCNs. Specifically, it provides a roadmap for practitioners since the study develops an understanding of the relationship between knowledge capabilities and types of SCNs. Originality/value This is one of the earliest studies that attempt to unearth requisite knowledge capabilities for different types of SCNs.

Owning one’s epistemology in religious studies research methodology

Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 2057-2071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Baron
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Observer Effect ◽  
Temporal Coupling ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose There is a lack of epistemological considerations in religious studies methodologies, which have resulted in an on-going critique in this field. In addressing this critique, the researcher’s observer effect needs to be actively accounted for owing to the influence of the researcher’s epistemology in the author’s research. This paper aims to answer the question of why a researcher should address one’s epistemology in the research. Design/methodology/approach Using second-order cybernetics as an approach, observer dependence is exemplified and justified in the context of religious studies research methodology. The research activity is shown as a relational temporal coupling that introduces inter-subjective aspects to the research. The research process is analysed showing the need to provide scope for the researcher’s epistemology in one’s research. Findings A relational observer-dependent approach to research embraces the epistemology of the researcher and the participants providing equality in the relationship. The research results are thus framed according to the nature of the relationship and are thus not detached. This addresses social justice and reduces troubling truth claims. Research limitations/implications This first paper focuses on the question of why epistemology should be included in scholarly research. A detailed framework for how scholars may achieve this goal is to be part of the future study and is not presented in this paper. Practical implications In many positivist approaches there is a motivation to hide the researcher; however, recently there has been a move towards including authors in the first person, realising that science is tied to politics, which does not reach its ideals of objectivity. Cybernetics is presented as an approach to addressing the move from “objective” to “subjective” research. Social implications Researchers cannot get into the minds of their participants and thus an authorial privileged presentation by the researcher of the participant’s experiences is fraught with epistemological weaknesses. Attempting to own one’s own epistemology could address social justice in research by personalising the research and accounting for the observer effect and the inter-subjective attributes of the research relationship. Originality/value The principle of observer dependence in cybernetics is not new; however, a research approach that focuses on the nature of knowing and how this may influence one’s research in religious studies is uncommon. It is thus presented here as a viable option to address the critique of epistemologically weak research methodology in religious studies.

We recovered food heritage, and then? Value enhancement and promotion of local agri-food products in Argentina and Spain

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (12) ◽  
pp. 3168-3180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cintia Analía Barrionuevo ◽  
Elena Espeitx Bernat ◽  
Irene Julia Velarde
Keyword(s):  
Food Sovereignty ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Territorial Development ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Product ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
The Right ◽  
Innovation Processes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the initiatives of value enhancement and the promotion of local agri-food products in Argentina and Spain to address some of their limitations and contradictions. Design/methodology/approach Based on processes of participatory action research, data and knowledge were produced dialectically with the actors, linking the research process to rural development processes. Findings Value enhancement and promotion of local agri-food products is a complex system where values, preferences and availability of resources converge, allowing to consume products of higher quality, “heritage” products or products differentiated by the production mode. This consumption is not only aimed at tourists who are willing to pay something more for a “certified” local product, but also for the estrategic allies who appreciate the taste of the food of their territory: local consumers. These processes develop strategies such as the “fairs” of each product, or the classic “quality seals.” In the comparison between experiences of both countries, the controversies raise with the high prices of the products as a synonym of value enhancement instead of the right to quality food and the seeking of food sovereignty. Originality/value Problematizing the recovery and valorization of local products reveals the necessity, awareness and inclusion of consumers as actors in the innovation processes and not simply as buyers of luxury products. The originality is also based on specific intervention experiences with territorial actors (social, economic, scientific and political) that shape new forms of intervention, based on strategies that link patrimonialization, knowledge systems and territorial development.

scholarly journals Undertaking individual transdisciplinary PhD research for sustainable development

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
John van Breda ◽  
Josephine Musango ◽  
Alan Brent
Keyword(s):  
Problem Formulation ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Transdisciplinary Research ◽  
Epistemic Communities ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Formulation Analysis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

Purpose – This paper aims to improve the understanding of individual transdisciplinary PhD research in a developing country context, focusing on three individual PhD case studies in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple-case method was used, and three completed transdisciplinary PhD research efforts undertaken at the Stellenbosch University were selected. They were coordinated through the TsamaHub, an inter-faculty platform at the University which organises educational modules for transdisciplinary research. Using actual research experiences and reflections of the three individual PhDs, the paper evaluates their work in terms of ontological, epistemological, methodological and methodical/methods aspects. Findings – The central challenge to individual PhD researchers is engagement with non-academic actors to enable joint problem formulation, analysis and transformation. To overcome this, the paper suggests that developing individual epistemic relationships to build “transdisciplinary epistemic communities” should be considered for inclusion as an intentional aspect of transdisciplinary research design. Research limitations/implications – “Transdisciplinary epistemic communities” is still a concept in its infancy and needs more work before it may be theoretically and practically useful. Practical implications – Continuously guiding the individual transdisciplinary research process in a reflexive, recursive, transparent and equal manner is absolutely critical because transdisciplinary research cannot be done successfully if dominated by overly methods-driven approaches. Originality/value – The discourse around transdisciplinary methodology has major implications for the design of individual PhD research. The paper provides recommendations to enhance the theory and practice of individual transdisciplinary PhD research.

Understanding the audience: Purbeck Folk Festival

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Robyn Pilcher ◽  
Nick Eade
Keyword(s):  
Research Process ◽  
Family Type ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Potential Difficulty ◽  
Quota Sampling ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose – Despite the ongoing research into visitor motivation in the live events and tourism industries, only a limited amount of research has examined the motivational factors exhibited in individual segments of society. The purpose of this paper was to identify a relationship between visitor demographics and visitor motivation, for the purpose of enhanced market research at folk festivals in the UK. Design/methodology/approach – In this research, a qualitative study of visitor demographics and their accompanying motivation to attend Purbeck Folk Festival is reported. The study was conducted in the form of interviews, which investigated the underlying motivation behind visitor attendance to Purbeck Folk Festival in 2014. The research process, guided by the literature of Robson (2011) and Bryman (2012), aimed to establish the extent to which visitor demographics did or did not impact visitor motivation to attend the event. Findings – The study revealed five motivational dimensions, and from this devised five core audience segments including: the escapists, the socialites, the family type, the experience seekers and the folkniks. This study highlights the correlation between visitor demographics and visitor motivation and suggests further applications of this research and similar research in the field of live events. The study contributes an insight into the audience of Purbeck Folk Festival and may be used to provide an understanding of audience profile and behaviour at folk festivals within the UK. Research limitations/implications – Due to the nature of the research, participants will be secured through non-probability quota sampling, which is a method of convenience. This approach may place limitations on the validity of the findings, as researcher bias may occur when selecting participants, for example, avoiding visitors who look intimidating or abnormal (Robson, 2011). The use of open-ended questions in the capacity of a greenfield event was identified as a potential difficulty, as participants are required to think about their answers and provide opinions, unlike a closed question method, which although quicker and easier, may not be as effective (Kumar, 2014). Therefore, to keep participants engaged and willing to provide further information, the interview design was kept short and questions are easily comprehendible. Originality/value – The research study reflects early the work of Mayo (Dickson, 1973), Maslow (1954) and Herzberg (1966), and builds on more recent literature by Kruger and Saayman (2012), which analysed the relationship between audience profile and motivation to attend.

Female spouses lived experiences of living with a husband with dementia: a qualitative study on changes in everyday life

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Egilstrød ◽  
Kirsten Schultz Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
The People ◽  
Female Spouses

Purpose The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of female spouses’ lived experiences of changes in everyday life while living with a husband with dementia. Design/methodology/approach Nine individual interviews of female spouses were conducted in 2017. A phenomenological narrative approach was applied during data collection, and the analysis was inspired by Amedeo Giorgi’s analytic steps. Findings Female spouses experienced changes in their marital relationships, and found ways of managing these changes, although they realized life was marked by loneliness and distress. The identified themes reveal how female spouses experienced changes in everyday life as the disease progressed. Everyday routines gradually changed and they actively sought ways to uphold everyday life and a marital relationship. Research limitations/implications Research should focus on developing supportive interventions, where the people with the lived experiences in relation to dementia are involved in the research process, to better target the needs for support, when developing interventions. Practical implications Insight into everyday life can help health-care service providers to better the support to female spouses and contribute with more individualized support, which may contribute to the quality of care. Originality/value In this study, the authors disclose the envisible and silent work that takes place in an everyday life, when living with a husband with dementia during the time span of caregiving. Spouses’ experiences are important to include, when developing intervention to support spouses to better tailor the interventions.

Influences of key stakeholders’ involvement in maintenance management

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheong Peng Au-Yong ◽  
Azlan-Shah Ali ◽  
Faizah Ahmad ◽  
Shirley Jin Lin Chua
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Maintenance Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Building Maintenance ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Maintenance Service ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Method Approach

Purpose Proper maintenance management ensures a long-term investment and provides a support function in business continuity to achieve organisational goal. However, inadequate involvement and participation of key stakeholders in maintenance management limit the continuous improvement of maintenance performance. Currently, there is a lack of studies about the influence of key stakeholders’ involvement in maintenance. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to deal with enhancement of maintenance management through the involvement of key stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach This research adopted a mixed method approach to determine the relationship between involvement of key stakeholders in maintenance management and maintenance effectiveness. The approach comprised of literature review, questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. Findings This research suggests a positive correlation between involvement of maintenance manager (MM), maintenance staff, organisation, user and maintenance service provider (SP) in improving the effectiveness of maintenance management. The logistic regression analysis indicated that the involvement of MM and SP are significant predictors of maintenance effectiveness. The research further identified that there was a lack of involvement of the user and SP in maintenance management. Originality/value The research demonstrated that all key stakeholders should value the important roles of their participation in maintenance management to ensure an optimum return on a long-term investment. To create the awareness for the involvement of key stakeholders in building maintenance, studies on the advantages of participating in building maintenance and the impacts of ignorant towards building maintenance can be beneficial to the industry.

Linked models and theories: a tool for school nutrition policies deployment

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 975-990
Author(s):  
Sima Hamadeh ◽  
Marie Marquis
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Target Population ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Nutrition Policies ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Snp Development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the pertinence of using an integrated conceptual framework based on several theories and models to guide interviews with adults and youth as a prelude to school nutrition policy (SNP) deployment. Design/methodology/approach Appropriate socio-behavioral and communication theories and models within a social marketing approach were used to build the integrated conceptual framework of this study. The target population consists of 115 multidisciplinary key stakeholders in Lebanon. Directed and semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups were conducted by using questionnaires associated with the variables of the framework. Collected data have been submitted to a thematic qualitative analysis. Findings Combining theories and models increases the potential for understanding the broader determinants of SNP deployment. It is important to choose a holistic theoretical perspective: to study key stakeholders’ perceptions of the facilitators and barriers of SNP development and implementation, to emphasize the active participation of communities and to guide the work of policy and decision makers. Practical implications This research offers perspectives on determinants factors envisaged in the deployment of SNP that help key stakeholders in their promotion and communication practices. Social implications For public policy makers, this research suggests a need to address communities perceptions’ of an eventual SNP deployment. Originality/value The comprehensive integrated conceptual framework proposed in this study amalgamates several variables involved in the process of health promotion under various categories to facilitate SNP deployment.

Maternal absence and transnational female labour migration; implications for the left-behind child

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saleh Seid Adema
Keyword(s):  
Labour Migration ◽  
Northern Ethiopia ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Villages ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Local Officials ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose As migration of family members becomes an omnipresent phenomenon, the conventional norm of having a family and living under the same roof together is far from normal for many households. It produces transnational practices and multisite lifestyle configurations. This study aims to explore the implication of maternal absence as a result of transnational labour migration on the left-behind child in the context of transnational labour migration from Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach It focusses on the perspective of those who stayed behind. The ethnographic fieldwork was carried out in two rural villages – Bulebullo and Bokekesa – of Worebabbo district in Northern Ethiopia. It involved in-depth interviews with children and their caregivers supported by interviews and group discussions with members of the community, local officials and traditional leaders. Findings Transnational mothering and other mothering emerge as new practices of mothering in the rural villages due to maternal absence have interrelated implications and meanings for the left-behind child. However, the rigidity of sending societies’ norms related to mothering and gendered labour dynamics exacerbated the negative implications of maternal absence on left-behind children. The absence of the fathers’ effort to redefine mothering or fathering by providing childcare is part of the equation in the relationship between maternal absence and left-behind children. Originality/value The findings of this study refute the notion that labels mother’s out-migration as “abandoning children”, “disrupting families” and “acts of selfishness”.

Entrepreneuring together: his and her stories

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Attila Bruni ◽  
Manuela Perrotta
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
Economic Rhetoric ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – Among the various “critical” voices which have contributed to problematizing the discourse on entrepreneurship, that of gender studies is indubitably one of the most significant and fruitful. Applying a gender perspective to the study of entrepreneurship has led to the uncovering of the (male) gender assumptions embodied in the dictates of entrepreneurship and to distinguish between study of women entrepreneurs and study of the relationship between gender and entrepreneurship. One aspect little explored within this diversified array of studies concerns “mixed” situations in which a firm's management is shared between a woman and a man. Such situations are interesting in that: first, they make it possible to problematize the economic rhetoric which promulgates entrepreneurship as an individual and isolated, activity; second, the simultaneous presence of a man and a woman allows observation of whether and how gender stereotypes and practices are at work in the process of positioning Him and Her within the firm. In order to investigate both these aspects, the paper considers 18 verbal histories of women and men entrepreneurs, showing how entrepreneurship can be conceived as a distributed activity, as well as a playground for gender dynamics. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Narrative analysis of 18 “two-voice” interviews (for a total of 36 individual interviews) collected in artisanal activities characterized by the concomitant presence of a Him and a Her within the firm. Findings – First, interweaving between doing gender and doing business; second, entrepreneurship as a distributed activity; third, entrepreneurial environment sets out opportunities and contingent factors which can be used as resources for the positioning of Him and Her in the story and the construction of different narratives. This confirms the multi-dimensionality of entrepreneurial experience and suggests that future research should pay closer attention to the aspects of business activity sharing and reciprocity in the construction and positioning of gender. Research limitations/implications – Main implication for future research is to pay closer attention to aspects of reciprocity sharing and gender positioning in entrepreneurship. Originality/value – “Mixed” entrepreneurial experiences (firm's management is shared between a woman and a man) are little explored and it is still uncommon to frame entrepreneurship as a distributed activity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document