Managing Change: Politicians and Experts in the Age of Privatization

1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 486-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Massey
Keyword(s):  
New Right ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
The Public ◽  
Perceived Need ◽  
The Us ◽  
Supply Industry ◽  
Illustrative Case Study ◽  
Professional Power

THIS ARTICLE COMPARES THE US AND BRITISH EXPERIENCE OF privatization policies. In both countries there is no ‘proof’ that privatization has led to any empirically measurable benefit, or that the new structures are necessarily more consumer-oriented. First the perceived need for change in the public sector is explored, outlining the dynamic provided by the New Right. Next the importance of managerial and professional power to this process of change is explained, before the role of privatization as a ‘cutting edge’ used by liberal/conservative governments (that is governments conventionally labelled as conservative, but which have adopted ideologically liberal policies) is discussed. The paper concludes with an illustrative case study of the privatization of the British Electricity Supply Industry.

Staples: strategic evolution and decline in retailing

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
John S. Strong
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Competitive Environment ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Internal Focus ◽  
Supply Industry ◽  
Acquisition Strategy

Purpose This paper aims to analyze strategic decline in office supply retailing. The paper describes how inconsistent and biased internal decisions and perspectives can lead to decline, even for retailers, once dominant in their sector. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a case study of Staples and the US office supply industry over a 30-year period. Findings A series of inconsistent and contradictory strategic decisions led to the decline of Staples, the world’s largest office supply retailer. With a backdrop of increasing online competition, Staples failed to rethink the role of its store network, lost its value positioning and embarked on an inconsistent and flawed acquisition strategy. Originality/value This paper shows the need for retail companies to continue to develop strategies for traditional formats while moving into a multichannel competitive environment. The paper concludes with nine lessons for retailers, involving the need for distinct channel strategies, reinforcing of value positioning and the importance of an internal focus on strategic evolution.

scholarly journals Opening out and closing down: the treatment of uncertainty in transport planning’s forecasting paradigm

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn Lyons ◽  
Greg Marsden
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Sensitivity Testing ◽  
The Future ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Illustrative Case Study ◽  
Adaptation Scenarios

AbstractSince the 1960s, development of the transport system has been framed by the notion of forecasting future demand. Yet the past decade or more appears to signal some significant changes to the role of travel in society which are having a material impact on how much people travel (and may travel in the future). Coupled with the potential for major technological changes and a range of climate adaptation scenarios, the future of mobility presents today’s decision making on transport strategy and investment with a broader set of uncertainties than has previously been considered. This paper examines current mainstream practice for incorporating uncertainty into decision-making, through an illustrative case study of the highly codified approaches of the Department for Transport in England. It deconstructs the issue by first focussing on different ways in which there is an opening out or acceptance of new uncertainties and how this creates a (wider) set of potential futures. It then turns to consider how this set of futures is used, or not, in decision-making, i.e. the process of closing down uncertainty to arrive at or at least inform a decision. We demonstrate that, because the range of uncertainties has broadened in scope and scale, the traditional technocratic approach of closing down decisions through sensitivity testing is at odds with the greater breadth now being called for at the opening out stage. We conclude that transport decision-making would benefit from a rebalancing of technical depth with analytical breadth. The paper outlines a plausible new approach to opening out and closing down that is starting to be applied in practice. This approach must be accompanied by an opening up of the processes by which technical advice for decisions are reached and how uncertainties are understood and negotiated.

scholarly journals Sound Matters: How Sonic Formations Shape the Nuclear Deterrence and Non-Proliferation Regimes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Guillaume ◽  
Kyle Grayson
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Geography ◽  
World Politics ◽  
Sound Studies ◽  
Nuclear Deterrence ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Political Dynamics ◽  
Illustrative Case Study ◽  
Relations Of Power

Abstract Sound matters for international political sociology. Drawing upon literature from cultural geography and sound studies, we argue that sound contributes to political dynamics that are constitutive of world politics. To capture these dynamics, we offer a set of conceptual frameworks to analyze sound. First, we differentiate the concept of sound from noise and show the importance of doing so. Second, we introduce “sonic formations” as a means of capturing how sound contributes to world politics. Third, we make the case for analyzing sound's historicity, adaptability, relationality, and performativity (SHARP) in any given context. Fourth, using sonic formations and the SHARP framework, we examine an illustrative case study: the nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation regimes. By focusing on the role of sound in these regimes, our preliminary findings demonstrate the utility for the field of undertaking additional work to capture the wider significance of sound. This includes its contributions to shaping relations of power.

SDG 4 in higher education: challenges and opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 959-975
Author(s):  
Therese Ferguson ◽  
Carmel Geneva Roofe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
School Of Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Illustrative Case Study ◽  
The University

Purpose The purpose of this case study is to focus on the role of higher education in the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, discussing both challenges and opportunities. Drawing on the example of The University of the West Indies (UWI) School of Education (SOE) (Mona Campus in Jamaica), this paper illustrates how higher education can move SDG 4 forward in a realistic and significant way. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the literature and case study experiences implementing education for sustainable development-related activities within a SOE, opportunities and challenges regarding SDG 4 and higher education institutions (HEIs) are identified and outlined. The SOE at the UWI campus is used as an illustrative case study to highlight the ways in which HEIs can drive SDG 4 through teaching, programme and course development, research and outreach activities. Findings Based on the literature examined, along with the case study, the paper argues that HEIs must help to shape and lead the SDG 4 agenda by being integrally involved and no longer watching from the side lines. A framework to aid HEIs in achieving outcomes associated with SDG 4 is then proffered. The intent is that this will not only help shape discourse but also shape actions, as the demand for higher education increases across the globe. Originality/value This paper uses a Caribbean regional HEI as the basis for the framework proposed to aid HEIs in achieving SDG 4 outcomes. This brings to the fore discourse from the global south, as space that is often missing from the discussion.

scholarly journals Urban Animals—Domestic, Stray, and Wild: Notes from a Bear Repopulation Project in the Alps

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 576-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Mubi Brighenti ◽  
Andrea Pavoni
Keyword(s):  
Brown Bear ◽  
Boundary Line ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Natural Park ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Urban Contexts ◽  
Illustrative Case Study

Abstract This piece explores “domesticity” as a social territory defined by its relationship with the conceptual and ecological space of “the wild,” and asks whether these spaces stand in opposition to each other or more subtle relations of co-implication are at play. As we look into the domestic and the wild, a conceptual map of notions emerges, including the public, the common, the civilized, and the barbarian. The paper suggests the domestic and the wild constitute two semiotic-ecological domains constantly stretching into each other without any stable or even clear boundary line, and it elaborates on a series of corollaries for studying non-human animals in urban contexts. As an illustrative case study, we follow the story of Daniza, a wild brown bear introduced in the Brenta Natural Park on the Italian Alps in the 2000s. Declared a “dangerous animal,” Daniza was accidentally, and controversially, killed by the public authorities in 2014.

Ageographia, Heterotopia, and Vancouver's New Public Library

1997 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loretta Lees
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Theme Park ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Public ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Illustrative Case Study ◽  
Variations On A Theme

Different critical positions have emerged around the restructuring of space in postmodernity. I consider two sets of literature: the sceptical thesis (theses) of the ‘ageographia’ in Sorkin's edited collection Variations on a Theme Park and Foucault's affirmative thesis (theses) of the ‘heterotopia‘. These authors' works relate to a number of themes relevant to this paper: democratic public space, public space (comparing Canada and the USA) and its demise, spatial utopias, and the public library as public space and as ‘other’ space. Vancouver's newest civic landmark, the Vancouver Public Library, provides an illustrative case study with both ageographic and heterotopic qualities.

scholarly journals Advocating for Students During Distance Learning: The Role of the School Counselor

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1_part_3) ◽  
pp. 2156759X2110118
Author(s):  
Carlos P. Hipolito-Delgado ◽  
Laura-Elena Porras ◽  
Dane Stickney ◽  
Ben Kirshner
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
Student Voice ◽  
School Counselor ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Student Needs ◽  
Illustrative Case Study

The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to rush into distance learning, prioritizing academics and limiting consideration of students’ socioemotional needs. Given that distance learning is likely to be a recurring experience, school counselors should understand this unique context to better advocate for student needs. Through this illustrative case study, we sought to understand the distance learning experience of students, specifically examining barriers experienced and desired support, in an urban school district in the Western United States. We conducted classroom observations, interviews, and town hall observation with students who were part of an action civics program in the district. Following thematic data analysis, we found that student participants described themes of challenges (with subthemes of online learning and outside of school), needs (with subthemes of community and student voice), and communication. Based on these findings, we argue for school counselors to use student voice to inform advocacy efforts in addressing student needs during distance learning.

Systemic Unsustainability as a Threat to Democracy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Felicetti
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Sustainability Transition ◽  
Ways Of Thinking ◽  
Illustrative Case Study ◽  
New Research

Resilient socioeconomic unsustainability poses a threat to democracy whose importance has yet to be fully acknowledged. As the prospect of sustainability transition wanes, so does perceived legitimacy of institutions. This further limits representative institutions’ ability to take action, making democratic deepening all the more urgent. I investigate this argument through an illustrative case study, the 2017 People’s Climate March. In a context of resilient unsustainability, protesters have little expectation that institutions might address the ecological crisis and this view is likely to spread. New ways of thinking about this problem and a new research agenda are needed.

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