scholarly journals Distinction or Discrimination?A Qualitative Study of Sustainable growth of Women-Owned Technology based SMEs in Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-11
Author(s):  
Syed Khurram Ali Jafri ◽  
Wafa Khurram

Technopreneurship development and its significance in economic growth has led world’s economies to identify the potential role of growth-oriented women-owned technology based SMEs for economic gains. The existing literature on growth among women owned firms, however, exclusively elucidates dearth of empirical research of this phenomenon particularly in transitional economies. This qualitative study is an attempt to reveal the most significant factors that influence the sustainable growth of women owned technology SMEs in Malaysia. The findings from semi-structured interviews from policy makers explain that sustainable growth among these women owned technology based SMEs appears to be entwined in both personal factors related to distinctiveness of these firms as well as external factors associated with socio-cultural discrimination. Several practical and managerial implications have been provided to enlighten policy makers and women technopreneurs on one hand and enhance theoretical knowledge of researchers in the field of technology, innovation and gender.

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-33
Author(s):  
Carla Ruiz-Mafé ◽  
Silvia Sanz-Blas ◽  
José Martí-Parreño

Social Networking Sites (SNS) are gaining momentum as powerful tools of marketing communications. Mobile phones are becoming one of the most popular devices for accessing Social Networking Sites. In Spain, 44% of Social Networking Sites users access these sites on a daily basis while 79% of them access these sites on a weekly basis. Furthermore, it is notable that over 70% of Social Networking Sites users talk about and recommend commercial brands. This justifies the interest of the study of Social Networking Sites users from a marketing perspective. The aim of this research is to assess the influence of consumers` personal factors (attitude, innovativeness, and gender) and individual-media relationships (media affinity and individual-media dependency) on mobile SNSs usage behaviour. Managerial implications improving marketers´ advertising effectiveness are also provided.


Author(s):  
Garima Sharma

This article explores the transition of youth from childcare institutions as young adults through the lens of youth identity and gender. The research revolves around rethinking the delicate boundaries of adolescence and adulthood for the ‘institutionalised’ youth that is already on the edge of the society. This research tries to understand and decode the experiences of youth, who have lived in the childcare institutions. The childcare institutions reinforce the gender roles through its practices and structure, enabling gaps and challenges for both male and female youth outside the childcare institutions. There is an absence of a strong mechanism, enabling the smooth transition of youth from childcare institutions to adulthood. This results in unprepared young adults for an unplanned transition, fostering several challenges on them as they exit the childcare system. This is a qualitative study. The research includes both male and female youth who have lived in childcare institutions situated in Delhi. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews with the youth. This study finds that youth leaving the childcare institutions are at higher risks of having negative adult outcomes in life. While there is an absolute absence of any body or mechanism to help the youth transit smoothly, childcare institutions reinforce the inferiority and exclusion on a child during the stay period, creating a foundation for youth to perceive the social factor outside the institutions.


2020 ◽  
pp. 001789692098162
Author(s):  
Muhammad Naeem ◽  
Hamad Ghalib Dailah

Background: This study explored the role of hospitals, specialised doctors and staff in developing patient awareness, participation and motivation concerning asthma control. It also looked at the challenges that undermine the value of asthma educational programmes, especially in an Arab cultural context. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 30 asthma patients who had been living with asthma for a long period of time. Results: Findings highlight how an asthma educational programme can increase patient knowledge about the causes of asthma. Following the programme, patients had a better understanding of levels of medication, breathing techniques and rest and relaxation. Awareness of support from health professionals for managing depression and frustration also increased. However, some patients felt that the asthma educational programme content and delivery was not very interactive and was too lengthy. Conclusion: Findings can help policy makers, researchers, hospitals, doctors and the national Ministry of Health improve the content of future asthma educational programmes. They can also inform the development of a research framework to extend understanding of relevant issues in an Arabian context.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noémie Aubert Bonn ◽  
Wim Pinxten

Abstract Background Success shapes the lives and careers of scientists. But success in science is difficult to define, let alone to translate in indicators that can be used for assessment. In the past few years, several groups expressed their dissatisfaction with the indicators currently used for assessing researchers. But given the lack of agreement on what should constitute success in science, most propositions remain unanswered. This paper aims to complement our understanding of success in science and to document areas of tension and conflict in research assessments. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with policy makers, funders, institution leaders, editors or publishers, research integrity office members, research integrity community members, laboratory technicians, researchers, research students, and former-researchers who changed career to inquire on the topics of success, integrity, and responsibilities in science. We used the Flemish biomedical landscape as a baseline to be able to grasp the views of interacting and complementary actors in a system setting. Results Given the breadth of our results, we divided our findings in a two-paper series, with the current paper focusing on what defines and determines success in science. Respondents depicted success as a multi-factorial, context-dependent, and mutable construct. Success appeared to be an interaction between characteristics from the researcher (Who), research outputs (What), processes (How), and luck. Interviewees noted that current research assessments overvalued outputs but largely ignored the processes deemed essential for research quality and integrity. Interviewees suggested that science needs a diversity of indicators that are transparent, robust, and valid, and that also allow a balanced and diverse view of success; that assessment of scientists should not blindly depend on metrics but also value human input; and that quality should be valued over quantity. Conclusions The objective of research assessments may be to encourage good researchers, to benefit society, or simply to advance science. Yet we show that current assessments fall short on each of these objectives. Open and transparent inter-actor dialogue is needed to understand what research assessments aim for and how they can best achieve their objective. Study Registration osf.io/33v3m.


2018 ◽  
Vol 270 ◽  
pp. 595-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Lucas-Molina ◽  
Alicia Pérez-Albéniz ◽  
Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero

Author(s):  
Razieh Zahedi ◽  
Leila Nemati-Anaraki ◽  
Shahram Sedghi ◽  
Mamak Shariat

Background & Aim: Patient decision aids are detailed and personalized health education materials that assist patients in decision making. According to expert viewpoints, this study aimed to determine important factors in implementing the prenatal screening decision aid in Iran. Methods & Materials: In this qualitative study, 24 experts, including seven obstetricians, four information scientists, five managers or policymakers, and eight midwives, were selected using purposive and snowball sampling approaches. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data between January 2020 and June 2020 in Tehran, Iran. A prenatal screening decision aid was presented to the participants, and we asked them to raise their concerns and thoughts regarding the factors influencing the implementation of patient decision aids. We used MAXQDA 10 and applied conventional content analysis for data analysis. Results: Two organizational and personal factors themes were identified to implement Iran's prenatal screening decision aids. Conclusion: We identified the viewpoints of experts regarding major factors in patient decision aids implementation for prenatal screening. Before implementing prenatal screening decision aids in Iran, it would be helpful to consider these organizational and personal factors. Prenatal screening decision aids can provide better information for pregnant women and strengthen their decision-making ability.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 116-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Martean ◽  
Chris Evans

Aims and methodTo explore experiences of psychiatrists considering medication for patients with personality disorder by analysis of transcribed, semi-structured interviews with consultants.ResultsThemes show important relational processes in which not prescribing is expected to be experienced as uncaring rejection, and psychiatrists felt helpless and inadequate as doctors when unable to relieve symptoms by prescribing. Discontinuity in doctor–patient relationships compounds these problems.Clinical implicationsProblems arise from: (a) the psychopathology creating powerful relational effects in consultation; (b) the lack of effective treatments, both actual and secondary to under-resourcing and neglect of non-pharmaceutical interventions; and (c) the professionally constructed role of psychiatrists prioritising healing and cure through provision of technological interventions for specific diagnoses. There is a need for more treatments and services for patients with personality disorder; more support and training for psychiatrists in the relational complexities of prescribing; and a rethink of the trend for psychiatrists to be seen primarily as prescribers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (10) ◽  
pp. 989-999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Hoyos ◽  
Vincent Mancini ◽  
Yulia Furlong ◽  
Nick Medford ◽  
Hugo Critchley ◽  
...  

Objectives: Retrospective recall of dissociative symptoms has been found to mediate the association between childhood abuse and deliberate self-harm (DSH) in later life. To disentangle the effect of recall bias, we tested whether dissociation symptoms ascertained during an acute DSH presentation mediates this link. Method: All participants with DSH were recruited during emergency presentation. Seventy-one individuals aged 11–17 years with overdose (OD) and/or self-injury (SI) participated in semi-structured interviews and psychiatric assessment to measure abuse and dissociation. An age- and gender-matched comparison group of 42 non-psychiatric patients admitted to the same service were also assessed. Results: The DSH groups reported significantly higher levels of abuse and dissociation compared to comparison group. Dissociation significantly mediated the association between abuse and DSH. Of the four dissociation subtypes, ‘depersonalisation’ was the primary mediator. Adolescents with chronic patterns of DSH and the ‘OD + SI’ self-harm type reported more severe dissociation. Conclusion: Exposure to abuse significantly increased the risk of DSH in adolescence. This association was mediated by dissociation. Our findings suggest a possible dose–response relationship between dissociation with DSH chronicity and the ‘OD + SI’ self-harm type, implicating the importance of evaluating dissociation and depersonalisation symptoms as well as abuse exposure in DSH management.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 541-546
Author(s):  
Razieh Sadat Mousavi-roknabadi ◽  
Marzieh Momennasab ◽  
Mehrdad Askarian ◽  
Abbas Haghshenas ◽  
Brahmaputra Marjadi

Abstract Objectives To explore the causes of medical errors (ME) and under-reporting amongst pediatric nurses at an Iranian teaching hospital. Design A qualitative study, based on individual, in-depth, semi-structured interviews and content analysis approach. Settings The study was conducted at the Pediatric Department of the largest tertiary general and teaching hospital in Shiraz, southern Iran. Participants The study population was all pediatrics nurses who work at Pediatric Department and they had been trained on ME, as well as methods to report them through the hospital’s ME reporting system. Purposive sampling was used by selecting key informants until data saturation was achieved and no more new information was obtained. Finally, 18 pediatric nurses were interviewed. Main outcome measure(s) Pediatrics nurses’ views on the causes of ME and under-reporting. Results We found five main factors causing ME and under-reporting: personal factors, workplace factors, managerial factors, work culture and error reporting system. These factors were further classified into proximal and distal factors. Proximal factors had direct relationship with ME and distal factors were contextual factors. Conclusion Causes of ME and under-reporting amongst pediatric nurses are complex and intertwined. Both proximal and distal factors need to be simultaneously addressed using context-specific approaches. Further research on other groups of healthcare workers and using a quantitative approach will be beneficial to elucidate the most appropriate interventions.


1989 ◽  
Vol 117 ◽  
pp. 38-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Conroy

Since 1978 science and technology (S&T) have been officially seen as the motors of future growth and modernization of the Chinese economy. Much effort has been devoted to the formulation and implementation of policy to reform the S&T sector to ensure that it will contribute much more than it has in the past to social and economic development. One objective of the reforms has been to mobilize under-utilized resources to expand research and develop ment (R&D) activities. It is in this context that policy-makers in China started to focus their attention on the higher education sector (HES). The sector's potential role as an important R&D performer has been progressively articulated over time in breadth and depth as policy-makers’ concerns have expanded, to examine the relationship between training S&T personnel and scientific research in the context of the rapid changes wrought by the “new technological revolution” (xin jishu geming).


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document