scholarly journals The intelligence worker as a knowledge activist – an alternative view on intelligence by the use of Burke’s pentad

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Hoppe
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Multinational Companies ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Alternative View ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Knowledge Processes ◽  
Alternative Perspective ◽  
Modern Business

As society and business is becoming more complex, the creation and management of knowledge attracts more attention. For intelligence research it offers an alternative perspective on the art and science of intelligence that challenges a previous dominance of strategy and decision-making theories. The article is based on semi-structured interviews with intelligence personnel in four different multinational companies. Through the use of Burke’s pentad this article gives an account of important challenges encountered by intelligence personnel in modern business organizations due to an increasing dependence on different knowledge processes. These challenges are summarized in four central tasks for knowledge activists; that is to initiate and focus knowledge creation, to reduce the time and cost needed for knowledge creation, to leverage knowledge creation initiatives throughout the corporation and to guide knowledge creation by the instigation of complementary reference points. By engaging in these types of activities intelligence workers are able to stage and influence different sorts of analytical conversations, where the insights from these conversations as reformed knowledge govern an evolving strategy in dispersed circumstances. Thus, intelligence workers fulfil their purpose, which in this perspective can be viewed as creating better business in whatever process they engage in.

Knowledge creation in small building and construction firms

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Durst ◽  
Ingi Runar Edvardsson ◽  
Guido Bruns
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Knowledge Sources ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Construction Firms ◽  
External Knowledge ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Small Building

Studies on knowledge creation are limited in general, and there is a particular shortage of research on the topic in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Given the importance of SMEs for the economy and the vital role of knowledge creation in innovation, this situation is unsatisfactory. Accordingly, the purpose of our study is to increase our understanding of how SMEs create new knowledge. Data are obtained through semi-structured interviews with ten managing directors of German SMEs operating in the building and construction industry. The findings demonstrate the influence of external knowledge sources on knowledge creation activities. Even though the managing directors take advantage of different external knowledge sources, they seem to put an emphasis on informed knowledge sources. The study´s findings advance the limited body of knowledge regarding knowledge creation in SMEs.

Responding to Social Responsibilities and Ethics - A Study of Refractory Industry in Odisha

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saikat Gochhait
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Ethical Practices ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Modern Business ◽  
Industrial Markets ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Profit Maximisation

Businesses work in a wide social environment in which they have a responsibility to a range of stakeholders including the community. The term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the responsibility that modern business organizations have to creating a healthy and prosperous society. Ethical practices in refractory marketing help marketers distinguish between right and wrong behavior. Adherence to ethics is essential in industrial markets as mutual trust among buyers and sellers is the key to long-term success. Marketing has evolved from a production-centric approach to a societal marketing approach that lays greater emphasis on the ethical issues in marketing. With the advent of globalization, corporations continue to evolve, grow in power, and influence the process of consolidation. Corporations are in positions of power that allow them to do greater damage to others when they act unethically or socially in an irresponsible manner. The rights theory encompasses a variety of ethical philosophies holding that certain human rights are fundamental and must be respected by other humans. The economic theories of the firm cannot be segregated of ethical considerations as they have crucial impact on how the firm concentrates on economic power, formulate the rules of law. Profit maximisation has always been the driving force and an undercurrent behind the development of corporate. But profit is not made in vacuum, it always has an associated cost, some of which is always externalized (Rhee, 2008). Corporate law has an ethical foundation and the debate on values necessarily revolves round the activities of the firm. This research paper on the basis of secondary sources of data collected from reports, research papers and Internet, focuses on corporate social responsibility (CSR) of TATA Group with reference to Tata Krosaki Refractories Ltd, Bajoria Group with reference to IFGL Refractories Ltd (Odisha), OCL Refractories Ltd, Sarvesh Refractories, and Manishree Refractories (Odisha). The study intends to understand the scope of corporate social responsibility and get an insight in CSR and ethical practices in the light of the case study of the refractory industries in Odisha.

scholarly journals The Impact of Social Media Use on Consumers’ Restaurant Consumption Experiences: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6581
Author(s):  
Jooyoung Hwang ◽  
Anita Eves ◽  
Jason L. Stienmetz
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
High Standards ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
Search For Information ◽  
The Impact

Travellers have high standards and regard restaurants as important travel attributes. In the tourism and hospitality industry, the use of developed tools (e.g., smartphones and location-based tablets) has been popularised as a way for travellers to easily search for information and to book venues. Qualitative research using semi-structured interviews based on the face-to-face approach was adopted for this study to examine how consumers’ restaurant selection processes are performed with the utilisation of social media on smartphones. Then, thematic analysis was adopted. The findings of this research show that the adoption of social media on smartphones is positively related with consumers’ gratification. More specifically, when consumers regard that process, content and social gratification are satisfied, their intention to adopt social media is fulfilled. It is suggested by this study that consumers’ restaurant decision-making process needs to be understood, as each stage of the decision-making process is not independent; all the stages of the restaurant selection process are organically connected and influence one another.

The effect of social reference points on self-other risk decision-making

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawei Wang ◽  
Mengmeng Zhou ◽  
Liping Zhu ◽  
Yixin Hu ◽  
Yuxi Shang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Social Reference ◽  
Risk Decision

Purchasing Power and Self-Determination: Social Worker Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Bailey ◽  
Debbie Plath ◽  
Alankaar Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Purchasing Power ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Management Approaches

Abstract The international policy trend towards personalised budgets, which is designed to offer people with disabilities purchasing power to choose services that suit them, is exemplified in the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). This article examines how the ‘purchasing power’ afforded to service users through individualised budgets impacts on social work practice and the choice and self-determination of NDIS service users. Social workers’ views were sought on the alignment between the NDIS principles of choice and control and social work principles of participation and self-determination and how their social work practice has changed in order to facilitate client access to supports through NDIS budgets and meaningful participation in decision-making. A survey was completed by forty-five social workers, and in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with five of these participants. The findings identify how social workers have responded to the shortfalls of the NDIS by the following: interpreting information for clients; assisting service users to navigate complex service provision systems; supporting clients through goal setting, decision-making and implementation of action plans; and adopting case management approaches. The incorporation of social work services into the NDIS service model is proposed in order to facilitate meaningful choice and self-determination associated with purchasing power.

scholarly journals Birds of a Feather Flock Together: Disadvantageous Decision Making in Augmented Restless Legs Syndrome Patients with and without Impulse Control Disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 383
Author(s):  
Beatrice Heim ◽  
Philipp Ellmerer ◽  
Ambra Stefani ◽  
Anna Heidbreder ◽  
Elisabeth Brandauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Restless Legs Syndrome ◽  
Impulse Control ◽  
Compulsive Sexual Behavior ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Restless Legs ◽  
Information Sampling ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Beads Task

Background: Augmentation (AUG) in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) can be associated with impulse control disorder (ICD) symptoms, such as compulsive sexual behavior, gambling disorder or compulsive shopping. In this study, we wanted to assess whether RLS patients with AUG differ in decision making from those patients who have augmentation and in addition ICD symptoms (AUG + ICD) in a post hoc analysis of a patient cohort assessed in a previous study. Methods: In total, 40 RLS patients with augmentation (19 AUG + ICD, 21 AUG without ICDs) were included. RLS diagnosis, severity, and diagnosis of augmentation were made by sleep disorder specialists. ICD symptoms were assessed using semi-structured interviews. All patients performed the beads task, which is an information sampling task where participants must decide from which of the two cups colored beads were drawn. Results were compared to 21 healthy controls (HC). Results: There was no difference in information sampling or irrational decision making between AUG and AUG + ICD patients (p = 0.67 and p = 1.00, respectively). Both patient groups drew less beads and made more irrational decisions than HC (all p-values < 0.03, respectively). Conclusions: Our results suggest that augmentation itself is associated with poorer decision making even in the absence of ICD symptoms. Further studies are necessary to explore whether rapid and hasty decision making are a harbinger of augmentation in RLS.

scholarly journals ‘Don’t Put the Cart before the Mule!’ Challenging Assumptions Regarding Health-Related Treatment Practices of Working Equid Owners in Northern India

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1307
Author(s):  
Caroline Nye ◽  
Tamlin Watson ◽  
Laura M. Kubasiewicz ◽  
Zoe Raw ◽  
Faith Burden
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Treatment Practices ◽  
Northern India ◽  
Brick Kilns ◽  
Treatment Measures ◽  
Working Equids

This paper challenges assumptions that the health management of working equids among some of India’s poorest communities is mainly dependent upon income, economic influence, or access to veterinary services. Using a mixed-methods approach, hierarchies of treatment practices are revealed through an examination of the ‘lived experience’ of equid owners in brick kilns and construction sites in northern India. Semi-structured interviews with 37 equid owners and corresponding livelihood surveys, combined with data from two focus groups with professional animal health practitioners and the welfare data of 63 working equids collected using the Equid Assessment, Research, and Scoping (EARS) tool, contributed to the findings of the study. Four principal influencing factors were found to affect the decision-making practices of equid owners. Infrastructural factors, community characteristics and experience, owners’ characteristics and experience, and economic factors all impact the belief structures of equid owners. However, without verifying the validity of the treatment measures being employed, some animals are at risk from hazardous treatment behaviours. By understanding decision-making using the theory of planned behaviour, the findings of this study can provide a crucial contribution to informing future interventions involved in the health management and welfare of working equids.

scholarly journals ‘Every medicine is part poison’: a qualitative inquiry into the perceptions and experiences of choosing contraceptive methods of migrant Chinese women living in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hankiz Dolan ◽  
Mu Li ◽  
Deborah Bateson ◽  
Rachel Thompson ◽  
Chun Wah Michael Tam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Contraceptive Method ◽  
Intrauterine Device ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Medical Advice ◽  
The Body ◽  
Hormonal Contraceptives ◽  
Contraceptive Methods ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Women’S Perceptions

Abstract Background In Australia, ethnic Chinese people are one of the largest, youngest and fastest growing overseas-born groups. Yet, little is known about their perceptions of contraceptive methods and their experiences with choosing one. Decisions about contraceptive methods are preference sensitive. Understanding the influencing factors of Chinese migrant women’s contraceptive method choice and practices will help cater to their decision-making needs in a culturally sensitive and responsive way. Methods A qualitative study design underpinned by critical realism approach was used to explore Chinese migrant women’s perceptions and experiences of choosing contraceptive methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 women who self-identified as being ethnically Chinese and had been living in Australia for no more than 10 years. The interview guide was adapted from the Ottawa Decision Support Framework. Majority of the interviews were conducted in Mandarin Chinese. Transcribed data was analysed using thematic analysis method. Results Four major themes were identified, including: ‘every medicine is part poison: hormonal contraceptives cause harm to the body’; ‘intrauterine device, a device used in the past for married women’; ‘it takes two (or one) to decide, depending on the relationship dynamics and contraception preferences’; and ‘it is not necessary to seek medical advice in choosing contraceptive methods’. Conclusions Our findings suggest that Chinese migrant women’s perceptions and experiences of choosing contraceptive methods are influenced by complex personal, cultural, societal and inter-relational factors. Chinese migrant women were cautious of using hormonal methods due to fears of side-effects, including reduced or absent menstrual bleeding. Women were also reluctant to consider intrauterine devices as options due to associating them with past experiences of other women and themselves and also fears of potential complications. There was a reluctant attitude towards seeking medical advice regarding contraception due to beliefs that needing to use contraception is not an illness requiring treatment. Such findings are likely to be useful in increasing healthcare professionals’ and policy makers’ understanding of Chinese migrant women’s contraceptive method preferences, beliefs and behaviours. They also help to develop culturally and linguistically sensitive strategies, which goes beyond the provision of contraceptive counselling, in assisting Chinese migrant women’s decision-making needs.

Information transformation: Some missing links

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-172
Author(s):  
Ivan P. Vaghely ◽  
Pierre-André Julien ◽  
André Cyr
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Human Information Processing ◽  
Process Information ◽  
Information Transformation ◽  
Efficient Information

Using grounded theory along with participant observation and interviews the authors explore how individuals in organizations process information. They build a model of human information processing which links the cognitivist-constructionist perspective to an algorithmic-heuristic continuum. They test this model using non-parametric procedures and find interesting results showing links to efficient information processing outcomes such as contributions to decision-making, knowledge-creation and innovation. They also identify some elements of best practice by efficient human information processing individuals whom they call the “information catalysts”.

Has Lean improved organizational decision making?

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 536-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascale Simons ◽  
Jos Benders ◽  
Jochen Bergs ◽  
Wim Marneffe ◽  
Dominique Vandijck
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Lean Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Organizational Decision Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
Sustainable Improvement ◽  
Care Processes ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Sustainable improvement is likely to be hampered by ambiguous objectives and uncertain cause-effect relations in care processes (the organization’s decision-making context). Lean management can improve implementation results because it decreases ambiguity and uncertainties. But does it succeed? Many quality improvement (QI) initiatives are appropriate improvement strategies in organizational contexts characterized by low ambiguity and uncertainty. However, most care settings do not fit this context. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether a Lean-inspired change program changed the organization’s decision-making context, making it more amenable for QI initiatives. Design/methodology/approach – In 2014, 12 professionals from a Dutch radiotherapy institute were interviewed regarding their perceptions of a Lean program in their organization and the perceived ambiguous objectives and uncertain cause-effect relations in their clinical processes. A survey (25 questions), addressing the same concepts, was conducted among the interviewees in 2011 and 2014. The structured interviews were analyzed using a deductive approach. Quantitative data were analyzed using appropriate statistics. Findings – Interviewees experienced improved shared visions and the number of uncertain cause-effect relations decreased. Overall, more positive (99) than negative Lean effects (18) were expressed. The surveys revealed enhanced process predictability and standardization, and improved shared visions. Practical implications – Lean implementation has shown to lead to greater transparency and increased shared visions. Originality/value – Lean management decreased ambiguous objectives and reduced uncertainties in clinical process cause-effect relations. Therefore, decision making benefitted from Lean increasing QI’s sustainability.

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