scholarly journals Where do Functional Traits Come From? The role of theory and models

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kearney ◽  
Melodie McGeoch ◽  
Steven Chown
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Predictive Modelling ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Predictive Capacity ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level

There is a growing focus on species’ traits in ecology, including initiatives to integrate trait data into biodiversity databases. This focus is motivated in part by a need to develop better predictive capacity for how species respond to environmental change. In this context, one is interested in functional traits – i.e. those with a defined link to environmental variability. This leads immediately to the questions of which traits to prioritise and how to characterise them. Here we argue that this can be achieved with greatest clarity by letting traits be defined by the equations of theoretical models that link individuals to their environments, i.e. mechanistic niche models. We illustrate this approach using the biophysical equations of heat and water exchange, and the metabolic equations of ontogentic growth. From this we derive a schema for a functional trait database that provides a high level of generality and consistency across taxa, and hooks into integrated predictive modelling frameworks. We argue that functional trait attribution at levels above the individual are unhelpful, but discuss how inferences can be made from individual-level functional trait data to populations and species.

scholarly journals Demands and tasks of intercultural school development: Group discussions with experts about intercultural school development

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Syring ◽  
Teresa Tillmann ◽  
Nicole Sacher ◽  
Sabine Weiß ◽  
Ewald Kiel
Keyword(s):  
Educational Institution ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
School Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level

The present study is aimed at identifying demands and tasks that are considered important by experts in the field of interculturalism for the successful development of schools. Although different theoretical models about intercultural school development, incorporating various conditions and dimensions, have already been suggested, gaps in research on the specific content of various administrative levels of school as an educational institution can still be identified. In order to fill those gaps, we conducted group discussions with small groups of experts in the field of interculturalism. Experts were matched into three groups so that each represents a high level of diversity regarding their particular expertise. Results from the discussions were investigated by applying content analysis. Based on the revealed findings, five fields of action can be established that are essential for the process of intercultural school development. The revealed areas covered a variety of factors, ranging from individual reflection to developmental processes of a school as an organization. In the present study, those facets are interpreted as conditions under which successful intercultural school development processes can be established. While most content areas can be mapped to the existing theoretical models, they add further information with regard to the content of the theoretical dimensions. This is particularly the case at the individual level. Resulting practical implications are explained and further discussed on the basis of inevitable future research.

A Critical Review of Theories and Models of Technology Adoption and Acceptance in Information System Research

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 58-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Tarhini ◽  
Nalin Asanka Gamagedara Arachchilage ◽  
Ra'ed Masa'deh ◽  
Muhammad Sharif Abbasi
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
System Research ◽  
Information System Research ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual

Previous research shows that selecting an appropriate theory or model has always remained a critical task for IS researchers. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there are few papers that review and compare the acceptance theories and models at the individual level. Hence, this article aims to overcome this problem by providing a critical review of eight of the most influential theories that have been used to predict and explain human behaviour towards adoption of various technologies at the individual level. This article also summarizes their evolution; highlight the key constructs, extensions, strengths, and criticisms from a selective list of published articles appeared in the literature related to IS. This review provides a holistic picture for future researchers in selecting appropriate single/multiple theoretical models/constructs based on their strengths and weaknesses and in terms of predictive power and path significance. It is concluded that a well-established theory should consider the personal, social, cultural, technological, organizational and environmental factors

scholarly journals The Impact of Customer Contact on Collective Human Energy in Firms

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 915-952
Author(s):  
Petra Kipfelsberger ◽  
Heike Bruch ◽  
Dennis Herhausen
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Customer Contact ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
Human Energy ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

This article investigates how and when a firm’s level of customer contact influences the collective organizational energy. For this purpose, we bridge the literature on collective human energy at work with the job impact framework and organizational sensemaking processes and argue that a firm’s level of customer contact is positively linked to the collective organizational energy because a high level of customer contact might make the experience of prosocial impact across the firm more likely. However, as prior research at the individual level has indicated that customers could also deplete employees’ energy, we introduce transformational leadership climate as a novel contingency factor for this linkage at the organizational level. We propose that a medium to high transformational leadership climate is necessary to derive positive meaning from customer contact, whereas firms with a low transformational leadership climate do not get energized by customer contact. We tested the proposed moderated mediation model with multilevel modeling and a multisource data set comprising 9,094 employees and 75 key informants in 75 firms. The results support our hypotheses and offer important theoretical contributions for research on collective human energy in organizations and its interplay with customers.

Dynamic Capabilities and Where to Find Them

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seidali Kurtmollaiev
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Sufficient Conditions ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient ◽  
Intention To Change

Despite its immense popularity, the dynamic capabilities framework faces fierce criticism because of the ambiguous and contradictory interpretations of dynamic capabilities. Especially challenging are the aspects related to the nature of dynamic capabilities and the issue of agency. In an attempt to avoid circular and overlapping definitions, I explicate dynamic capabilities as the regular actions of creating, extending, and modifying an organizational resource base. This implies that the individual’s intention to change the status quo in the organization and the individual’s high level of influence in the organization are necessary and sufficient conditions for dynamic capabilities. This approach overcomes challenges associated with current interpretations of dynamic capabilities, necessarily focusing on the actions and interactions of individuals in organizations. Following the micro-foundations movement, I present a multilevel approach for studying the individual-level causes and the firm-level effects of dynamic capabilities.

scholarly journals Linking biodiversity and ecosystems: towards a unifying ecological theory

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1537) ◽  
pp. 49-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Loreau
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Scientific Progress ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Ecosystem Ecology ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Overall Functioning ◽  
Theory And Experiments ◽  
Management Issues

Community ecology and ecosystem ecology provide two perspectives on complex ecological systems that have largely complementary strengths and weaknesses. Merging the two perspectives is necessary both to ensure continued scientific progress and to provide society with the scientific means to face growing environmental challenges. Recent research on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has contributed to this goal in several ways. By addressing a new question of high relevance for both science and society, by challenging existing paradigms, by tightly linking theory and experiments, by building scientific consensus beyond differences in opinion, by integrating fragmented disciplines and research fields, by connecting itself to other disciplines and management issues, it has helped transform ecology not only in content, but also in form. Creating a genuine evolutionary ecosystem ecology that links the evolution of species traits at the individual level, the dynamics of species interactions, and the overall functioning of ecosystems would give new impetus to this much-needed process of unification across ecological disciplines. Recent community evolution models are a promising step in that direction.

scholarly journals Modelling the ecological niche from functional traits

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1557) ◽  
pp. 3469-3483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kearney ◽  
Stephen J. Simpson ◽  
David Raubenheimer ◽  
Brian Helmuth
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Vital Rates ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Geometric Framework ◽  
Population Growth Rates ◽  
The Individual

The niche concept is central to ecology but is often depicted descriptively through observing associations between organisms and habitats. Here, we argue for the importance of mechanistically modelling niches based on functional traits of organisms and explore the possibilities for achieving this through the integration of three theoretical frameworks: biophysical ecology (BE), the geometric framework for nutrition (GF) and dynamic energy budget (DEB) models. These three frameworks are fundamentally based on the conservation laws of thermodynamics, describing energy and mass balance at the level of the individual and capturing the prodigious predictive power of the concepts of ‘homeostasis’ and ‘evolutionary fitness’. BE and the GF provide mechanistic multi-dimensional depictions of climatic and nutritional niches, respectively, providing a foundation for linking organismal traits (morphology, physiology, behaviour) with habitat characteristics. In turn, they provide driving inputs and cost functions for mass/energy allocation within the individual as determined by DEB models. We show how integration of the three frameworks permits calculation of activity constraints, vital rates (survival, development, growth, reproduction) and ultimately population growth rates and species distributions. When integrated with contemporary niche theory, functional trait niche models hold great promise for tackling major questions in ecology and evolutionary biology.

Individual and class room predictors of same-cultural friendship preferences in multicultural schools

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Stefanek ◽  
Dagmar Strohmeier ◽  
Rens van de Schoot
Keyword(s):  
Multicultural Education ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Generation Immigrant ◽  
Class Level ◽  
Class Room ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level ◽  
First And Second Generation

This study was an investigation of individual and contextual predictors for same-cultural friendship preferences among non-immigrant ( N = 125), Turkish ( N = 196) and former Yugoslavian ( N = 256) immigrant youths ( M age = 14.39 years) in 36 multicultural classes. At the individual level age, gender, cultural group, number of friends, and acculturation variables, such as immigrant status, cultural pride and racist victimization were investigated. At the class level, predictors drawn from contact theory such as cultural diversity and multicultural education were analyzed. Multilevel analyses have revealed that being a former Yugoslavian first and second generation immigrant, being a Turkish first generation immigrant, having fewer friends, a high level of cultural pride and a high level of cultural diversity in classes are related to more same-cultural friendship preferences. The present findings highlight the importance of acculturation-related and contextual factors for same-cultural friendship preferences.

scholarly journals Cross-sector dialogue for sustainability: to partner or not to partner?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celine Louche ◽  
Suzanne Young ◽  
Martin Fougère
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Resource Based View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Societal Context ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the topic and review the contributions of the special issue papers on cross-sector dialogue for sustainability. The paper also presents avenues for further research. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a review of the current literature on cross-sector partnership and dialogue. It explores the current issues in cross-sector partnerships through a discussion of the papers accepted for the special issue, their focus, findings and key contributions. Findings It highlights three main key research themes and learnings from the special issue papers: a high level of “hybridity” of collaboration forms, which involve important tensions; a need to understand partnership in its context and the importance of the individual level in cross-sector collaboration. Practical implications The authors call for attention to be paid to two forms of myopia: a tendency to view partnerships primarily from a resource-based view (without much attempt to measure societal impact) and a reluctance to be explicitly critical (despite empirical evidence of some suboptimal aspects of partnerships). Social implications The authors call for researchers to move away from a resource-based approach to one that is situated in exploring the value derived from partnerships in the broader societal context. The authors suggest some avenues for further research to move the discussion beyond the partnership imperative. Originality/value The paper outlines the need to critically revisit the very essence of what real partnership means and whether dialogue is really taking place.

scholarly journals Professional sportsmen attitude towards religion (based on the materials of the sociological survey)

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-226
Author(s):  
E. E. Gres
Keyword(s):  
Religious Orientation ◽  
Religious Faith ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
Professional Athletes ◽  
Sports Clubs ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level ◽  
Type 3 ◽  
Sports Activities

This article discusses the influence of religion on the personality and activities of an athlete. The first part of the article presents the author’s approaches to the study of religiosity, a questionnaire developed by the author with the participation of sports experts and coaches of national teams, adjusted in accordance with the specifics of the sociological selection — professional athletes of Russia, and the typology of religious and non-religious individuals (1 type — religious with dominant religious orientation, type 2 — hesitant-A with unstable religious orientation, tending to religiosity, type 3 — hesitant-B with unstable religion orientation, although tending to the irreligious, type 4 — undecided, 5 type — non-religious), established on the basis of fixed criteria, which are mainly signs of consciousness, behavior, involvement in religious attitudes. The second part contains the results of a series of concrete sociological studies conducted in 2015–2017, among 89 professional athletes with qualifications not lower than the candidate for master of sports of Russia, representatives of various sports clubs and teams in Moscow, to identify the relationship between the individual level of religiosity and the results of sports activities. The article confirms, based on the collected data, the hypothesis formulated by the author that religious faith contributes to the achievement of a high result in sports activities, providing a compensatory and mobilization effect on the individual. In addition, personal qualities are determined that are shaped by the practice of religious athletes in sports, as well as the statistically recorded view that bodily development contributes to spiritual growth. Demonstrating a high level of religiosity, representatives of different sports have their own specific characteristics, rituals, omens, rites of verbal and non-verbal characters. Not every athlete connects traditional religious practice with sports activities, even being deeply religious. Personal god, direct appeal to him in an improvised form in moments of special need (competition, as an example), personal signs — these are the characteristic features of this social category.

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