scholarly journals An Exploratory Study of Spirituality in German Enterprises

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Dorothea Alewell ◽  
Tobias Moll
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Northern Germany ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Daily Newspapers ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Spirituality At Work ◽  
Employee Needs ◽  
Religious Spirituality

Spirituality at work is increasingly attracting attention in management research, especially in the Anglo-Saxon and Asian contexts. However, for the German context, we know little about spirituality at work from scientific research, and findings and results from other sources are broadly scattered. Using a mixed-methods approach, we collect first findings on employer’s perception of spirituality at work and specific HRM practices in German workplaces. We analyse daily newspapers and related best-practice publications and conduct a small-scale qualitative employer survey in Northern Germany. To structure the results, we propose three main impact perspectives on spirituality in the workplace (workforce diversity, employee needs, and employer capabilities) as well as different employer stances in dealing with these three perspectives, from faith-avoiding to faith-based (Miller & Ewest, 2015). In all three perspectives and stances, companies already implement different HR activities under different expectations and perceptions. Some German organisations already address the needs perspective by room-related tools, working time-related tools, food-related offers, and instruments that facilitate coordination and cooperation in multi-religious settings. Employer stances differ concerning religious and non-religious spirituality. While employers view nonreligious spirituality in the company as generally positive (faith-friendly), they are often sceptical of religious spirituality at work (faith-avoiding or faith-safe).

An Exploratory Study of Spirituality in German Enterprises

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 0-26
Author(s):  
Dorothea Alewell ◽  
Tobias Moll
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Northern Germany ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Daily Newspapers ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Spirituality At Work ◽  
Employee Needs ◽  
Religious Spirituality

Spirituality at work is increasingly attracting attention in management research, especially in the Anglo-Saxon and Asian contexts. However, for the German context, we know little about spirituality at work from scientific research, and findings and results from other sources are broadly scattered. Using a mixed-methods approach, we collect first findings on employer’s perception of spirituality at work and specific HRM practices in German workplaces. We analyse daily newspapers and related best-practice publications and conduct a small-scale qualitative employer survey in Northern Germany. To structure the results, we propose three main impact perspectives on spirituality in the workplace (workforce diversity, employee needs, and employer capabilities) as well as different employer stances in dealing with these three perspectives, from faith-avoiding to faith-based (Miller & Ewest, 2015). In all three perspectives and stances, companies already implement different HR activities under different expectations and perceptions. Some German organisations already address the needs perspective by room-related tools, working time-related tools, food-related offers, and instruments that facilitate coordination and cooperation in multi-religious settings. Employer stances differ concerning religious and non-religious spirituality. While employers view nonreligious spirituality in the company as generally positive (faith-friendly), they are often sceptical of religious spirituality at work (faith-avoiding or faith-safe).

scholarly journals Technical Efficiency and Small Scale Maize Producers in Mwanza Region: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mukole Kongolo
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Estimation Procedure ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
Frontier Analysis

This study measured technical efficiency and its determinants in maize production by small-scale producers in Mwanza region, using a stochastic frontier production function approach. A randomly selected sample of participants in the two districts was used. The Maximum Likelihood estimation procedure was followed to obtain the determinants of technical efficiency and technical efficiency levels of small-scale maize producers. The minimum and maximum values of technical efficiency were between 20% and 91%, indicating that the least practices of specific producer operates at a minimum level of 20%, while the best practice producers  operate  at 91% technical efficiency  level respectively. The summary results of the mean technical efficiency was 63%. The main determinants of technical efficiency were labour, farm size, producer’s experience, producer’s age, family size which were all positive and statistically significant. The findings suggest that the average efficiency of small-scale maize producers could be improved by 37% through better use of existing resources and technology. These findings highlight the need for action by government to assist small-scale maize producers improve efficiency.

scholarly journals Who Are the Gentrifiers and How Do They Change Central City Neighbourhoods? Privatization, Commodification, and Gentrification in Bucharest

Geografie ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liviu Chelcea ◽  
Raluca Popescu ◽  
Darie Cristea
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
Census Tract ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Central City ◽  
Field Trips ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Data Field

Our understanding of gentrification outside of the Anglo-Saxon core is relatively undeveloped. In order to contribute to a more de-centered approach, we ask who are the gentrifiers and how do they change central city neighbourhoods in a post-socialist context? The answers are explored through a mixed-methods approach, using both quantitative and qualitative data: construction permits analysis, census tract data, field trips, and interviews with tenants, former owners, and real estate agents. Findings indicate that gentrifiers vary in nature. They include state tenants, former owners, marginal gentrifiers, political capitalists, and institutional investors. Through their actions, central neighbourhoods have gained younger, more educated, and smaller households. Beyond this case study, we emphasize the usefulness of rent gap theories, the need to study displaced households, and the potential of property rights to enrich theories of gentrification.

The failure of non‐binding declarations to achieve university sustainability

2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.A. Bekessy ◽  
K. Samson ◽  
R.E. Clarkson
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
University Leaders ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeThis paper aims to assess the impact and value of non‐binding agreements or declarations in achieving sustainability in universities.Design/methodology/approachA case study of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University is presented, analysing the reasons for lack of progress towards sustainability and evaluating best ways forward. Using a timeline and analysis of historical records for the 12 years since RMIT first engaged in the sustainability agenda, major trends in the process of implementing policies are identified. Secondly, 15 semi‐structured interviews with university leaders and key sustainability stakeholders from across the university are analysed to provide insight into how and why the university has failed to achieve sustainability.FindingsNew implications for successfully achieving sustainability arise from these findings. Accountability is a key issue, as RMIT appears to reap benefits from being signatory to declarations without achieving genuine progress. To ensure that declarations are more than simply greenwash, universities must open themselves up to scrutiny of progress to determine whether commitments have been honoured.Practical implicationsRelying on small‐scale “club” activities establishing demonstrations and raising awareness is unlikely to lead to permanent change. The evidence of RMIT's engagement with sustainability shows that, for example, even when successful pilot studies are conducted, these initiatives may do little to affect the mainstream practices of a university unless certain conditions exist. Furthermore, given the on‐paper commitments institutions have made, and the role of the university in society, small‐scale and gradual changes in university practice are a far from adequate response to the urgent sustainability imperative.Originality/valueThe initial engagement of RMIT University with the sustainability agenda 12 years ago marked it as a world leader in sustainability best‐practice. Analysing how and why such a disappointing lack of action has resulted from such promising beginnings provides insight into future directions for implementing sustainability in universities. The paper argues that considering the key responsibility of universities in leading the sustainability agenda, a more systemic and serious response is required.

Negative effects of self-help materials: three explorative studies

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Papworth ◽  
Aileen Ward ◽  
Karen Leeson
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Postal Survey ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Training Need

AbstractWithin the field of adult mental health, self-help is now a pivotal treatment modality. However, earlier research indicates that some individuals react negatively to this. Through three, small-scale studies, this paper explores both clinicians’ experience of harm in patients as a response to self-help materials as well as patients’ own reports. In Study 1, a postal survey was administrated to clinicians; in Study 2, semi-structured interviews were conducted with clinicians; and in Study 3, patients were sent a postal survey. Over 18% of clinicians indicated that they had experienced self-help materials resulting in harm to patients. The interviews uncovered four main themes: the patients’ clinical presentation, how the materials were presented within the therapeutic contact, certain personality characteristics in patients, and the characteristics of some materials. Between 12% and 24% of patients reported experience of negative effects (depending upon how this is defined), although the latter finding is limited by a small sample size. Proposals are made that are linked to best practice and it is suggested that there is a generic training need for clinicians in materials’ use.

The panacea of culture: the changing fortunes and careers of China’s Dongba priests

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Xie ◽  
Yochanan Altman
Keyword(s):  
Life Histories ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Tourist Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Culture Heritage ◽  
Societal Changes ◽  
Business And Management

Purpose – On the background of China’s turn to a market economy and a consumer-driven society, the purpose of this paper is to recount the fortunes of the age-old religion of the Naxi people and their farmer-priests, the dongba. Design/methodology/approach – Detailed ethnography, including participant observation, the collection of life histories and interviews. Findings – The might of the tourist industry dominates the changes in the profession of the dongba priests, from a faith-based practice to a tourist-driven service; aided by a confluence of interests of relevant stakeholders: the Chinese state, the provincial governments, the Naxi elite. At the core is the transformation, in Chinese terms, from a superstitious religion to culture heritage. Research limitations/implications – Like all case studies and common to ethnographic-based research, the small scale of the research poses questions of generalizability. Practical implications – Shedding light on a little known aspect of the world’s largest economy is of high relevance to business and management scholars. Social implications – The transformation of the dongba demonstrates how major societal changes that happen within a couple of decades affect a society and its economy and a central career track within it. Originality/value – The case study testifies to the encounter of a major modern industry: tourism, with an archaic religion in a remote corner of China, and the transformation of the latter as result.

Community-based dementia day programmes: Common elements and outcome measures

Dementia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Weir ◽  
Christa Fouche
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Common Elements ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Core Elements

Dementia Day programmes are considered important in supporting the well-being of both people living with dementia and their caregivers. There is, however, limited evidence on the effectiveness of these programmes. This article reports on a study undertaken in New Zealand on the effectiveness of community-based dementia day programmes. The small-scale pilot study was aimed at investigating the elements that make up an effective client-focused dementia day programme and the methods employed by organisations to measure the outcomes of these programmes. A mixed methods approach was employed with multiple stakeholders. The research revealed that effective day programmes comprised five core elements, and that surveys, reporting and auditing processes are routinely used to measure the quality of outcomes of day programmes. Although these findings are reflective of a specific context, it raises concerns about the nature and availability of evidence informing decisions regarding the design and implementation of day programmes internationally.

scholarly journals Tracers and traceability: implementing the cirrus parameterisation from LACM in the TOMCAT/SLIMCAT chemistry transport model as an example of the application of quality assurance to legacy models

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1299-1333
Author(s):  
A. M. Horseman ◽  
A. R. MacKenzie ◽  
M. P. Chipperfield
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Software Engineering ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Acceptance Testing ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Chemistry Transport Model ◽  
Research Software

Abstract. A new modelling tool for the investigation of large-scale behaviour of cirrus clouds has been developed. This combines two existing models, the TOMCAT/SLIMCAT chemistry transport model (nupdate library version 0.80, script mpc346_l) and cirrus parameterisation of Ren and MacKenzie (LACM implementation not versioned). The development process employed a subset of best-practice software engineering and quality assurance processes, selected to be viable for small-scale projects whilst maintaining the same traceability objectives. The application of the software engineering and quality control processes during the development has been shown to be not a great overhead, and their use has been of benefit to the developers as well as the end users of the results. We provide a step-by-step guide to the implementation of traceability tailored to the production of geo-scientific research software, as distinct from commercial and operational software. Our recommendations include: maintaining a living "requirements list"; explicit consideration of unit, integration and acceptance testing; and automated revision/configuration control, including control of analysis tool scripts and programs. Initial testing of the resulting model against satellite and in-situ measurements has been promising. The model produces representative results for both spatial distribution of the frequency of occurrence of cirrus ice, and the drying of air as it moves across the tropical tropopause. The model is now ready for more rigorous quantitative testing, but will require the addition of a vertical wind velocity downscaling scheme to better represent extra-tropical continental cirrus.

scholarly journals Upstream passage of adult sea trout (Salmo trutta) at a low-head weir with an Archimedean screw hydropower turbine and co-located fish pass

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 1822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie R. Dodd ◽  
Jonathan D. Bolland ◽  
Jon Hateley ◽  
Ian G. Cowx ◽  
Sam E. Walton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Fish Passage ◽  
Green Energy ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Sea Trout ◽  
Fish Pass ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Low Head

The exploitation of riverine systems for renewable energy has resulted in large numbers of small-scale hydropower schemes on low-head weirs. Although considered a clean and ‘green’ energy source in terms of emissions, hydropower can affect upstream migrating species by diverting flow away from viable routes over the impoundment and attract fish towards the turbine outfall. In an attempt to reduce this negative effect, hydropower outfalls with co-located fish-passage entrances are recommended, utilising turbine flows to attract fish towards the fish pass. The present study used acoustic telemetry to understand the performance of a co-located Larinier fish pass at a low-head hydropower scheme at a weir on the tidal Yorkshire Esk, England. The majority of the sea trout (anadromous Salmo trutta L.) individuals that approached the impediment were attracted to the hydropower and the co-located fish pass. Fish ascended through the pass under a wide range of river flows, tide heights, downstream river levels and hydropower flows, and there was no evidence that the hydropower operation affected fish-pass ascent. The information presented is urgently required to inform management decisions on the operation of hydropower schemes during the migratory period of salmonid fish, and help determine best-practice designs and operation at these facilities.

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